Description

The Portland City Attorney’s Office seeks an attorney with at least four years of experience as a transactional attorney in the areas of construction (capital improvements) and procurement, to include general advice work for governmental or private entity clients that engage in public contracting.

Typical work includes pre-claims disputes, litigation, and insurance coverage assessments and other work as assigned by the City Attorney. Litigation experience, knowledge of state or local public contracting code, insurance and property transaction experience, and municipal law experience are preferred.

The City of Portland requires candidates have a commitment to racial equity as applied to legal analysis, policy, and institutional systems.

To Qualify

The following minimum qualifications are required for this position:

1. A minimum of 4 years’ construction law experience as a licensed attorney, including both transactional and litigation experience, or other combination of experience demonstrating a capacity to perform the essential functions of the position.
2. A Juris Doctor from an accredited law school; AND
3. Oregon State Bar Membership, in good standing, or membership in good standing in the Bar of another jurisdiction, with the ability to obtain Oregon State Bar Membership.

An ideal candidate will have:

• Experience in/knowledge of construction law and real estate transactions; business and workforce equity programs in construction contracting; and alternative contracting methods including construction manager/general contractor, design-build and progressive design-build. 
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent writing ability.
• Proficiency in time and case management.

The Recruitment Process

Applicant Instructions:

In your application, include your Resume, Cover Letter, and a Supplemental Attachment in accordance with the following instructions:

• Cover Letter: Competitive candidates will provide details in their cover letter addressing current practice areas, ratio of transactional, advice, and litigation work in their current practice, unique or sophisticated transactions that may highlight level of experience and expertise, and how they meet the ideal candidate qualities in the above position description.
   
• Resume: Your resume should support the details described in your cover letter and include all experience that is directly related and equivalent to the position. Note: Do not include your age, date of birth, or the dates you attended or graduated from school. Only provide this information if it is specifically requested to meet job requirements or to follow federal, state, or local laws or rules.
   
• Supplemental Attachment: In addition to the cover letter and resume, submit a separate statement in approximately 500 words or less describing:
  1) Your experiences or participation with one or more of the following, and 2) What you learned:
  • Experiences living, working, and/or interacting with individuals from diverse backgrounds and identities.
  • Situations in which you have taken action to address or help resolve unlawful discrimination, racial inequities, and other disparities based on protected class status.
  • Steps you have taken to make workplaces and/or public spaces more inclusive and welcoming for all persons.
  • Advocacy or support to all communities, including those that may be underrepresented in their participation of government decision-making.

If you share the City’s commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, civil rights, racial justice, environmental justice, equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and your experiences are different from those listed above, please explain how you have and would demonstrate your efforts to align with these important and core City values.

Job Appointment: Full-Time, At Will.

This position is exempt from Civil Service and is an "At Will" position. It serves at the discretion of the hiring authority, subject to the City of Portland Human Resources Administrative Rules and the Portland City Charter and Code.

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8 am-5 pm. An alternate schedule may be available.

Work Location: 1221 SW 4TH AVE, PORTLAND OR 97204

Benefits: Please check our benefit tab for an overview of benefits for this position.

Language Pay Premium Eligible: This position may be eligible for Language Pay Differential for qualifying employees.

Union Representation: This classification was recently recognized as represented by AFSCME-189. Terms and Conditions are currently being negotiated. To view labor agreements, current and future, please visit the Current City Labor Agreements page.

Application Material: Please click APPLY to submit your application via the City of Portland’s online portal. You will need to attach a resume, cover letter, and a supplemental attachment.