Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel – Employment Litigation Division

The City of Chicago Law Department is seeking an attorney for the position of Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel (“Chief ACC”) in its Employment Litigation Division. The Employment Litigation Division defends the City of Chicago and its officers and employees against allegations of discrimination as well as other civil rights and employment law violations brought by prospective, current and former employees.

The Chief ACC will work under the general supervision of the Deputy Corporation Counsel of the Employment Litigation Division and will be given a high level of responsibility for supervising and handling all phases of complex employment litigation in state and federal court. In addition to maintaining their own case load, the Chief ACC will be responsible for the direct supervision of the attorneys assigned to their cases, as well as identifying and executing opportunities for training clients and attorneys through live-training or webinar. The Chief ACC will have significant responsibility on other matters, including but not limited to: (a) client counseling, risk prevention and risk assessment; (b) interaction and coordination with other Law Department divisions, other City departments, and outside counsel; and (c) attorney and staff training, development, and evaluation.

Ideal candidates will possess:

• a minimum of eight (8) years of experience in federal and/or state court employment litigation, of which three (3) years are in a supervisory role or case management capacity related to the responsibilities of the position;
• a previous high level of responsibility for handling complex employment litigation in one or more of the following areas: adverse impact claims, class and/or collective actions, and wage and hour claims;
• experience conducting jury trials as lead or co-lead counsel, preferably in employment litigation;
• experience advising senior management on personnel policies and best practices regarding hiring, promotions, benefits, performance management, compensation, leaves of absence, reasonable accommodations, workplace investigations, anti-discrimination and harassment, discipline, terminations, and workplace safety issues;
• in depth knowledge and experience advising clients on compliance with federal, state and local employment laws and best practices, including but not limited to Title VII, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, ADEA and OSHA;
• admission to the Federal Trial Bar (or eligible for admission to the Federal Trial Bar pursuant to LR83.11);
• experience drafting and updating employment policies and procedures;
• experience drafting answers/motions, presenting oral arguments, conducting discovery, and attending settlement conferences and mediation;
• experience taking and defending depositions, including expert witnesses;
• experience supervising outside counsel and managing outside counsel spend;
• the ability to train, supervise, and evaluate subordinate attorneys working on employment litigation cases;
• significant negotiation and settlement experience;
• exceptional communication, writing, research, and editing skills;
• the ability to work well with others;
• the ability to manage teams.

Application Process and Materials

• Cover letter that (1) includes the position title and job number as noted on the posting; and (2) specifically identifies how you meet the minimum qualifications and have the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below;
• Resume;
• Law school transcript (official or unofficial);
• Two (2) Writing Samples
• Current printout of your attorney registration status from the Illinois ARDC website at www.iardc.org (or your admitted state bar’s equivalent).

Failure to submit all materials will result in your application not being considered for the position.