City Attorney

Are you seeking an amazing career opportunity where you can make a real difference in shaping the future of a growing community and positively impact the lives of others? The City of Champaign is seeking an experienced and innovative leader to serve as its next City Attorney.

A wonderfully diverse community located in east Central, Illinois, Champaign offers big city opportunities with Midwestern values and affordability. The City is home to the University of Illinois, which attracts the very brightest scholars and scientists from around the world and is one of the fastest growing cities in the state of Illinois. With an abundance of arts and cultural opportunities, beautiful parks and trails, nightlife activities in a vibrant Downtown, world-class educational opportunities, Big 10 sporting events, and a low cost of living, Champaign offers the best of urban life in a friendly, smaller city.

The City Attorney serves as chief legal counsel, providing legal advice to the Mayor, City Council, City Manager, department heads, the City's boards and commissions, Champaign Public Library, and City of Champaign Township.  The City Attorney plans and administers the activities of the Legal Department which includes responsibility for matters involving municipal operations and administration, such as civil litigation, contract and document review, ethics, labor relations, collective bargaining, land use and planning, public finance, and more.  The City Attorney must personify the City values of Personal Integrity, Responsibility, Respect, Teamwork, and Results.  The City of Champaign is committed to promoting a work environment and a community that values and supports diversity and inclusion. 

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Visit Champaignil.gov/jobs for full details. The annual starting salary range is $139,229 - $187,962, DOQ, plus an excellent benefits package. Position will remain open until filled, however interested applicants are encouraged to apply by Monday, June 6, 2022.

To apply, submit cover letter and resume to ChampaignCityAttorney@champaignil.gov. Applicants must also complete a series of supplemental questions online at bit.ly/ChampaignCityAttorney.

The City of Champaign is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Required Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an American Bar Association-approved school of law.
• Licensed in good standing and authorized to practice law by the Supreme Court of Illinois or another state with the ability to obtain Illinois licensure through Admission on Motion within six months of appointment.
• Five years of experience practicing as legal counsel for a public agency.
• A combination of education and experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of the position will be considered.
• Residency within the City of Champaign’s corporate limits is required within six months of appointment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three or more years of experience providing organizational leadership and oversight in a comparably sized municipal, state or federal agency.
• Significant experience in labor relations, civil litigation, collective bargaining, land use and planning, public finance, employment law, and/or public procurement and contracts.
• Extensive legal work experience in multi-racial, multi-cultural urban communities.
• Demonstrated success working in an inclusive and welcoming organization with diverse customers.