Deputy City Attorney - Dependency & Mental Health Team - City Attorney's Office (8177)

Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt (PEX) position; individuals who are appointed to Exempt Positions are appointed at the pleasure of their appointing officer and are considered to be "at-will."

• Application Opening: April 10, 2026
• Application Deadline: Continuous, earliest close 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 24, 2026
• Compensation Range: $155,428-$272,350
• Recruitment ID: RTF0164402-01125348

The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is looking for a qualified and motivated litigator to join its Dependency & Mental Health Team (Team), to advise and represent multiple City departments in two high volume, fast paced, and confidential court-based practices.

About the Office

The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is an innovative, nationally-recognized municipal law office working to protect and advance the rights and interests of the City and County of San Francisco and its residents. With nearly 350 talented and dedicated employees, the Office provides exceptional legal services to the City’s Mayor, Board of Supervisors, officials, and departments. Our work empowers City leaders with effective, responsive, and creative legal solutions and representation so they can deliver critical public services, and our affirmative advocacy enhances the lives and wellbeing of San Francisco’s residents and visitors.

The Office recognizes that diversity in the backgrounds, identities, and experiences of our employees enriches our workplace and enhances our work. We aspire to recruit, employ, retain, and promote talented individuals representing the full spectrum of our community, and welcome all candidates, including candidates of any race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, and age, and candidates with disabilities. We have a clear vision: to be the place where a diverse mix of people want to come and stay, grow professionally, and find purpose and engagement, and where all employees feel welcomed and respected, and valued for their work and contributions to the Office and the City. To learn more about the Office’s efforts to provide an inclusive workplace where employees feel they belong and can meaningfully contribute, please visit: https://www.sfcityattorney.org/aboutus/dei/.

The Office offers a hybrid work schedule for eligible employees.

To learn more about the City Attorney's Office please visit our website.

About the Team

The Team is a collaborative and dynamic group of 14 attorneys, two paralegals, one legal assistant, and two legal secretaries who handle two confidential court-based practices: dependency and mental health.

In its dependency practice, the Team advises and represents the Family and Children Services Division of the Human Services Agency (Agency) in all phases of dependency litigation to protect abused and neglected children in San Francisco, from before dependency petitions are filed and throughout the life of each case.

In its mental health practice, the Team represents and advises the Public Conservator’s Office in Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) and Murphy conservatorship proceedings, including handling jury trials. The attorneys also represent and advise the Department of Public Health in Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) and Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act proceedings. Additionally, the Team represents the City in Petitions for Writ of Habeas Corpus matters.

Deputy City Attorney Position and Responsibilities

This is a hybrid position where the attorney will divide their duties between the two practice areas: dependency and mental health.

Minimum Qualifications

• Licensed to practice law in California

Desired Qualifications

• Five or more years of litigation experience in either dependency and/or mental health.
• Ability to assume responsibility quickly and work independently, collaboratively, and efficiently.
• Ability to manage a high volume, fast paced caseload in two or more distinct practice areas with occasional workload increases.
• Excellent oral and written communication along with excellent research and advocacy skills.
• Ability to exercise good judgment, multi-task, and meet deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills with a positive attitude.
• Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Desire and ability to work successfully as part of a team committed to public service.

Salary and Benefits

The Deputy City Attorney position has a 16-step salary scale ranging from $155,428 to $272,350. The successful applicant is appointed to a salary step based on years of experience as a lawyer. The City offers robust health, retirement and other benefits. For more information please visit: https://sfdhr.org/benefits-overview. Attorneys are represented by the Municipal Attorneys Association. Information about compensation and benefits is available by entering Classification Code 8177 at https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen
• Make sure to include your CA Bar Number in the education section on your application
• Upload a Cover Letter and a Resume

Applicants who advance in the selection process must submit two references and one writing sample.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfcityatty.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Human Resources Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please send your inquires to Asa Nojd, Human Resources Analyst, at [email protected].

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.