Assistant City Attorney II – Land Use & Development

Pay Range: $111,791 - $122,870 annual compensation

Job Posting Closing on: Friday, February 14, 2025

Benefits for this position include: 11 Paid Holidays, Medical, Dental, Vision, Paid Time Off, Pension Plan, Professional Development Opportunities, and much more.

The City of Fort Worth is one of the fastest growing large cities in the U.S. Our employees serve the needs of nearly 1,000,000 residents, promoting our values of exceptional customer experience, mutual respect, embracing our diversity, continuous improvement, ethical behavior, and accountability.

The Fort Worth City Attorney’s Office is a collegial team of legal professionals providing excellent legal service to the City of Fort Worth. As an in-house legal department, we practice in a wide range of civil and criminal law on behalf of and for the City, including general counsel, litigation, and prosecutorial areas. Local government is the form of government that is closest to the people and working for a well-managed city like Fort Worth gives meaning and purpose as you see the direct and positive impact your legal work has on improving the community.

The City Attorney’s Office places strong emphasis on mentorship and career development and the majority of our attorneys receive in-house training for their positions. We highly value diversity and work life balance and we view our office as a work family, consistently striving to be a respectful and supportive work place with a great culture.

An Assistant City Attorney II - Land Use and Development position is available with the City Attorney’s Office in the Transactional Division’s Land Use and Regulatory Compliance Section. This position does not involve litigation, although the attorneys in the Transactional Division will work with and advise litigators in the litigation division on matters. Other duties may also be assigned.

 Minimum Qualifications:

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school
• Five (5) years of increasingly responsible experience in City or related government law, including relevant transactional experience and land use, zoning, platting, historic preservation, development agreements, infrastructure construction agreements, open meetings and real property
• Possession of a license from the Supreme Court of Texas to practice law is required at the time of hiring

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in land use, zoning, platting, historic preservation, development agreements, infrastructure construction agreements, open meetings and real property.
• Municipal experience.
• Knowledge of land use and development matters, including impact fees and procurement.
• Experience working with developers and engineers.

The Assistant City Attorney II - Land Use and Development job responsibilities include: 

• Provides and renders legal advice to the City Council, members of City commissions, boards and committees and City staff on a wide range of municipal law issues including interpretation of the City Charter.
• Researches legal issues and drafts and reviews opinions, ordinances, resolutions, regulations and other legal documents. Approves the same as to form and legality.  Handles matters ranging from routine to complex, which may vary based on experience, expertise, and demonstrated proficiency.
• Negotiates complex contracts, land use and development agreements, professional services agreements, interlocal agreements, real estate transactions and other contracts related to government services.
• Attend meetings of the City Council or other City commissions, boards, or committees as legal counsel or on a project-by-project basis. Assists other attorneys on complex legal matters. 
• Performs other related duties as required.

Working Conditions

Depending on assignment, positions in this class typically require touching, talking, hearing, seeing, grasping, standing, walking and repetitive motions.

Applicants for this position must pass a Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) fingerprint-based background check and maintain CJIS eligibility.  Due to CJIS requirements related to system access, the following will result in being disqualified for this position:  Felony Convictions, Felony Deferred Adjudication, Class A Misdemeanor Conviction, Class B Misdemeanor Convictions in the last 10 years, Class A Misdemeanor Deferred Adjudication, Class B Misdemeanor Deferred Adjudication in the last 10 years, an Open Arrest for Any Criminal Offense (Felony or Misdemeanor), and ALL Family Violence Convictions regardless of class.

Physical Demands

Sedentary Work – Depending on assignment, positions in this class typically exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, a negligible amount of force frequently, and/or or constantly having to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.