How to hire an assistant county attorney

How to hire an assistant county attorney, step by step

Here's a step-by-step assistant county attorney hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an assistant county attorney job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant county attorney
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an assistant county attorney do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The assistant county attorney hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An assistant county attorney's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, assistant county attorneys from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of assistant county attorneys.

   Type of Assistant County Attorney	Description	Hourly rate
   Assistant County Attorney	Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.	$32-75
   Legal Extern	Legal externs are law students who took the opportunity to do on-the-job training at a law firm. Instead of monetary compensation, they receive academic credits... Show more	$11-44
   General Counsel	A general counsel, also called a chief legal officer, is the chief lawyer in the legal department of an organization. The counsel represents an enterprise for any pending legal matters... Show more	$36-100

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Legal Research
   • Litigation
   • Legal Advice
   • Bench Trials
   • Appeals
   • Legal Issues
   • Child Support
   • District Court
   • Jury Trials
   • Subpoenas
   • Legal Opinions
   • Criminal Cases
   • Defense Counsel
   • Motion Practice

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage employment litigation in defense of organization, including wrongful termination, discrimination and retaliation claims.
   • Render legal advice concerning matters not in litigation but require prompt action to avoid litigation.
   • Represent county departments in administrative proceedings including contract bid protests and appeals of county-issu permits such as floodplain development permits.
   • Evaluate all incoming record requests and subpoenas.
   • Prepare petitions, subpoenas, and motions for court.
   • Represent government agency in civil child protection proceedings including appeals.

   More assistant county attorney duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your assistant county attorney job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An assistant county attorney salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an assistant county attorney in South Carolina may be lower than in California, and an entry-level assistant county attorney usually earns less than a senior-level assistant county attorney. Additionally, an assistant county attorney with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average assistant county attorney salary

   $103,838yearly

   $49.92 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant county attorney salary

   $68,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average assistant county attorney salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$114,661	$55
   2	Oregon	$110,725	$53
   3	Virginia	$105,182	$51
   4	Texas	$96,990	$47
   5	Maryland	$96,056	$46
   6	Colorado	$95,634	$46
   7	Minnesota	$92,364	$44
   8	Florida	$84,425	$41
   9	Iowa	$82,031	$39
   10	North Carolina	$74,536	$36
   11	Mississippi	$73,977	$36

   Average assistant county attorney salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Anne Arundel County Public Schools	$105,156	$50.56
   2	Scott County, Iowa	$98,224	$47.22
   3	Arapahoe County	$96,998	$46.63
   4	Minnesota Limited	$94,372	$45.37
   5	Loudoun County Social Svc	$91,525	$44.00
   6	Jefferson County Sheriffs Dept	$89,383	$42.97
   7	Ramsey County	$89,233	$42.90
   8	Anoka County	$88,910	$42.75
   9	STG International	$88,497	$42.55
   10	Sherburne County	$85,862	$41.28
   11	Brown County	$84,347	$40.55	21
   12	Stearns County MN	$83,413	$40.10
   13	Ontario County	$82,914	$39.86	2
   14	Douglas County	$82,057	$39.45	3
   15	Prince William County	$81,564	$39.21	3
   16	Adams County Government Center	$79,467	$38.21
   17	Alachua County	$76,490	$36.77
   18	Weld County Government	$75,551	$36.32	2
   19	Washington County	$74,743	$35.93	2
   20	El Paso County	$74,233	$35.69

4. Writing an assistant county attorney job description

   An assistant county attorney job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an assistant county attorney job description:

   Assistant county attorney job description example

   Salary to be commensurate withqualifications
   
   Assistant County Attorney:
   
   Salary Range: $75,600.00 - $113,500.00 Annually
   
   Senior Assistant County Attorney:
   
   Salary Range: $98,900.00 - $148,420.00 Annually
   
   This position has an anticipated work schedule of Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm, subject to change. Under FLSA guidelines, this position is exempt.
   
   Serves at the will and pleasure of the County Attorney. Provides legal services, advice and representation regarding the County's legal affairs and assumes and coordinates major specialized projects as assigned by the County Attorney.
   
