LAW DIRECTOR CITY OF WILLOUGHBY The City of Willoughby is seeking a Law Director. This is a part-time position that will report directly to the Mayor. The position will be responsible for providing leadership and direction to all City staff and officials; provides legal assistance with land development matters; negotiates, prepares and/or reviews City contracts, ordinances, resolutions and other documents; interprets and advises with respect to local, state, and federal laws and policies; provides zoning and property maintenance code enforcement advice; provides guidance on employment matters; reviews and advises the City regarding litigation; and provides guidance on various procedural matters. City Hall hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm, the expectation of this position is a set combination of offices hours during these hours and availability for evenings/weekends for meetings, not to exceed 30 hours per week. Salary commensurate with experience and will include OPERS membership. Salary expectations should be submitted with resume. Interested candidates should send a resume to Human Resources Department, Willoughby City Hall, 1 Public Square, Willoughby, OH 44094 or via email at HRjobs@willoughbyohio.com by February 27, 2026. Refer to http://willoughbyohio.com/government/employment/ for more details. If you wish to email your resume, please include the phrase Law Director position in the subject line of the email.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER 

LAW DIRECTOR

RESPONSIBILITY: Under the general administrative direction of the Mayor, serves as the department head for the Law Department. The Director is responsible for providing leadership and direction to all City staff and officials; provides legal assistance with land development matters; negotiates, prepares and/or reviews City contracts, ordinances, resolutions and other documents; interprets and advises with respect to local, state, and federal laws and policies; provides zoning and property maintenance code enforcement advice; provides guidance on employment matters; reviews and advises the City regarding litigation; and provides guidance on various procedural matters. Duties require the exercise of extensive independent judgment. Supervises staff as directed by the Mayor.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES: (These are examples only. Any employee may be required to perform other duties in an emergency, or for short periods of time when substituting for another worker who is on authorized leave without any change in title or rate of pay.) Direct all legal aspects of day-to-day operations of the City, including public meetings, elections, legislation, employment matters, grievances, disciplines, and zoning. Develops or assists in the development of City legislation to include resolutions and ordinances, and City staff policies; provides legal advice, counsel and assistance to the City Council, Mayor, department heads, boards, commissions, committees and other officials of the City government in relation to their duties and the business of the City. Prepares for and attends administrative board, commission, Council and citizen committee meetings, and Council workshops as requested by the City Manager; reviews written materials concerning issues pending before Council, boards and commissions; prepares legal legislative related memoranda for Council and follows up on questions or concerns expressed by Council members or members of the community at these meetings. Represents the City (and its officers, agents, and Council members) at meetings of, or in negotiations with, other government agencies, boards, commissions. Engage in negotiations and ratify contracts with unions for collective bargaining agreements. Prepares legal opinions on City matters by performing research, drafting, and including extensive analysis when needed. Negotiates, structures, drafts and/or reviews contracts or other legal documents by or on behalf of the City. Determines and applies legal principles and precedents to problems and issues. Reviews and advises the City regarding litigation naming the City as a party and when requested, prepares for and represents the City in litigation and legal matters such as torts, insurance and immunity issues, land use and development issues, matters involving state and federal agencies, public funding, regulatory issues and public improvement projects. Supervises and directs outside special legal counsel that is retained to represent the City in litigation or legal matters. Prosecutes, or supervises the prosecution of violations of City ordinances including, but not limited to, traffic and general offenses, zoning ordinances, land use ordinances, license violations, and permit violations. Must provide timely responses to all inquiries on legal matters. Prepares a department budget and oversees its annual expenditures. Supervises and directs law department staff. Must provide an elevated level of customer service by being courteous, responsive, respectful, and helpful in all interactions with staff, superiors, and the public. Must establish and maintain effective working relationships with superiors, colleagues, co workers, City officials, and the public. Must have regular, dependable, and punctual attendance (30 hours/week) and comply with City rules and policies. Perform other duties of a similar nature level
NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: • Knowledge of legal research principles and practices and established precedents. • Knowledge of litigation rules, practices, and procedures. • Knowledge of economic development matters. • Knowledge of City Code and Charter provisions, with particular reference to municipal legal provisions and of municipal law in areas that include zoning, subdivision and land use/planning matters, utility issues, personnel and labor law, local tax issues, City contracts and contractual matters related to development issues, procurement of goods and services, lease and purchase of real property interests and easements, public records law, ethics and conflict of interest issues, litigation, local inter-governmental agreements and legislation preparation and amendment. • Knowledge of relevant federal, state, and local laws affecting operation and function of City government. • Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. • Superior writing skills, both analytically and grammatically. • Ability to organize, interpret and apply legal principles and knowledge to complex legal problems. • Ability to perform litigation preparation and trial of all types of cases that the City may become involved in and to present litigation material and information clearly and logically in oral or written form. • Ability to meet and effectively engage with persons interested or involved in disputes with the City. • Ability to perform a wide variety of duties and responsibilities with accuracy and speed under the pressure of time-sensitive deadlines. • Knowledge of standard office procedures, practices, and equipment; the ability to utilize basic computer functions and quickly learn legislative software programs.
MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS Juris Doctorate Degree and license to practice law in the state of Ohio with at least five (5) to ten (10) years’ of increasingly responsible experience in the practice of municipal and/or other governmental law. SERVES AT THE PLEASURE OF THE MAYOR WITH CONFIRMATION BY CITY COUNCIL