Legal Intern (Part-Time) in Suffolk, Virginia at City of Suffolk

Under general supervision, the Legal Intern performs professional work for the Office of the City Attorney. Duties include drafting legal pleadings, reviewing correspondence, conducting legal research, and drafting legal memoranda. The Legal Intern must exercise tact, courtesy, and discretion in frequent contact with attorneys, City officials, City staff, court personnel, judges, and the public. Reports to the Deputy City Attorney.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.

• Reviews legal correspondence from the Courts and attorneys.
• Conducts legal research on various issues including child welfare, conflict of interest law, eminent domain, employment, freedom of information, procurement, and zoning law.
• Drafts legal pleadings, motions, and memoranda.
• Assists attorneys in preparation of child welfare, litigation, and zoning cases.
• Attends meetings for City Council, City departments, boards, and commissions as needed.
• Communicates with supervisor, department employees, other departments, and other individuals as needed to coordinate work activities, review status of work, exchange information, or resolve problems.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.

Valid Driver’s License.

Preferred Qualification: Sits for the July 2026 Virginia Bar Exam.

• Knowledge of Virginia law pertaining to the operations, authority and responsibilities of municipal government.
• Knowledge of the principles and procedures of civil law, especially as related to municipal government.
• Knowledge of municipal government structure and operations.
• Knowledge of legal research and investigation methodology, judicial procedure, and rules of evidence.
• Knowledge of the current literature, trends and developments in the field of municipal law.
• Knowledge and proficiency with computers and related software programs.
• Skilled in civil litigation and legal writing.
• Ability to interpret and apply laws and court decisions, and to use legal source material in technical research.
• Ability to express ideas effectively, orally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
• Ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.
• Ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving assignments and/or directions from superiors.
• Ability to read, comprehend, and interpret caselaw, ordinances, regulations, and statutes.
• Ability to read a variety of reports, letters, and memos, contracts, deeds, ordinances, resolutions, legal briefs, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, contracts, deeds, legal briefs, ordinances, resolutions, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style.
• Ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control and confidence.
• Ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages including legal, engineering, medical and tax terminology.