County Counsel II/III

Job Description

ABOUT US

At the County of Marin, our employees overwhelmingly report feeling their work is meaningful, they like the work they do, and they are proud to tell people “I work for the County of Marin.” Discover more about us, our values and our organizational culture on the Department of Human Resources website . Read on to find out more about this opportunity.
County Counsel's Office: The County Counsel's Office provides high quality and timely legal services supporting the County of Marin's governmental functions. Services are provided to County departments, boards and agencies in a manner that is cost-effective, professional and promotes excellence in delivery of government services contributing to the health, safety and welfare of county residents and visitors.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Flex recruitment:
There are multiple regular hire, full-time vacancies in the County Counsel's Office that will be filled at the County Counsel II and/or III level . Candidates will be considered for the level for which they meet minimum qualifications.

The County Counsel II-III performs a variety of professional legal work for County departments, individuals and represented special districts. The Office of the County Counsel's practice spans many areas of public law, including civil litigation, labor and employment, land use, public contracting, civil rights, child welfare and many more. Incumbents exercise independent judgment and initiative in representing their assigned clients and work collaboratively with County Counsel management in complex cases or special projects. Incumbents in these classifications are typically assigned to any of the specialty areas of the office and, when assigned to litigation, are expected to be capable of handling litigation from case assignment through trial and appellate hearings.
Hybrid schedule:
The County Counsel’s Office currently offers hybrid work arrangements that allow some duties of this to be performed remotely, subject to operational needs and management approval. The County’s current telework policy allows attorneys to work from home up to two days each week, subject to approval by the County Counsel and modification based on the needs of the Office. Additionally, the successful candidate must be prepared to report to County facilities on short notice for meetings, work assignments, and disaster service work, as needed and deemed appropriate. During the initial probationary period, the candidate may be required to work primarily onsite before a hybrid schedule is considered.

ABOUT YOU

Our Highly Qualified Candidate:

The ideal candidate possesses either civil litigation experience and/or experience providing advice and counsel to public entities. They have a demonstrated willingness to perform any aspect of County Counsel legal services and possess the knowledge and skills to work independently and collaboratively on all assignments. In addition, the ideal candidate has a proven track record of excellent customer service and is a team player, working respectfully and collaboratively and developing positive working relationships with colleagues, clients, staff, and court personnel. The Office of the County Counsel is interested in experienced attorneys in all subject matter areas but is particularly interested in attorneys with significant experience in civil litigation, land use, employment, and child welfare.

QUALIFICATIONS

County Counsel II

Knowledge of:

• Legal principles and their application, with emphasis on administrative law.
• Legal research methods.
• Rules of evidence and the conduct of court proceedings in trial and appellate courts.
• California civil and legislative law.
• The organization, powers, and limitations of local governmental functions and the California constitution.
• Duties, powers, limitations and responsibilities of the County Counsel’s Office.

Ability to:

• Research, analyze and apply legal principles, facts, evidence and precedents to legal problems.
• Prepare, present, and conduct cases of law in court.
• Prepare clear, concise, accurate and effective legal, policy and procedural guidelines.
• Present statements of fact, law, and argument clearly and logically in written and oral form.
• Communicate logically and effectively with a diverse group of clients, witnesses, judges, other attorneys and employees of various agencies and departments.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Analyze and draft ordinances and other regulations.

County Counsel III

Knowledge of:

• Legal principles and their application, with emphasis on administrative law.
• Legal research methods.
• Rules of evidence and the conduct of court proceedings in trial and appellate courts.
• California civil and legislative law.
• Duties, powers, limitations, and responsibilities of the county counsel's office.
• The organization, powers, and limitations of local governmental functions and the California constitution.

Ability to:

• Research, analyze and apply legal principles, facts, evidence and precedents to legal problems.
• Prepare, present, and conduct cases of law in court.
• Present statements of fact, law and argument clearly and logically in written and verbal form.
• Prepare clear, concise, accurate and effective legal, policy and procedural guidelines.
• Communicate logically and effectively with a diverse group of clients, witnesses, judges, other attorneys and employees of various agencies and departments.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Analyze and draft ordinances and other regulations.
• Lead the work of others.
• Effectively handle sensitive and political issues/considerations.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS & LICENSES

County Counsel II

One (1) year of progressively responsible experience as an attorney in civil or governmental law.

Certificates and Licenses:

Current active membership in the State Bar of California is required.

County Counsel III

Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience as an attorney in civil or governmental law.

Certificates and Licenses:

Current active membership in the State Bar of California is required.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

For any questions concerning this position announcement, please contact Stephen Schoengarth, Human Resources Analyst, at 415-473-6946.

All applicants will receive email notifications regarding their status in the recruitment process. Please be sure to check your spam settings to allow our emails to reach you. You may also log into your GovernmentJobs.com account to view these emails.

Testing and Eligible List: Depending on the number of qualified applications received, the examination may consist of a highly qualified review, application screening, online assessment, written examination, oral examination, performance examination, or any combination to determine which candidates' names will be placed on the eligible list. The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill the current vacancy, and any future vacancies for open, fixed-term, full-time or part-time positions which may occur while the list remains active.

Disaster Service Workers: All County of Marin employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law (California Government Code Section 3100-3109). Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned, and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer: If you have questions regarding equal employment opportunities, please contact Roger Crawford, Equal Employment Opportunity Director, at 415-473-2095.

PLEASE NOTE: The benefits described herein do not apply to temporary (contingent) or to part-time employees that work less than 50%.

COUNTY OF MARIN BENEFITS: GENERAL
Below are some of the excellent benefits the County offers. More information about our benefits can be found on the Marin County's Benefits Homepage .

Paid Time Off : Competitive vacation accrual; 12 holidays per year; and generous sick leave accruals. Additional types of paid leaves are available for some bargaining units.

Health Plan : Choice of four health plans (two Kaiser HMOs, Western Health Advantage HMO, and an Anthem Blue Cross PPO) along with dental through Delta Dental PPO, and vision through Vision Service Plan (VSP). There is a County contribution toward the premiums (the contribution amount varies depending on coverage tier elected such as employee only, employee + 1, employee + family). Plus, the County offers excellent Life Insurance, Disability, Flexible Spending Plans, a Dependent Care Assistance Program, professional development and more.

Retirement : Defined benefit plan under the County Employees Retirement Act of 1937. More information can be found online at www.mcera.org.

IRS 457 Plan : Choice of pre-tax or post-tax (Roth) employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical : The County provides access to group health plan coverage to eligible retirees.

For specific questions regarding the employment process, please contact Human Resources at (415) 473-6104. For additional details about the benefits or retirement, please contact the Benefits Division at (415) 473-2197.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Closing Date/Time: 10/8/2026 11:59 PM Pacific