City Attorney

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City of Bothell, WA - City Attorney

Organization:

City of Bothell, WA

Location:

Bothell, WA

Recruiter:

Heather Gantz

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The Position

The City Attorney is the chief legal counsel for the City of Bothell and serves as the primary legal advisor to the City. Reporting to the City Manager, the City Attorney provides leadership, direction, and guidance for legal issues and provides counsel to the City Manager, City Council, staff, committees, and commissions. Furthermore, the City Attorney provides legal advice to guide City policies, decisions, and activities, and ensures that the City receives the highest-quality legal representation.

As the City transitions from outside counsel representation to in-house, the City Attorney will be an integral part of the City’s executive leadership team, wearing an organization-wide hat and providing a citywide lens on complex policy matters. The City Attorney collaborates with key staff across all departments to provide legal advice and ensure projects are completed promptly and responsibly. This position analyzes legal trends, interprets concerns, and presents alternatives to the City Manager, City Council, and various City departments regarding major issues facing the City. The City Attorney develops solutions and identifies legal strategies to meet City goals and objectives and collaborates to resolve legal questions that arise during the development and implementation of City projects and programs.

The City Attorney drafts and interprets City ordinances and resolutions, negotiates contracts and agreements with outside governmental agencies and private entities, and reviews other legal documents when needed. This position supervises staff and participates in representing the City in civil and criminal misdemeanor matters and in administrative hearings. The City Attorney also directs coordination with federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations and outside agencies. Importantly, this position maintains confidentiality of work-related issues, client records, and City information.

The City Attorney leads the Legal Department and is responsible for hiring, directing, managing, and evaluating the Department's staff and assessing potential additional resource needs. The City Attorney provides policy direction and technical advice to ensure the proper and effective handling of legal issues and works to resolve and mediate sensitive, significant, and controversial issues. The City Attorney collaborates to ensure the Legal Department continually strives to provide the highest-quality legal services to the City of Bothell in furtherance of its residents' public health, safety, and welfare.

Priorities

• Engage as an active member of the executive leadership team and provide strategic input on citywide policies and approaches. Through inclusive, ethical, and transparent behavior, collaborate with colleagues to guide the organization as one team, with one voice, through strategic, creative, and courageous actions that empower staff to serve the community.
• Develop an understanding of our organization, become familiar with our City Council vision and priorities and organizational values, and promote alignment with the City’s strategic priorities and initiatives.
• Successfully partner with executive leadership team members and staff across the City to provide sound legal advice on ongoing initiatives and Council priorities.
• Quickly come up to speed on the current and future work of the Legal Department and where opportunities exist. Actively discuss cases and develop strategies as needed to support the team, their work, and caseloads.
• Modernize and automate the Legal Department to meet the growing needs of the City. Identify best practices, articulate technology and system needs, and create a departmental structure that supports consistent, effective, and efficient operations.
• Build a collaborative and supportive working relationship with the Municipal Court Judge, Court Administrator, and Court staff.
• Actively champion, support, and implement the City’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Support Bothell’s commitment to weaving inclusive principles and equitable practices into everything the City does to ensure equal access to services.

The Successful Candidate

The City Attorney is a strategic systems thinker who will quickly understand and embody the values of Bothell and easily see the big picture and long-term vision for the City. They maintain an understanding of the issues affecting the Bothell community and leverage that knowledge to provide sound legal advice. With unquestioned integrity and ethics, the City Attorney is considered a thought partner and works in the best interest of the City at all times.

With a City first mentality, the City Attorney embraces collaboration and effortlessly partners with City leadership to identify solutions and provide legal advice and guidance in support of organizational goals. The successful candidate effectively engages in processes that enhance organizational productivity and creatively solves problems that align with Bothell’s vision and values. The City Attorney demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and is committed to contributing to a culture that fosters belonging. Considered an active listener, the City Attorney is an effective communicator who promotes clear and concise communication to reduce ambiguity.

The City Attorney is intellectually curious, has substantial local government law experience, and leverages that knowledge to anticipate issues, determine risk, identify solutions, and provide legal analysis. They use data and analytics to drive decisions and leverage technology and innovation in support of efficient operations. The City Attorney is apolitical yet politically astute, with a strong track record of developing effective relationships with elected officials to provide expert legal advice and interpretation that ultimately advance the City Council's vision, priorities, and initiatives. A confident leader, the City Attorney effectively navigates controversial issues with ease and is strong and humble enough to withstand pressure and provide unpopular advice when needed.

The City Attorney is a highly effective leader who employs a leadership style that invites participation, builds trust, and empowers staff. They bring a proven background in mentoring and developing employees and believe in effectively building the internal capacity of their team, while also knowing when it’s appropriate to engage outside Counsel. With a focus on customer service, the City Attorney partners with legal staff to develop creative solutions while still providing sound legal advice on complex local government policies and challenges.

Qualifications

A minimum of seven years in the practice of municipal law, ideally with a successful track record as a City Attorney, Deputy/Assistant City Attorney, or experience in a private law firm advising municipal governments with a full range of municipal services. Direct leadership experience managing attorneys and paraprofessional legal personnel is essential. A broad, diverse municipal government background, with legal expertise in more than one area, is required. Specific knowledge of contracts, criminal justice, employment, land use, and procurement law is ideal. Extensive knowledge of federal, state, and local statutes, regulations, rules, and ordinances applicable to City activities and functions, including municipal liability, data security, public meetings, public records, and public financing, is required.

A Juris Doctor from a school of law accredited by the American Bar Association or an equivalent combination of education and professional legal experience is required. Must be licensed to practice law in the State of Washington and be in good standing with the Washington State Bar Association or licensed in a state with the ability to be admitted to the Washington State Bar by motion.

