Domestic Violence Unit - Criminal Deputy City Attorney

City of Billings, MT

$100K — $134K *
Legal & Accounting
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Juris doctorate from an ABA-approved law school
  • Member in good standing with the Montana State Bar
  • License to practice in state and federal courts in Montana
  • Ability to pass Federal and State background checks
  • Two years of professional legal experience in criminal or municipal law (preferred)
  • Prosecutorial experience (preferred)

Responsibilities

  • Represent the City by prosecuting misdemeanor criminal offenses
  • Prepare and review cases for prosecution, including legal research and documentation
  • Negotiate with parties and settle criminal cases as assigned
  • Provide legal advice to City employees and officials on criminal legal issues
  • Draft and analyze legal documents binding the City
  • Participate in developing criminal policies and procedures for the Attorney's Office
  • Attend treatment court sessions and respond to sensitive citizen inquiries

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Retirement/pension options
  • Paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave
  • Life and long-term disability insurance
  • Optional health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts
  • 457 deferred compensation accounts
Full Job Description
Salary: See Position Description
Location : City Hall, 316 N 26th St., Billings, MT 59101
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number:
Department: City Attorney
Division: Attorney Administration
Opening Date: 07/09/2026

Position Overview
Salary Range: $100,433.01 - $134,533.78/annually. Salary reflects Step 1 and Step 7 of a 7-step pay scale. Salary at hiring will be dependent upon the applicant's education, experience, and training.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Job Summary:

Under general direction, performs a variety of professional duties involved in providing a full range of legal services related to municipal government operations; represents the City in criminal proceedings as assigned before courts, administrative agencies and boards, arbitrators, and other administrative agencies; investigates, prepares, and prosecutes misdemeanor criminal cases in courts; and advises City departments, staff, boards, and commissions in criminal legal issues.
Scope of Responsibility:

Incumbent has a high degree of understanding of department and functional operations and is able to work with considerable initiative. Working with senior management guidance, incumbent applies professional and managerial principles that can affect the entire department with the potential to have a major effect on the City. Incumbent's decisions can have a moderate to major financial impact on the overall organization. Incumbent solves complex technical problems, which can have significant impact on the entire organization. Incumbent must have the ability to exercise discretion regarding confidential matters.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Legal
  • Represents the City by prosecuting various misdemeanor criminal offenses; 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 City in criminal legal proceedings before courts (including Municipal Court, Montana District Court, Montana Supreme Court, Federal Court), 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 criminal cases as assigned by the City Attorney or Assistant City Attorney.
  • Provides legal advice and opinions as requested by the City Attorney or Assistant City Attorney to City employees, City Council, and City boards and commissions on a variety of criminal legal issues; advises staff and officials on the legal requirements and consequences of proposed actions; provides training to City staff and others on current laws and effective enforcement procedures; conducts ongoing legal research in connection with criminal legal issues pertaining to the City.
  • Analyzes, reviews, and drafts legal documents which bind or obligate the City; provides legal opinions and recommendations to ensure the City is properly and effectively represented in such matters; reviews rules, regulations, and policies to ensure legal compliance.

Department Duties
  • Participates in the development, planning, and implementation of criminal policies and procedures for the City Attorney's Office; devises and implements systems and forms for most efficient operations as assigned.
  • Participates on a variety of boards and commissions; attends and participates in professional group meetings; stays abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of law.
  • Attends and participates in Billings Adult Municipal Treatment Court or other treatment courts as assigned.
  • Responds to and attempts to resolves difficult and sensitive citizen inquiries and complaints.

Performs other duties as assigned, which may include civil legal work.

Qualifications and Skills
Required Qualifications and Skills:
  • Juris doctorate from an American Bar Association approved law school
  • Member in good standing with the Montana State Bar
  • License to practice law in the state and federal courts in Montana
  • Must be able to pass a Federal and State background check

Preferred Qualifications and Skills
  • Two (2) years of increasingly responsible professional legal experience in criminal law and/or municipal or other government law, or the equivalent
  • Prosecutorial experience

Physical Demands and Working Conditions
Work is a normal office environment. Intermittent effort involving lifting of amounts between 5 and 25 pounds is required. 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. 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. Driving is required rarely.

Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills, and experience required. To perform this job successfully, the worker must possess the abilities and aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently.

This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise. The City retains the discretion to add duties or change the duties of this position at any time.
The City of Billings offers a complete benefits package to our full-time employees including medical, dental, and vision insurance, retirement/pensions, paid holidays, vacation and sick leave. The City offers life and long term disability insurance to all full-time employees. Optional plans are available for employees that include health savings account, flexible spending account, and 457 deferred compensation accounts.

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