Assistant City Attorney - Prosecutor

Scope of Work

The City of Wheat Ridge is seeking a part-time, contracted attorney or law firm to perform City

Prosecution Services. The City Prosecutor provides professional legal services on behalf of the City,

focusing primarily on municipal court prosecution, code enforcement, nuisance and code abatement, and

certain administrative hearings. This position conducts legal research, prepares and reviews legal

documents, prosecutes ordinance violations, initiates, manages, and litigates abatement cases, and

handles any matter arising out of Municipal Court proceedings. The City Prosecutor works closely with

the City Attorney, City departments, law enforcement personnel, and other agencies to ensure consistent

enforcement of the City's codes and ordinances. Optional paralegal support may be available for case

preparation, discovery, subpoenas, and related tasks. Prosecutors may choose to utilize this support or

perform these functions independently.

The City Prosecutor shall be responsible for:

• Prosecutes all alleged violations of the City Code in Municipal Court, including arraignments ,

pretrials, motions, trials, sentencing, and post-judgment matters; handles appeals of cases that

come out of Municipal Court, unless otherwise directed by the City Attorney.

• Manages abatement cases, including nuisance and property maintenance enforcement.

• Represents the City in administrative hearing cases involving code violations and those

administrative hearings which arise from Chapters 2 and 15 of the City Code.

• Conducts legal research; prepares legal memoranda, pleadings, and related documents.

• Advises City departments, Police, and Code Enforcement staff on enforcement procedures and

legal requirements.

• Communicates with defendants and their counsel as needed.

• Maintains knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local laws.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

The following minimum qualifications are required:

• Licensed to practice law in the state.

• Experience in municipal prosecution, criminal law, or code enforcement preferred.

• Strong courtroom advocacy, legal writing, and research skills.

• Ability to establish effective working relationships with City staff and the public

General Court Schedule:

Prosecutor must be available for the following court activities (typically 10-15 hours a week unless a jury

trial is scheduled) NOTE: The City will entertain proposals for coverage of only the Tuesday docket

or only the Wednesday docket, although full coverage is preferred. In either case, coverage of

the Thursday docket is required.

• Tuesday Docket -AM trials to court 1 PM "general matters" docket

• Wednesday Docket - all day arraignments (case types include: traffic and/ or misdemeanors)

• Occasional Thursday Docket –

o Administrative Hearings - 1st Thursday of each month (code, sales tax, abatement, etc.)

o Community Court - 2nd Thursday of each month (created to accommodate unhoused

individuals)

o Jury Trials - 3rd Thursday (for any jury trial eligible cases)

The City of Wheat Ridge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and

inclusivity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,

age, veteran status, disability status, marital status or any other applicable characteristics protected by

law, unless related to a bona fide occupational qualification . The City of Wheat Ridge will consider

reasonable accommodation for employment to qualified applicants upon request to the Human

Resources Office.

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties,

responsibilities, or working conditions associated with the position.

Selection Process

The selection committee may either recommend an award based on the proposals alone, or elect to

short-list firms and conduct interviews.

The short-list process includes written notification to the short-listed firms, interviews with firm members,

reference checks on the top-ranked firm, and the negotiation of fees.

Independent Contractor

The consulting firm is an independent contractor. Notwithstanding any provision appearing in this request, all

personnel assigned by the firm to perform work under the terms of this request and any subsequent agreement

shall be—and remain at all times—employees or agents of the firm for all purposes. The proposer shall make

• no representation that it is the employee of the City for any reason.

Email resumes to Whitney Mugford-Smith at wmsmith@wheatrige.gov