CHIEF ASSISTANT CORPORATION COUNSEL

City of Chicago

CHIEF ASSISTANT CORPORATION COUNSEL    

     

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT     

     

DEPARTMENT OF LAW    

Legal Information, Investigations and Prosecutions (“LIIP”) Division    

     

Number of Vacancies:  1    

     

The City of Chicago Law Department is seeking an attorney for the position of Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel in the LIIP Division to represent and supervise other attorneys in the representation of the City in document production, electronic discovery (“e-discovery”), Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Local Records Act matters. The Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel will work under the general supervision of the City Prosecutor in the Division and will have significant responsibility on various matters, including but not limited to client counseling and training on FOIA, record retention, record preservation and record production issues, responding to motions for contempt for non-production of documents filed against clients, drafting FOIA response letters and Public Access Counselor (PAC) appeal letters, and handling litigation and administrative review matters in state and federal court.  The attorney will also represent City witnesses who are non-targets in criminal trials.  In addition, this attorney will handle and supervise high profile FOIA cases in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.  The attorney will be responsible for both supervising and handling all phases of litigation on his or her own cases, including preparing pleadings and motions of varying complexity, appearing in court for case management conferences, settlement conferences and motion hearings, drafting discovery, and drafting and arguing motions for summary judgment. 

     

Application Process and Materials    

There is a two-step application process for this position.      

     

Step One:  You must submit an on-line application along with your resume here on this site by October 24, 2014.     

     

Step Two:  In addition to the online application submitted in Step One and regardless of whether such materials were uploaded with your on-line application, the following materials must be submitted in hard copy to: City of Chicago Department of Law’s Legal Recruiter, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1640, Chicago, IL 60602:    

• Cover letter that (1) includes the position title and job number as noted on the posting; and (2) specifically identifies how you meet the minimum qualifications and have the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below; 
• Resume; 
• Law school transcript (official or unofficial); 
• Two writing samples; and 
• Copy of your ARDC card (or your admitted state bar's equivalent).  

NOTE:  The foregoing materials must be submitted in person (interoffice delivery of application materials will not be accepted) or received via U.S. Mail or another similar mailing method (e.g., FedEx, UPS, DHL) at the address noted above on or before October 30, 2014; late submissions shall result in your application not being considered for the position.  Should you wish to confirm receipt of your materials, please use a traceable delivery method. 
 

Please note that the online application submission deadline is October 24, 2014 and the required hard copy materials submission deadline is October 30, 2014.    

     

NOTE: Please do not submit references with your hard copy materials.  Please do not send to us any materials other than those we have specifically requested above.  Submission of references and/or additional materials with your hard copy materials other than what is specifically requested above shall result in your application not being considered for the position.    

     

NOTE:  If you have any questions regarding how to apply, please contact the Department of Human Resources.  Please note that due to the volume of applications we receive, the Recruiting and Personnel Sections in the Department of Law are not able to take or return emails or phone calls seeking any information pertaining to the position or the process.  Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.  Thank you for your interest in the City of Chicago Department of Law.  

 

THIS POSITION IS EXEMPT FROM THE CAREER SERVICE.    

Graduation from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school with a Juris Doctorate, ten years of work experience in the legal profession as a licensed attorney of which three years are in a supervisory role or case management capacity, and admission to the Illinois Bar on or before November 2004 (or eligible for admission on motion to the Illinois Bar pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 705).

Disclaimer - "Accredited" means any nationally or regionally accredited college, university, or law school where the applicant is enrolled in or has completed an Associates, Bachelors, Masters, or Juris Doctorate degree program.      

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities      

    

Ideal candidates will possess the following:      

•  A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in state and/or federal court 
• Two (2) years of experience handling matters involving the Chicago Police Department  
• Superior writing, research and editing skills 
• Knowledge of discovery practice 
• Exceptional client counseling and organizational skills 
• The ability to work well with others 
• The ability to communicate well with others including groups 
• Demonstrated leadership ability and initiative on assigned tasks 
• Demonstrated ability to organize, prioritize, monitor and control workflow deadlines.  

Preference may be given to candidates possessing the following:      

•  Experience responding to FOIA requests and/or handling FOIA litigation in Circuit Court and/or before the Public Access Counsel 
•  Experience responding to discovery requests and/or motions to compel discovery 
• Experience with document review on large document production matters 
• Experience providing client counseling 
• Experience working with short deadlines 
• Experience working with the media 
• Experience with electronic discovery 
• Experience in project management 

Education & Employment Verification - Please be advised that if you are selected to be hired you must provide, upon request, adequate information regarding your educational and employment history as it relates to the qualifications of the position for which you are applying.  If you received your degree internationally, all international transcripts/diploma must be accompanied by a Foreign Credential Evaluation.  If the City of Chicago cannot verify this information, any offer extended to you will be withdrawn and you will not be hired.
 

NOTE:  You must provide your transcripts or diploma, professional license, or training certificates at time of processing, if applicable.  Please see address listed above of where to send required materials.       

       

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS       

This position requires applicants to complete an interview.  The interviewed candidate(s) possessing the qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position will be selected.      

       

NOTE:  To be considered for this position you must provide information about your educational background and your work experience.  You must include job titles, dates of employment, and specific job duties.  (If you are a current City employee, Acting Up cannot be considered.)  If you fail to provide this information at the time you submit your application, it will be incomplete and you will not be considered for this position.  There are three ways to provide the information: 1) you may attach a resume; 2) you may paste a resume; or 3) you can complete the online resume fields.         

         

Evaluation:  Your initial evaluation will be based on the documents submitted. Applications must be submitted by the individual applicant.  No second party applications will be accepted.      

       

Residency Requirement:  An employee must be an actual resident of the City of Chicago.  Proof of residency will be required at the time of employment.      

       

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation due to disability in order to participate in the application process, please contact the City of Chicago, Department of Human Resources, at 312 744-4976 (voice) or 312 744-5035 (TTY).  Please be prepared to provide information in support of your reasonable accommodation request.      

       

ALL REFERENCES TO POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP OR RECOMMENDATION MUST BE OMITTED FROM ANY AND ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR CITY EMPLOYMENT.
 

The City of Chicago is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Military Friendly Employer.      

       

City of Chicago        Department of Law                Department of Human Resources      

Rahm Emanuel         Stephen R. Patton                   Soo Choi      

Mayor                        Corporation Counsel               Commissioner      

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