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, including considerable experience in drafting, negotiating, and implementing labor relations contracts established as part of collective bargaining. The applicant should be proficient in collective bargaining, 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 reviewing and drafting collective bargaining agreements, working in coordination with outside counsel, advising the Board of Supervisors and the Department of Human Resources in labor negotiations as well advising and representing agencies in grievances and other such employment law matters. 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. Fairfax County government is widely recognized as a superior government organization. In 2020, the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) announced that it had awarded its Certificate of Excellence to Fairfax County for the twelfth 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.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• 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 in the practice of civil law in the employ of a municipal or county government, or acceptable equivalent experience. Litigation experience.

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

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated experience in employment law and labor negotiations.
• Demonstrated excellent writing and public speaking skills.
• Litigation experience in general district courts, circuit courts or federal district courts in Virginia; ideally in the Fairfax County courts.
• Experienced in trying cases before the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission.
• Collective bargaining experience, to include drafting labor relations contracts, negotiating bargaining agreements, and experience before labor relations board.

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 publico 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.
• Ability to travel to various locations throughout Fairfax County to provide coverage, attend meetings and trainings. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

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

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview.

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.

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.