Full-time

Wage $95000-$107,000/yr with full County benefits

Essential Functions:

These duties are the essential functions and are not all-inclusive of all duties that the incumbent performs.

Represents the County and State by prosecuting various misdemeanor and felony criminal offenses, abuse and neglect cases, youth court cases, mental commitments and guardianships, and civil cases connected to criminal cases; initiates prosecutions; prepares cases for prosecution; reviews reports and conducts legal research; prepares court orders, petitions, affidavits, and briefs; tries cases; determines and recommends appropriate sentences.

Represents the County and State in legal proceedings before courts, administrative agencies and boards (including Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Montana Human Rights Commission, Board of Personnel Appeals), arbitrators, and other administrative agencies.

Prepares pleadings, conducts legal research, prepares briefs and memoranda, appears in court, and negotiates with other parties.

Prosecutes, negotiates, and settles misdemeanor and felony criminal cases as assigned by the County Attorney.

Provides legal advice/opinions as requested by the County Attorney to County employees on a variety of legal issues pertaining to County business; advises staff and officials on the legal requirements and consequences of proposed actions; provides training to County staff, law enforcement, and others on current laws and effective enforcement procedures; conducts ongoing legal research in connection with legal issues pertaining to the County.

Participates in the development, planning, and implementation of policies and procedures for the County Attorney's Office; devises and implements system and forms for most efficient operations as assigned.

Other duties as assigned.

Physical Demands and Working Condition: The demands and conditions described here are representative of those the employee must meet to perform the essential functions of the job.

Work is performed in a normal office environment. Work requires high attention to detail and deadlines between 45% and 70% of the time. Office is fast-paced and caseload varies, but is frequently high volume.

The employee is constantly required to use hands to handle or feel office supplies, documents, and to utilize a computer and keyboard.

Frequently required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision and depth perception.

The employee is intermittently required to lift amounts between 5 and 25 pounds; infrequently required to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

The noise level of the office is usually moderate.

May involve occasional travel by auto to attend meetings with community partners.

Employee is assigned to the County Attorney's Office; Incumbent may be exposed to disagreeable elements on an intermittent basis including, dealing with angry people, threats of injury or assault, violence, or offensive language.

Supervision Exercised: Intermediary supervisor of Deputy County Attorneys and Office Staff.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of Montana statutes, state supreme court decisions, attorneys' general opinions and Montana case law; Montana Code Annotated; and Fergus and Petroleum County regulations; federal laws and standards for civil and criminal procedures; County Attorney's Office policies and procedures; state and federal criminal justice system; court procedures; State of Montana civil and criminal law.

Ability to use common office machines; operate computer systems and related software, including word processing and spreadsheet programs; analyze and interpret legal documents; conduct legal research; make defensible judgements relative to complex and sensitive factual situations; determine when as issue becomes a matter of public policy; communicate effectively orally and in writing; and follow verbal and written instructions.

Excellent organization skills; ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks at one time.

Ability to establish effective working relationships with judges, attorneys, fellow employees, county agencies and citizens; and work with individuals from a variety of social, economic and racial backgrounds.

Education and Experience:

Qualifications include a juris doctorate from an American Bar Association approved law school. Minimum of five (5) years of increasingly responsible professional legal experience in criminal law and/or municipal or other government law, or the equivalent, is preferred. Member in good standing with the Montana State Bar and license to practice law in Montana required. Prosecutorial experience is preferred. Must be able to successfully pass a Federal and State background check and a pre-employment drug test.

Some requirements in this job description may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees. All requirements are subject to modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

**This is not a complete job description- for a full job description, see Job Service.

TO APPLY: Obtain Fergus County application from Job Service- Complete and Return to Job Service.

Fergus County Attorney's Office

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