Municipal Law Fellow (Limited Term)
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Job Location:
Palo Alto, CA - USA
Yearly Salary:
$ 101004 - 151507
Posted on:
9 hours ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
Description
City of Palo Alto invites applications for the position of:
Municipal Law Fellow
The Palo AltoOffice of the City Attorney invites recent graduates and current judicial clerks to apply for a Municipal Law Fellowship. The Fellowship is a full-time paid position beginning in Fall 2026 for a limited term of two years. The ideal candidate will have strong writing and speaking skills a commitment to public service and a willingness to engage in practical problem solving in a fast-paced environment.
As part of team of ten attorneys and three professional staff the Municipal Law Fellow will have an opportunity to gain experience in all aspects of municipal practice including both litigation and advice in constitutional law land use regulation utilities regulation public contracting labor and employment law government tort liability public ethics and airport law. While assignments and responsibilities may be tailored to the Municipal Law Fellows specific interests the Office of the City Attorney is committed to providing the Municipal Law Fellow with the breadth of training experience and professional development opportunities necessary to launch a successful career in public service.
Whats in It for YouA collaborative values-driven workplace
The chance to make a real impact in public service
Essential Duties
Representative duties and responsibilities of the past Municipal Law Fellows may include but not limited to:
- Updating local zoning code and drafting an emergency resolution to support development of affordable housing and other forms of shelter.
- Researching and drafting a firearm safety ordinance drawing on feedback from local legislators and advocates.
- Supporting local publicly owned utility in initiating programs responsive to effects of climate change including by responding to drought levels and supporting customers energy efficiency.
- Advising public officials on identifying and managing conflicts of interest.
- Ensuring City department practices comply with state and federal law covering topics such as police and fire services open meetings and public records.
- Revising internal City policies for constitutional compliance such as City social media policies.
- Reviewing state and local law and contracts to respond to questions of liability.
- Responding to state and federal inquiries to promote physical and cyber security.
- Working with various City departments to negotiate with and/or respond to the needs of private entity stakeholders including universities property developers and local interest groups.
- Advice to the Citys zoning code enforcement team and representation in administrative hearings.
- Researching legal issues and options for a Safe Parking program to support individuals living in vehicles.
- Drafting an ordinance incentivizing all- electric power for new construction.
- Assisting with City records management including the production of records pursuant to subpoenas or discovery requests.
Minimum Qualifications
Sufficient education training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge skills and abilities which would typically be acquired through:
- Juris Doctorate. Applicants must be law students in their final year at an accredited law school or joint degree program current judicial clerks recently graduated from an accredited law school or attorneys in their first year of practice.
Licensing Requirements:
Member in good standing with the California Bar or willingness to seek admission to the California Bar upon eligibility. Failure to gain admission to the California Bar within one year of appointment may result in separation.Supplemental Information
The Selection Process:
Job posting will be open until filled with the first review of applications on or about January 26 2026. Applicants are asked to provide a resume cover letter transcript references and writing sample. Please direct any questions to .
Applicants will receive email recruitment status notifications. account also has notification status updates.
Depending on the number of qualified applications received the examination process may consist of supplemental questions online assessment written examination practical performance oral examination or any combination to determine which candidate will move forward in the hiring process.
- The screening process for this position typically may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online please contact NeoGovs Live Applicant Support at between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time Monday - Friday.
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO). In compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both perspective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
Key Skills
- Teacher Coaching
- Public Health
- Google Docs
- Classroom Experience
- Systems Engineering
- Research Experience
- Teaching
- Grant Writing
- Leadership Experience
- Mentoring
- Public Speaking
- Writing Skills