   Essential Duties/Responsibilities
   
   * Prepares, drafts, and develops a variety of legal documents including pleadings, motions, briefs, memoranda, policies, contracts, resolutions, and agreements.
   * Appears before courts and administrative proceedings at the state and federal level to represent the County's interests as required.
   * Represents the County in civil litigation and administrative hearings.
   * Under direction of the County Attorney, performs liaison responsibilities related to managing, overseeing, and coordinating the development and implementation of major specialized projects.
   * Prepares and participates in the development of policies; trains various County staff in implementing policy.
   * Leads, plans, and coordinates the work of staff responsible for special legal projects.
   * Provides legal advice and support to Elected Officials, Boards, Commissions, and Committees.
   * Researches and writes legal opinions on County matters.
   * Is readily available for consultation with the County Attorney, internal staff, department directors, Elected or Appointed Officials, and staff.
   * Attends and participates in professional group meetings; stays abreast of trends and new innovations in county government and in other assigned areas of the law.
   * May manage trials including, but not limited to, gathering, analyzing, and organizing evidence, conducting discovery, meeting court and rule-imposed time deadlines, interviewing and preparing witnesses for deposition and trial preparation of pre-trial and post-trial pleadings, motions, briefs; conducts jury selection, presentation of opening and closing statements, the direct, cross examination and re-direct examination of witnesses, and preparation of all post-trial matters, including preparation of appellate level briefs.
   * Provides assistance to the County Attorney.
   * Performs other duties as required.
   
   Additional Senior Assistant County Attorney - Civil Division Function:
   
   * Possesses extensive government knowledge on a wide variety of practice areas related to the County's legal affairs and is readily available for consultation with the County Attorney, Assistant County Attorneys, County department directors and staff, and County Elected and Appointed Officials.
   
   Qualifications
   
   Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
   
   * Thorough knowledge of federal and state laws, rules, regulations and procedures concerning county government and administrative/civil judicial processes and judicial decisions interpreting the same.
   * Ability to establish effective working relationships with co-workers, superiors, clients, other attorneys, community representatives, the judiciary and the general public.
   * Ability to exercise sound and professional judgment in conformance with the policies and procedures of the Office of the County Attorney and the objectives and goals of the County.
   * Ability to exercise tact and impartiality.
   * Ability to analyze problems, identify alternative solutions, make decisions, project consequences of proposed actions, and implement recommendations in support of goals.
   * Ability to communicate effectively.
   * Discretion both in the ability to make decisions and maintain confidentiality.
   * Ability to set work priorities and accomplish the same in the required time period. Ability
   * Maintain regular and punctual attendance.
   
   Senior Assistant County Attorney - Civil Division:
   
   * Extensive knowledge and experience handling complex transactions, navigating complex legal and regulatory issues in the areas of real estate and land use, and identifying, resolving, and documenting complex interactions and agreements between government entities and between the government and private sector businesses.
   * Demonstrated ability and success in working in a government and political environment.
   
   Required Education and Experience:
   
   * J.D. from an accredited law school.
   * Admission to and a member in good standing with the Colorado Barwithin one year of employment; or authorized to practice law in Colorado pursuant to Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct 205.6.
   * Minimum three years experience as a practicing attorney.
   
   Senior Assistant County Attorney - Civil Division:
   
   * Minimum ten years experience as a practicing attorney with extensive knowledge and related experience in the area of general civil and local government law or a minimum of seven years experience as a practicing attorney with the Office of the County Attorney-Civil Division.
   
   PreferredEducation and Experience:
   
   * Experience in litigation and local government matters.
   
   Licenses/Certificates:
   
   * Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.
   * License in good standing as Attorneyand Counselor at Lawissued by the Colorado Supreme Courtwithin one year of employment.
   * Eligible for admission to U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit.
   
   Pre-Employment Requirements:
   
   * Must pass conditional post offer background investigation, motor vehicle record check, and drug screen.
   
   Work Conditions
   
   Duties are performed in an office, remote, and/or court environment dependent upon department discretion and business needs; some travel may be required.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find assistant county attorneys for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any assistant county attorneys they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level assistant county attorneys with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your assistant county attorney job on Zippia to find and recruit assistant county attorney candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit assistant county attorneys, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant county attorney

   Once you've selected the best assistant county attorney candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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