Inside the Organization

The City of Bothell combines the strong managerial experience of an appointed City Manager with the strong political leadership of elected officials as a non-charter optional code City operating under the Council-Manager form of government. The seven members of the City Council are elected at large on a nonpartisan basis to four-year terms. The Council elects the Mayor and Deputy Mayor from within its ranks and works with the City Manager to implement their policies and established goals.

City services are provided through nine departments: Community Development, Employee and Technology Services, Executive, Finance, Fire, Legal, Parks and Recreation, Police, and Public Works. The City’s Water, Sewer, and Stormwater Utilities are managed through Public Works. Several of the larger departments also have functional divisions within their department. The Bothell Municipal Court partners with the City in enhancing the quality of life and safety of our community. Bothell employs approximately 397 full-time staff and has a 2025-26 biennial budget of $409.3 million that reflects the City Council Vision and Strategic Priorities.

City Council Vision Areas:

• Connecting Neighborhoods for One City
• Economic Vitality
• A Community of Trust and Respect
• A Joyful and Healthy Way of Life
• Building Bothell’s Beloved Community
• Environmental Stewardship
• Moving in and Around Bothell
• Regional Leadership

Organizational Values:

• Welcoming Community: We communicate with respect and kindness. We value people for their individual identities, histories, perspectives, and contributions. We collectively support inclusion so that all of us feel we belong.
• Common Purpose: We cultivate teamwork through our shared effort and commitment to serve the City of Bothell. We build trust through collaboration, honest communications, accountability, and integrity.
• Sustainable Future: We invest in intentional, equitable development of ideas, employees, businesses, and community members. We embrace opportunities for growth while responsibly stewarding the community's financial and natural resources.
• Impactful Services: We deliver quality, professional services that make a difference. We listen and ask questions to learn what's important, respond with helpful solutions, and seek continuous improvement.

Inside the City Attorney’s Office

The City Attorney’s Office is a full-service legal department consisting of the Civil Division and the Prosecution Division. Led by the City Attorney and a dedicated team of six, the department has a biennial budget of $3.3 million. The Civil Division represents the City in all civil litigation. It prepares ordinances, resolutions, petitions, contracts, leases, easements, deeds, notices, and other legal documents, and provides pragmatic, impartial, and timely legal advice to the City.

The Prosecution Division prosecutes misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor criminal cases in the Bothell Municipal Court. It also refers felonies to Snohomish County and King County for prosecution. There is a dedicated Domestic Violence Advocate who works collaboratively with members of the prosecutor’s office, as well as with victims of domestic violence, to reduce the cycle of violence.

The Community

“For a day or a lifetime, no matter who you are or where you’ve come from, Bothell is everyone’s hometown,” the Council Vision opening describes this community quite well. Like many cities in the region, Bothell, Washington, is growing and changing, but somehow persists as a close-knit caring community with heart, quiet charm, and urban amenities. Bothell offers a sense of community and place with quiet family neighborhoods, new housing in and near bustling urban centers, coffee houses and award-winning restaurants, beautiful parks, the famous paved Burke-Gilman/Sammamish River Trail, and so much more. Bothell warmly welcomes new neighbors and cultures, while still respecting its indigenous history and unique hometown traditions that residents and businesses alike love.

Located on the shores of the Sammamish River, downtown is the hub of the City with popular parks, open green spaces, and multiple play areas for children. Visitors and residents enjoy pedestrian-friendly shopping on the beautiful new Main Street and the newly designed Boulevard, satisfying their appetites at friendly cafes, ethnic restaurants, and craft brewpubs. Downtown events such as the Fourth of July parades, holiday tree lightings, art walks, multi-cultural festivals, Main Street trick-or-treating, wine walks and beer festivals, and other family-friendly activities bring people together.

The City of Bothell’s emphasis on rebuilding the historic downtown district and the addition of new residential units have investors and developers anxious to grow businesses. Perfectly positioned near the employment and economic centers of Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and Everett, Bothell is home to innovative technology companies and an attractive location for advanced biotechnology firms, wireless communications, medical device manufacturing, and medical research.

In addition to being a desirable place to live and work with an excellent quality of life, students of all ages can access a variety of educational opportunities. Bothell is served by the Northshore School District, one of the top school districts in the state. The City is also home to the University of Washington Bothell, which was recently ranked number one in the state for value and quality by Money Magazine. The University of Washington Bothell shares its campus with Cascadia College, the newest community college in the state. Cascadia has quickly built a national reputation for its high transfer rate and innovative approach to student-centered learning. Students and community members enjoy the "Bothell Crows" when 15,000 crows descend on the campus nightly to roost. The event has become a big attraction for bird watchers, animal lovers, and just plain curious folks.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for the City Attorney is $178,876 – $227,423 and will depend on the qualifications of the successful candidate. The City provides an excellent benefits package, and interested candidates can learn more about our options here .

How to Apply

We believe that to deliver the highest level of service to all members of the Bothell community, it is crucial that we employ a diverse workforce, support an inclusive working environment, and ensure our policies and systems result in equitable outcomes. We are committed to maximizing the value of our employees and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, wellness, and inclusion.

Applications will be accepted electronically by Raftelis. Applicants complete a brief online form and are prompted to provide a cover letter and resume. The position is open until filled, with a first review of applications beginning July 13, 2026 .

Questions

For more information or questions regarding the City of Bothell or the City Attorney position, please contact Heather Gantz at View email address on click.appcast.io or View phone number on click.appcast.io.

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