City and County of San Francisco

Company Description
Department: Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector Job Class: 8177 Attorney (Civil/Criminal) Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt Work Hours: Regular Full-time Salary: $138,710 – $242,996 Annually
Application Opening: Monday, August 29, 2022 Application Deadline: Any time after 5:00 PM on Monday, September 19, 2022
Pursuant to the City & County of San Francisco Charter, Section 10.104.13, this position shall be exempt from competitive civil service selection, appointment and removal procedures. The person serving in this position shall serve at the pleasure of the Appointing Officer.
ABOUT The Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector serves as the banker, tax collector, collection agent, and investment officer for the City and County of San Francisco. As the entity responsible for safeguarding the City’s money, the Office uses this expertise and authority to assist San Francisco residents through award-winning programs and initiatives that help low-income families build economic security and mobility.
We are committed to providing excellent services for taxpayers, customers, and our community. By promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, we are a stronger, smarter, and more informed government agency.
The Legal Section provides specific legal advice and assistance to each section of the Office of Treasurer & Tax Collector. While the Legal Section primarily focuses on creditor rights in the collection and enforcement of judgments of various multi-department debt, it serves the public in responding to requests for information and the production of disclosable documents under the Public Record Act.
Please visit the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector to learn more about us.

Job Description
POSITION Under general supervision, assists the Tax Collector Attorney in all duties related to the Legal Section within the Office of Treasurer & Tax Collector, including section management, interpreting and carrying out existing methods and procedures relative to the legal processes of the Office of the Tax Collector; making regular important contacts with other legal representatives, court officials and outside organizations and agencies in connection with the legal aspects of the office operation; preparing and reviewing complex and important legal instruments, papers and legislation; and initiates or defends civil complaints in all courts (state and federal district) to enforce collection of delinquent tax and debt obligations within the jurisdiction of the Office. Performs other related duties as assigned.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES The essential duties and responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to:

Formulates and implements litigation strategy in contested cases including pre-trial discovery, motion practice, alternative dispute resolution, and conducts court trial when necessary.
Assigns and directs legal assistants in performing some or all of these litigation tasks.
Analyzes bankruptcy notices and pleadings and takes effective legal action in the bankruptcy court and through negotiation with debtor counsel to maximize department recovery on tax and other monetary claims.
Makes recommendations to the Bureau of Delinquent Revenue (BDR) Bankruptcy Unit for improvement in internal bankruptcy procedures, and gives specific oral and written advice on bankruptcy cases.
Assumes primary responsibility for enforcing payment of third party hospital lien accounts, including Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board hospital lien accounts referred to Legal Section and of first party creditor claims in probate matters.
Provides legal advice to the Tax Collector and Section supervisors on collection related topics that range in complexity from short case specific e-mails to formal researched advice memoranda.
Provides advice and recommendations for internal administrative procedures that facilitate the hospital lien collection process.
Assumes the functions of Legal Section Manager in the absence of the Tax Collector Attorney and directly supervises paralegal(s) and other staff in the performance of duties, including public records issues, summary judgments and post-judgment collections actions.

Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
License and Certification:

Active membership in good standing with the State Bar of California.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists in the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.
Skills:

Strong computer skills in Word, Excel and/or case management systems.
Strong decision-making.

Ability to:

Manage a high-volume caseload by prioritizing work into manageable tasks appropriate to the problems presented.
Review, analyze, research, develop and present legal issues and arguments orally and in writing.
Supervise, motivate and encourage support staff to assist in the production of an excellent end product.
Interact with and obtain information from hostile individuals.
Exercise good judgment in evaluating information and documentation. Ask pertinent questions to elicit necessary information.
Comply with confidentiality rules.
Write correspondence and memos.
Interact cordially with co-workers and the public.
Utilize job-related databases.
Deal effectively with departmental staff and the public, provide excellent customer service, and act in courteous manner.
Analyze financial information to confirm the need for further investigation and/or negotiate payment plans.
Speak clearly, concisely, and effectively in order to give oral instructions, answer questions, respond to concerns, and communicate work-related information to staff, departmental personnel, members of the public, and representatives of other agencies.
Write detailed reports based on observations and research, and complete legal documents supporting laws, regulations, and policies in a clear, concise well-organized, and effective manner using proper grammar, punctuation, and syntax.

Verification: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.
Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.
All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.
Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification, or may lead to lower scores.
Additional Information
Selection Procedures: The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited for an interview.
Note: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through all of the steps in the selection procedure.
How To Apply: Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov/ and begin the application process.

Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen.
To be considered for this position, please upload your most recent resume and cover letter during the application submission process. This must be done by the application deadline.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).
Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.
Recruitment Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Eric Louie at [email protected].
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

Information About the Hiring Process
Conviction History
Employee Benefits Overview
Equal Employment Opportunity
Disaster Service Worker
ADA Accommodation
Right to Work
Copies of Application Documents
Diversity Statement

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT: All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.
The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.