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Job Description
Position Description
The Fresno City Attorneys Office (CAO) seeks qualified attorneys for its Criminal and Special Prosecutions Unit. Fresno is the fifth largest city in California, with over 3,500 employees, and 16 departments. Deputy City Attorneys work under the direction of the City Attorney, who is appointed by the City Council. The CAO provides legal services to all City departments, staff, and elected officials for a very wide range of transactional, litigation, municipal code matters, wage theft matters, and code enforcement matters.
The Criminal and Special Prosecutions Unit of the CAO handles violations of the Fresno Municipal Code, violations of the Health & Safety Code, and an employer wage theft program to investigate and prosecute violations of the California Labor Code within the Citys jurisdiction.
Attorneys preferred (but not required) to have prosecution experience and/or courtroom experience. Attorneys must have an interest in the prosecution of violations of the Fresno Municipal Code, the Health & Safety Code, and Wage Theft matters and must be prepared to quickly develop such experience. Qualifications would also include excellent legal writing, research, analysis, and communication skills. A high degree of maturity, creativity, judgment, and discretion are required. The CAO offers opportunities to be directly involved in numerous high profile, interesting, rewarding, and challenging projects. Many projects are novel and complex.
Attorneys are not represented and serve at the will of the City Attorney. Attorneys must be licensed to practice and in good standing in the State of California. Benefits are excellent, and salary is negotiable, depending upon qualifications. To apply, please email your resumé and a cover letter to the attention of Ashley Paulson, Interim Chief Assistant City Attorney at Ashley.Paulson@fresno.gov.
The Requirements
Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications on or before the posted filing deadline in order to qualify for further consideration.
Graduation from an accredited school of law and membership in the Bar of the State of California.
Possession of a valid California Driver's License may be required at time of
appointment.
Additional information regarding the City of Fresno benefits is available at
https://www.fresno.gov/personnel/human-resources-support/#tab-1
Equal Opportunity Employer
The City of Fresno is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information please refer to our Career Opportunities web page on the City of Fresno web site.
Closing Date/Time: 09/17/2025 -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Fresno
Show moreThe City of Fresno is the largest city in the San Joaquin Valley and the fifth largest city in California, with a population of more than 545,000 residents. Fresno is the financial core of the San Joaquin Valley, and its economy relies on its large-scale agricultural production. Revitalization of Downtown Fresno's core and the construction of High Speed Rail are two of many exciting projects that continue to successfully support Fresno's growing economy.
Click HERE for a video about the great City of Fresno.
Located in the geographical center of California, Fresno offers many sights. From fertile agricultural fields, an abundance of lakes, and the snowy Sierra Nevada mountain range, the scenic variety in Fresno is large. Fresno also features a diverse selection of dining, shopping, farmers markets, vibrant arts and culture, wineries, as well as a variety of attractions. With 300 days of sunshine a year, the climate in Fresno is the source of its agricultural productivity, and allows year-round recreational activities including sailing, snow and water skiing, fishing, backpacking, and golfing.
Los Angeles is approximately four hours south and the San Francisco Bay Area is approximately three hours north. Fresno is located in proximity to three sites of natural beauty: Yosemite National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, and Sequoia National Park. Residents and visitors alike enjoy these scenes and others, including the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Another advantage to living in Fresno is the exceptional housing that is available at lower price levels than California's other large metropolitan areas. There are four large school districts in the Fresno area: Fresno Unified, Central Unified, Sanger Unified and Clovis Unified. Fresno is the home of California State University, Fresno, as well as a number of other colleges and universities.
The people of Fresno enjoy a wide variety of social, cultural, athletic, educational and recreational activities in an affordable and clean living environment.
City Government
Fresno is a full-service charter city operating under a strong mayor form of government. There are seven Council Members. The Council appoints the City Attorney and the City Clerk. The Mayor is elected at- large and does not serve on the Council, but has veto power over certain actions taken by the City Council. The City Manager, who is appointed by the Mayor, is responsible for appointing all other department heads in the City
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