Chief Assistant County Counsel

View the full recruitment brochure here:

The County of Riverside, California, is seeking a seasoned public sector Chief Assistant County Counsel. The person who fills this role will, in partnership with the County Counsel, help guide the legal, operational, and strategic direction in the 4th largest county in California serving over 40 departments with approximately 25,000 employees who serve over 2.5 million residents. They will oversee legal service and department operations, litigation strategy, and deliver innovative, practical legal solutions across a broad range of complex public agency matters including litigation, land use, municipal law, and labor and employee relations. As a trusted advisor to the County Counsel, this individual may serve as County Counsel in their absence.

They will build effective relationships with others, deliver results, and advance legal excellence at the highest level of public service.

• Round one virtual interviews will take place on November 5th
• Finalists will move forward to round two in-person interviews on November 6th.

Selected candidates must be available for both dates.

• Coordinate departmental operations and workload distribution: Work closely with the County Counsel to plan, organize, assign, and balance the workload among the various divisions and four regional offices throughout the County. Ensure that resources are effectively allocated to meet service demands, case deadlines, and departmental objectives, while maintaining consistency and quality across all practice areas.
• Provide professional leadership and staff development: Offer guidance, training, and mentoring to attorneys and legal support staff to enhance professional growth, strengthen legal expertise, and promote a culture of collaboration and excellence. Establish performance standards, evaluate work products, and support succession planning efforts within the Office of the County Counsel.
• Advise boards, commissions, and County departments on complex legal matters: Serve as a principal legal advisor to various boards, commissions, committees, special districts, and joint powers authorities, addressing the most intricate and sensitive legal issues. Provide counsel to County and special district officers and employees on matters concerning their powers, duties, and obligations under state and federal law.
• Represent the County in litigation and legal proceedings: Represent the County and its officers in State and Federal courts, administrative hearings, and other proceedings. Conduct legal research, analyze and interpret statutes, regulations, and case law, and anticipate emerging legal issues affecting County operations.
• Prepare and review formal and informal legal opinions: Draft clear and well-reasoned written and oral opinions on the most complex and precedent-setting legal questions. Prepare legal correspondence, reports, and memoranda to advise decision-makers and document departmental positions on legal matters.
• Assist in fiscal and administrative management: Support the County Counsel in developing and administering the department’s budget, establishing legal service rates, monitoring expenditures, and ensuring compliance with County fiscal and administrative policies. Contribute to strategic planning initiatives and process improvements that enhance operational efficiency.
• Serve as Acting County Counsel: Assume full responsibility for departmental leadership and decision-making in the absence of the County Counsel, ensuring continuity of operations and representation of County interests at the highest level.

Experience

Seven years of increasingly responsible professional level experience practicing law including experience in local governments or private practices including at least one year of supervisory or managerial experience.

Knowledge of

Legal principles and their application with an emphasis on administrative law; organization, powers and limitations of County governmental functions and the California Constitution; methods and problems of administering the work of a governmental law office; principles of personnel management and supervision; recent litigation practices including discovery and strong working knowledge of the court system.

Ability to

Analyze complex legal problems and apply legal principles and practices; research and draft opinions; analyze and draft ordinances and other regulations; prepare and present cases of law effectively; present facts, arguments and laws clearly and logically in written and oral form; work cooperatively with others.

Other Requirements

A valid California Driver's License.

Active membership in the State Bar of California.

In person interviews November 5th-6ths in-person.

This class has been designated At-Will by the Board of Supervisors, in accordance with the provisions provided under Article 6, Section 601E (2) of the County Management Resolution and serves at the pleasure of the County Counsel.