Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is a city attorney and how to become one
The city attorney position is one that you are either elected for or appointed to serve the municipal government. As the city attorney, you will handle traffic tickets and civil lawsuits. Your responsibility is extended to the prosecution of misdemeanors and the handling of property violations.
Furthermore, you will provide counsel to the municipal government on legal matters, monitor changes made to state and federal law, and draw up city contracts and laws. For this reason, you need to have extensive knowledge of how the law affects civilians, human resources, taxes, and criminals. As a city attorney, you need to have excellent research skills as you will be providing counsel on a range of legal matters. You need to have brilliant verbal and written skills as communication is something you will carry out on a daily basis.
To become a city attorney, you need to have undertaken an undergraduate degree followed by three years of law school. To obtain your license, you need to pass the bar exam set for the state you would like to practice law and eventually be appointed city attorney.
What general advice would you give to a city attorney?
Hanna Royce
Assistant Dean of Career Services, University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law
Many graduates are securing remote positions. To be successful in a remote environment, employees need to make the extra effort to communicate and stay connected with colleagues. Even when employees are telecommuting, they should dress as if they are going into the office. This can help them with productivity and illustrate their professionalism when meeting with colleagues or clients.
Avg. Salary $102,836
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 10%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%
Asian 6.49%
Black or African American 5.68%
Hispanic or Latino 7.91%
Unknown 4.39%
White 75.22%
Genderfemale 46.58%
male 53.42%
Age - 45American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 45Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
City attorney career paths
Key steps to become a city attorney
Explore city attorney education requirements
Start to develop specific city attorney skills
Skills Percentages Litigation 10.96% Legal Research 9.77% Legal Advice 6.75% Legal Issues 5.12% Municipal Law 4.30% Complete relevant city attorney training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New city attorneys learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a city attorney based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real city attorney resumes.Research city attorney duties and responsibilities
- Handle diverse general litigation practice in construction defect, product liability, contracts, municipal law and anti-discrimination enforcement.
- Order subpoenas, certify driving records and accident reports.
- Oversee responses to subpoenas, government requests and public records requests.
- Provide counsel and advice to DHS employees regarding statutes, regulations, and policies that govern the child welfare system.
Prepare your city attorney resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your city attorney resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a city attorney resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable city attorney resume templates
Build a professional city attorney resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your city attorney resume.
Apply for city attorney jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a city attorney job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first city attorney job
Are you a city attorney?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average city attorney salary
The average city attorney salary in the United States is $102,836 per year or $49 per hour. City attorney salaries range between $66,000 and $158,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do city attorneys rate their job?
City attorney reviews
As a civil litigation defense attorney I love the fact that every day is different. I enjoy assisting clients who have a problem to solve that problem in the most cost effective way, and how to avoid such problems in the future. I like that I basically set my own work schedule (other than court dates).
Billing hours. Unscrupulous opposing counsel. Occasional biased judges who do not follow the law.
Updated January 8, 2025
