Assistant County Attorney V

Job Announcement

The County Attorney's Office is seeking an attorney with high-quality legal knowledge and skills in the areas of litigation and government transactional work. More specifically, the applicant should be proficient in general civil litigation, transactional work, legal research, writing, and public speaking, as well as enjoy a wide variety of challenging legal work.

The position is in the Office of the County Attorney's General Law Section. The successful applicant will counsel and represent the County on multiple subject matter areas, such as erroneous tax assessment, bankruptcy, election law, environmental law, intellectual property, consumer protection, government regulations, and legislative changes at the state and local levels. Solid litigation and trial experience are required, with a demonstrated ability to handle a case from inception to completion, including managing the discovery process, taking and defending depositions, and motions practice. The successful candidate will personally handle litigation in state and federal courts and before state administrative agencies. This position will also provide an opportunity to analyze proposed policy and legislation and determine the possible effect on the County and its programs and provides a great opportunity to work in a collegial atmosphere on a variety of issues involving the interplay of federal, state, and local law.

Fairfax County's Office of the County Attorney functions as in-house counsel to the Board of Supervisors, the County Executive, department heads, division directors, and other employees. Fairfax County is the largest jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia with more than 1.1 million residents and more than 12,000 employees. Attorneys in the Office of the County Attorney have no billing requirements and have the potential to telework multiple days per week. Fairfax County government is widely recognized as a superior government organization. In 2021, the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) announced that it had awarded its Certificate of Excellence to Fairfax County for the thirteenth consecutive year. The County is among only 25 jurisdictions across the nation recognized by ICMA for this prestigious award - the organization's highest level of recognition.

Note: In order to be considered and as part of the application process, you must attach a writing sample to your application.

The position may be underfilled as an Assistant County Attorney III (Grade L-03; $79,977.66 - $133,296.80 ); the underfill requirements are stated below in the Employment Standards section.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

( The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

• Knowledge of the sources of legal reference;
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of law;
• Knowledge of local, state and federal laws and court decisions affecting the practice of the law at the county level;
• Ability to learn Fairfax County ordinances and resolutions;
• Ability to analyze facts and reach logical conclusions;
• Ability to express ideas effectively, both orally and in writing;
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with associates, County officials and the public.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Must be an active member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar.
Any combination of education and experience equivalent to four years of experience as a practicing attorney.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
License to practice law in the state of Virginia.

UNDERFILL REQUIREMENTS:
This position may be underfilled as an Assistant County Attorney III (Grade L-03; $79,977.66 - $133,296.80). The employment standards for the Assistant County Attorney III are:

• Must be an active member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar.
• Any combination of education and experience equivalent to one year of experience as a practicing attorney.
• License to practice law in the state of Virginia.

Upon the successful completion of the 12-month probationary period and after reaching a total of 4 years of experience, Assistant County Attorney III employees are eligible for a non-competitive appointment to the Assistant County Attorney V level.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience representing public bodies (local or state governments preferred) in legal matters related to local taxation, contracts, election law, consumer protection, or legislative matters.
• Excellent research, writing, and public speaking skills.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• All newly hired employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (two weeks after the last required dose) as a condition of employment or obtain approval of a medical or religious exemption prior to their start date. Proof of an exemption or vaccination status will be required during the pre-employment onboarding process. New employees who obtain an exemption from the vaccine mandate for medical or sincerely held religious beliefs may be subject to a weekly testing requirement. Vaccinated employees and employees with a medical or religious exemption will complete the attestation online on their first day of employment or shortly thereafter.
• All positions allocated to the County Attorney series are under the Fairfax County Merit System of personnel administration and are limited to full-time employment and preclude the private practice of law. However, the phrase "private practice of law" does not include the provision of pro bono public legal services in a pro bono legal services program approved by the County Attorney and in accordance with the policy of the County Attorney governing participation in an approved program.
• The appointee to the position must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check.
• The appointee to the position must complete a Statement of Economic Interest form prior to starting work.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Must communicate with others. Ability to input, access, and retrieve information from a computer. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview. In order to be considered and as part of the application process, you must attach a writing sample to your application.

This job announcement is listed as "Open Continuous". Interested applicants are advised to submit their applications as soon as possible. Applications will be reviewed and qualified applicants will be referred until the position(s) have been filled or when a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. If your application is received later in the recruitment process, it may not be reviewed or considered.

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 39.8% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact 703-324-4900 for assistance. TTY 703-222-7314. EEO/AA/TTY.