The Town of Front Royal seeks an Assistant Town Attorney. The successful candidate will assume a supporting role in providing legal services to the Town Council and to other public bodies and departments of the Town on a broad range of matters, with primary responsibility for enforcement of Town Code provisions, various areas of transactional work, and for FOIA compliance. The position will function under the general supervision of the Town Attorney and requires strong interpersonal and written communication skills along with knowledge and understanding of Virginia general and local government law and their application to the functions of government, and of court rules and procedures. The attorney will be expected to perform legal research and prepare memoranda on relevant issues, draft contracts, agreements, deeds, leases, easements, ordinances, resolutions, and other legal documents, and to prosecute violations of the Town Code.

A successful applicant will be a licensed member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar. Prior experience in local government practice is highly preferred. We request that applicants with less than five (5) years in the practice of law submit a law school transcript along with their application.

You may apply through our online platform or submit your resume and relevant supporting documentation to Laura McIntosh, Director of Human Resources, at lmcintosh@frontroyalva.com.

The Town offers excellent benefits to include automatic enrollment in the Virginia Retirement System; 457 Deferred Compensation with pre-tax and Roth options; health, vision, dental, wellness, and employee assistance benefits; generous paid time off; 14 paid holidays; life, disability and other supplemental insurances. The Town is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

• Provide legal counsel upon request to Town Council, department heads and staff, including research of issues presented and provision of legal opinions through oral or written response.
• Draft or review contracts and other legal instruments as needed; negotiate contract and other legal instrument terms with parties or opposing counsel and review for sufficiency of legal form.
• Draft and/or review ordinances, resolutions, forms, policies and procedures.
• Interpret legal documents as requested; interpret statutes, rules, regulations, policies and ordinances with respect to adherence to federal, state, and local laws.
• Review agendas; attend Town Council, Planning Commission, Board of Architectural Review and Board of Zoning Appeals meetings upon request.
• Handle Conflicts of Interests Act (COIA) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) issues.
• Handle civil, criminal, and traffic litigation in trial and appellate courts.
• Assist in issues dealing with bankruptcy.
• Supervise a small group of employees in the Legal department.
• Perform related work as required.

Experience Required: Five (5) years of related work experience preferred
Education Requirements: Bachelor’s degree; Juris Doctorate
Certifications: Licensed Attorney by Virginia State Bar

Qualifications:

• Knowledge of legal principles, precedents, and practices and their application to functions of local government and in civil, criminal and traffic legal practice generally.
• Knowledge of general statutory, administrative law, and State and Federal laws
• Knowledge of judicial and administrative procedures and rules of evidence
• Skilled at collaborative conflict resolution, negotiation, and meeting facilitation
• Ability to lead and direct employees in an effective manner
• Ability to analyze the legal aspects of governmental problems and to provide sound advice and assistance to officials
• Ability to present facts, law, and arguments clearly, logically, and persuasively
• Ability to interpret and analyze facts, evidence, and legal instruments
• Ability to express conclusions and arguments clearly and logically in oral and written forms
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with elected officials, staff, other government officials, citizens, Town Attorney, and department heads
• Exercises sound judgement

Work Environment

• Office environment; mostly sedentary; occasional exposure to outside elements.

Physical Demands

• This is light work requiring the exertion of up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Work requires climbing, reaching, standing, walking, lifting, fingering, grasping, and repetitive motions; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels.
• Visual acuity is required for preparing and analyzing written or computer data, use of measuring devices, operation of machines, and determining the accuracy and thoroughness of work; the worker is not subject to adverse environmental conditions.