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 collective bargaining and employment law. The applicant should be proficient in general employment law litigation, 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 Personnel Section. The successful applicant will counsel and represent the County, with the assistance of expert outside counsel, in collective bargaining with the County’s bargaining units. Duties will include working on a variety of employment law matters, including collective bargaining, labor negotiations, grievances, drafting and reviewing employment-related ordinances and polices, and other related employment law matters. The potential candidate must have a strong background in employment law, including litigation experience.

The successful applicant may personally handle litigation in state and federal courts and before state administrative agencies, and provide legal advice to county agencies related to employment issues including but not limited to Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Virginia Workers' Compensation Act. The successful applicant will represent county agencies in employee grievances and in matters before the Fairfax County Civil Service Commission. Litigation will include personal injury, employment law, constitutional law, workers' compensation, and alleged civil rights violations.

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.

For specific, specialized County Attorney positions, at the request of the County Attorney, the Human Resources Director may approve consideration of candidates who are members of a Bar Association in a state other than Virginia. For these approved positions, membership in the Virginia State Bar must be obtained within 9 months of hire.

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

Note: This position is listed as "open continuous." Interested applicants are advised to submit their applications as soon as possible. Applications will be reviewed, and qualified applicants referred on a continuous basis. Interviews will be conducted on a regular basis throughout the recruitment with candidates whose qualifications best fit our needs. If your application is received later in the recruitment process, it may not be reviewed or considered. The application process will close when the position(s) have been filled or when a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received.

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.
For specific, specialized County Attorney positions, at the request of the County Attorney, the Human Resources Director may approve consideration of candidates who are members of a Bar Association in a state other than Virginia. For these approved positions, membership in the Virginia State Bar must be obtained within 9 months of hire.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Demonstrated experience in employment law
Demonstrated excellent writing and public speaking skills.
Demonstrated employment law litigation experience in federal district courts in Virginia, ideally in the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division.

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 will be required to complete a criminal background check to the satisfaction of the employer.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Ability to input, access, and retrieve information from a computer. Ability to travel to various locations throughout Fairfax County to provide coverage, attend meetings and trainings. 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.

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.