Attorney I (Litigation)

Salary\: $66,716 - $100,074

Position Grade\: 215G

Department\: City Counselor

Job Type\: Full-Time (Permanent)

Examination Number\: EX1715

Location\: Downtown - St. Louis, MO

An entry-to-junior level litigator position. Under the guidance and mentorship of senior staff, the incumbent handles non-complex and routine civil litigation files, including personal injury, employment, and civil rights matters, while taking active ownership of cases from early discovery through trial and appeal. The incumbent also assists senior litigators as second chair on complex files.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities\:

● Defends claims against the City and its officers in state court, federal court, and administrative hearings.

● Performs legal writing and research in personal injury, employment, equity, civil rights, and other matters as assigned.

● Drafts and files pleadings, motions, legal memoranda, discovery requests, discovery responses, and appellate briefs.

● Interviews witnesses; takes and defends depositions.

● Represents the City and its employees at trials and administrative hearings.

● Assists (as second chair) senior attorneys with complex or high-exposure matters.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities\:

● Proficient in Microsoft Word, LexisNexis, and/or Westlaw.

● Data Utilization\: Requires the ability to perform mid-level data analysis including the ability to audit, deduce, assess, conclude and appraise. Requires discretion in determining and referencing such established criteria to define consequences and develop alternatives.

● Human Interaction\: Requires the ability to apply principles of negotiation within the context of legal guidelines.

● Equipment, Machinery, Tools and Materials Use\: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or provide simple but continuous adjustment on equipment, machinery and tools such as a computer, calculator, copy and fax machines, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.

● Verbal Aptitude\: Requires the ability to utilize reference, descriptive, consulting, design and advisory data and information such as legal briefs and opinions, statutes, ordinances, contracts and legal research materials.

● Mathematical Aptitude\: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; calculate percentages and decimals and may use basic algebra.

● Functional Reasoning\: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or synthesis functions involving planning and directing of interrelated activities or multiple departments. Ability to deal with several concrete and abstract variables in working out approaches to major problems.

● Situational Reasoning\: Requires the ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental and/or subjective criteria, as opposed to criteria that are clearly measurable or verifiable.

● Environmental Factors\: Work is normally performed in an office environment under generally safe and comfortable conditions where exposure to irate individuals poses a very limited risk of injury.

● Physical Requirements\: Tasks involve the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work. Tasks may involve extended periods of visual concentration at a keyboard or workstation.

● Sensory Requirements\: Requires the ability to recognize and identify individual characteristics of colors, shapes, and sounds, associated with job-related objects, materials and tasks.