Assistant Corporation Counsel III - Torts Division - City of Chicago

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Assistant Corporation Counsel III - Torts Division

The City of Chicago Law Department is seeking an attorney for the position of Assistant Corporation Counsel in its Torts Division.  Attorneys in the Torts Division have an active litigation and trial practice. The Assistant Corporation Counsel’s work will be in either its personal injury defense or workers’ compensation practice area, depending on the experience and interests of the applicant and the current needs of the Division.  Attorneys in either area will work with a variety of City Departments and be responsible for their own individual docket of cases.

The personal injury defense work involves representing the City and its employees primarily in state court.  Torts attorneys have an intensive discovery and motion practice, retain and depose medical and other experts, engage in hearings and jury trials, and make recommendations and participate in settlement negotiations. 

The workers’ compensation defense work involves analyzing claims and medical records, writing motions and draft opinions, taking medical depositions, presenting experts, making recommendations and negotiating settlements, conducting hearings and trials before arbitrators and the Illinois Industrial Commission, and representing the City in appeals to the Circuit Court of Cook County. 

Graduation from an American Bar Association accredited law school with a Juris Doctor degree and admission to the Illinois Bar in good standing with the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (or eligible for admission on motion to the Illinois Bar pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 705). 

Disclaimer - "Accredited" means any American law school that has passed and maintains the requirements of accreditation by the American Bar Association (www.americanbar.org). 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Ideal candidates will possess the following:

• Interest and/or experience in litigation and trial work and/or workers’ compensation;
• Effective communication skills;
• Demonstrated strength in legal research and writing;
• Self-starter with the ability to take initiative as demonstrated by past achievements and leadership;
• Ability to work well with others and manage workflow and deadlines; and
• Class rank in the top 50% of graduating law school class, or academic achievement as shown by grade point average, honors, participation in: law review, law journal, moot court, judicial externship/internship, or other activities indicating record of academic excellence.

Application Process and Materials

All application materials are due on or before January 30, 2025. 

• Cover letter that (1) includes the position title and job number as noted on the posting; (2) specifically identifies how you meet the minimum qualifications and have the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below; and (3) states whether you have a preference between the personal injury defense or workers’ compensation practice areas;
• Option to include preference for Workers Compensation or Torts work in cover letter.
• Resume;
• Law school transcript (official or unofficial);
• One writing sample; and
• Current printout of your attorney registration status from the Illinois ARDC website at www.iardc.org (or your admitted state bar's equivalent), and

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

NOTE: Candidates experiencing trouble uploading the required documents to our system may e-mail the documents to: DOL.Application@cityofchicago.org. However, uploading documents directly to your CAREERS applicant profile is our preferred method of receipt. 

Click to view our generous benefits package 

NOTE REGARDING PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS: Working for the City of Chicago Department of Law may qualify you for loan forgiveness under the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For detailed information, visit www.StudentAid.gov/publicservice or contact your federal loan servicer.   

NOTE REGARDING REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL MATERIALS: Please do notsubmitreferences with your hard copy materials, but theycanbe provided through the online system. Please do not send to us any materials other than those we have specifically requested above. Submission of references and/oradditionalmaterials other than what is specifically requested above shall result in your application not being considered for the position. 

NOTE REGARDING QUESTIONS:  If you have any questionsregardinghow to apply, please contact the Department of Human Resources. Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. Thank you for your interest in the City of Chicago Department of Law. 

THIS POSITION IS EXEMPT FROM THE CAREER SERVICE. 

NOTE: To be considered for this position you must provide information about your educational background and your work experience. You must include job titles, dates of employment, and specific job duties. (If you are a current City employee, Acting Up cannot be considered.)  If youfail toprovide this information at the time yousubmityour application, it will beincomplete,and you will not be considered for this position. There are three ways to provide the information: 1) you may attach a resume; 2) you may paste a resume; or 3) you can complete the online resume fields. 

Education & Employment Verification:Please be advised that ifyou are selected to be hired, you must provide, upon request adequate informationregardingyour educational and employment history as it relates to the qualifications of the position for which you are applying. If the City of Chicago cannot verify this information, any offer extended to you will be withdrawn and you will not be hired. 

Fair Chance Hiring Employer: The City of Chicago is committed to being a Fair Chance Hiring employer. We value applicants with diverse experiences, including those who have had prior contact with the criminal legal system. Having a criminal history, including prior incarceration, arrest(s), and/or conviction(s) does not automatically disqualify you from employment with the City of Chicago. 

If you receive a conditional offer of employment, theCitywill conduct a background check. The resulting report will be used to conduct an individualized assessment todetermineif the nature of any prior conviction conflicts with the specific duties and responsibilities of the job for which you have been selected. If a conflict exists, you will be asked to present any evidence of rehabilitation that may mitigate the conflict, except when federal or state regulations bar employment in specific circumstances. 

Commitmentto Diversity: To further our commitment to hiring applicants with diverse experience the City of Chicago has adopted the following ordinances 2-74-020 and 2-74-075. The ordinances provide a preference to applicants who meet minimum qualifications to be referred to departments for consideration. 

Selection Requirements  

This position requires applicants to complete an interview. The interviewed candidate(s)possessingthe qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position will be selected. 

Evaluation: Yourinitialevaluation will be based on the documentssubmitted. Applications must besubmittedby the individual applicant. No second party applications will be accepted. 

Residency Requirement: All employees of the City of Chicago must be actual residents of the City of Chicago as outlined in 2-152-050 of the City of Chicago Municipal Code. Proof of residency will berequired. 

Reasonable Accommodation: If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation due to disability or pregnancyin order toparticipatein the application process, please contact the City of Chicago, Department of Human Resources, at 312-744-4976 or disabilityaccommodations@cityofchicago.org. Please be prepared to provide information in support of your reasonable accommodation request. 

Employee Vaccination Requirement:City of Chicago employees must, as a condition of employment, be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 effective October 15, 2021. This Policy applies to all City employees. If you are not able to receive the vaccine for medical or religious reasons, you may seek approval for an exemptionin accordance withapplicable City processes. For more information on the vaccine policy please visit: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dhr/supp_info/city-of-chicago-employee-vaccination-policy.html  

ALL REFERENCES TO POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP OR RECOMMENDATION MUST BE OMITTED FROM ANY AND ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR CITY EMPLOYMENT. 

The City of Chicago is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Military Friendly Employer. 

City ofChicago 

        Brandon Johnson        
Mayor 

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