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City of Indianapolis and Marion County

Deputy Chief Counsel

City of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana, us, 46262


JOBThe Office of Corporation Counsel (OCC) provides legal services to the City and County through its three main divisions. First, OCC represents the City, County agencies, and City-County employees in litigation, handling a diverse docket that ranges from tort and contract matters to constitutional law. Second, through its counseling division, OCC provides legal advice to City and County agencies, officials, and oversight bodies to ensure that public entities remain compliant with the law and standards of ethical conduct, to safeguard public funds, and to promote the efficient functioning of local government for Marion County taxpayers. OCC’s third division is the Office of the City Prosecutor, which is responsible for enforcing City-County ordinances. OCC also oversees the Office of Equal Opportunity, which administers the City’s human rights ordinance, protecting against discrimination in employment and other contexts. In exercising these crucial legal functions, OCC cultivates a productive, collaborative, and compliant work environment that prioritizes the needs of our clients and the residents of Indianapolis and Marion County.

The holder of this position will handle a wide range of general legal matters on behalf of City-County agencies, with a focus on more complex or high-stakes matters that require significant professional experience and/or subject-matter expertise. The incumbent will also share responsibility for managing a team of counseling attorneys and supervising more junior attorneys and members of support staff. The position holder will serve within the counseling division of OCC.

EXAMPLE OF DUTIESThe Deputy Chief Counsel is a working manager, combining an active workload of general legal matters with management responsibilities. The primary responsibility of a Deputy Chief Counsel is to assist with training, supervising, and mentoring assistant corporation counsels and support staff as well as to represent the City-County and related agencies in general legal matters. The position holder will be responsible to represent and assist City-County clients with their general legal matters. This may include preparing and reviewing contracts, leases, and other transactional documents; representing City-County clients at Board and Commission meetings; researching and answering general legal questions and providing advisory opinions; and drafting ordinances, reviewing legislation and handling other legislative matters. This position holder will also assist the Chief Counsel and the Corporation Counsel in section-wide strategic planning and may perform the duties of the Chief Counsel when the Chief Counsel is absent. The Deputy Chief Counsel will take responsibility for more complex and sensitive legal issues and may provide review and guidance to other attorneys with difficult matters. The Deputy Chief Counsel’s management role requires active supervision of a team of counseling attorneys and senior counseling attorneys, a compliance officer, paralegals, and office administrative staff. Working in conjunction with the Chief Counsel, the Deputy Chief Counsel will be responsible for conducting regular check-ins with more junior attorneys, delegating responsibility and assigning work as appropriate, and ensuring that the office as a whole professionally discharges its duties to clients. The Deputy Chief Counsel, alongside other senior management personnel, will set the strategic direction for the Counseling section, which includes adopting internal policies and procedures to optimize the section’s performance.

The Deputy Chief Counsel position also involves the following additional responsibilities:

Keeping clients, including senior agency staff and elected officials, fully informed on matters affecting their agencies.Advising clients and colleagues in the Office of Corporation Counsel on compliance with law and the avoidance of future litigation risk.Preparing advisory opinions and memos on general legal matters, at the request of the Corporation Counsel or client agencies.Representing City-County agencies in Board or Commission meetings or similar settings.Keeping apprised of relevant legal developments at the state and federal level.In conjunction with the Litigation section, providing advice to client agencies regarding litigation strategy and settlement negotiations.Overseeing the support work of the Counseling staff team, including paralegals, the compliance officer, and office assistants.Performing the duties of the Chief Counsel when the Chief Counsel is absent or has delegated such duties.Performing other duties as assigned by the Chief Counsel or the Corporation Counsel.

Skills RequiredStrong independent judgment.In-depth knowledge of transactional practice.Strategic vision.Leadership ability.Analytical ability and intellectual curiosity.Proficiency at legal writing and other written communication.Oral communications skills.Zealous advocacy.Time management skills.Ethics and professionalism.

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