As the chief legal advisor for the city, the city attorney is responsible for providing legal counsel to key stakeholders in the city department. Becoming a city attorney is not much different than preparing for any other career as a lawyer. However, it’s important to have relevant experience in areas of the law that are related to municipal government and local governance.
In this article, we provide helpful steps and tips to help you successfully become a city attorney, as well as an overview of software solutions for local governments.
What is a City Attorney?
A city attorney is a lawyer who represents a municipality. They are responsible for providing legal counsel to the mayor, city officials, and city council in the municipality they serve. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, a city attorney typically handles civil cases. They advise the city on legal matters and represent it in court, handling a wide range of cases regarding city matters.
Municipalities seek the help of city attorneys to stay up-to-date on the latest changes in state and federal laws, help city officials and staff understand procedures, and perform extensive research and analysis.
In some cases, city attorneys offer legal advice to citizens and represent government agencies. A city attorney is not much different than any other attorney when it comes to counseling their clients. The major difference is that a city attorney acts within the interest of the city.
City Attorney Roles and Responsibilities
City attorneys take on a number of roles and responsibilities:
- Provide legal advice on various matters related to ethics, personnel, ordinances, contracts, land use, taxes, and finance.
- Keep elected officials and city staff up to date as laws are being debated in the state legislature or Congress.
- Draft city laws and contracts.
- Review all contracts and memoranda to ensure that the city’s legal interests are not compromised.
City Attorney Salary
City attorneys hold positions in city and municipal government. Government attorneys tend to make less money than private sector attorneys. Often, a city attorney’s salary depends on the size of the city. This is why the salary of a city attorney can be as low as $20,813 to as high as $550,480. The median salary of city attorneys in the United States is $100,425, according to Comparably.
Steps to Become a City Attorney
Follow these five steps to become a city attorney.
1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
All aspiring attorneys must have a bachelor’s before entering law school. There is no specific undergraduate degree required for law school. However, many universities offer pre-law majors and programs to prepare students for law school.
2. Secure an Internship
Getting a law internship can help you gain the experience needed to be a successful attorney. You can apply the knowledge you learned in law school. You will also get the chance to network with different people, learn new skills and knowledge, and gain a practical understanding of the law. Each of these elements can help you succeed as a city attorney.
Look for intern opportunities at government agencies, non-profits, district attorney offices, and other offices that can help you gain exposure to areas of law that involve city matters. If these opportunities aren’t available, consider smaller law firms. Some law firms offer intern opportunities in other areas, such as business and marketing. While it is ideal to secure a law-related internship, you will still be working in a law firm, which allows you to experience the culture and workings of a law firm and meet attorneys.
3. Earn a Graduate Degree
After earning a bachelor’s degree and completing an internship, the next step is to earn a degree in law, also known as a Juris Doctor from an accredited law school. Law school usually lasts about three years. Law school course curriculum can help you gain extensive knowledge of laws, precedents, executive orders, and more. Once you complete law school, you must pass the bar exam for the state in which you would like to practice law.
4. Secure an Assistant City Attorney Position
To gain relevant experience, consider applying for an assistant city attorney position. Upon securing this position, you will have the opportunity to work closely with a city attorney and get mentorship and guidance in the field.
Consult government job boards or legal associates to find assistant city attorney positions in your area. This position may serve as a stepping stone to a city attorney position.
5. Leverage Your Professional Network
Leverage the professional network you have hopefully built from law school, internships, and other relevant experiences to find open positions and secure recommendations. Consider attending legal conferences, joining legal associations, and connecting with alumni from law school. Networking with other attorneys and legal professionals can help you gain valuable advice and guidance, learn about job opportunities, and build relationships to advance your career.
eScribe Empowers Effective Municipalities
City attorneys can be highly valuable to a planning committee, as they provide legal guidance and support. During a city council meeting, they often advise on legal matters, draft ordinances and resolutions, and review contracts and agreements.
Government technology can also improve standing committee effectiveness by enabling data collection and analysis, collaboration and communication, and public engagement. Using technology can also help promote different types of civic engagement.
When it comes to software solutions for local governments, eScribe offers the following features:
- Meeting Manager: eScribe offers an end-to-end solution that manages all critical functions before, during, and after government meetings. Using our software, public sector boards can improve the efficiency, transparency, and accessibility of meetings.
- Meeting Minutes: With the Minutes Builder, leaders of planning committees can unify workflows and take minutes directly within the platform.
- Reporting and Workflows: Easily manage deadlines, track statuses, save time, and handle reports and approvals with reporting workflows.
- Collaboration Tools: Give elected officials the freedom to work from anywhere, thanks to our Participant Portal tool. They can search for and review content, download meeting materials, and keep track of comments, notes, and action items.
To discover how the platform can help your city conduct council meetings more efficiently and learn about one of the most empowering civic engagement examples, download the City of Greensboro Case Study.
