Assistant Solicitor

The City Solicitor or County Solicitor is the chief legal officer for a local government. The assistant solicitors who staff that office are the working attorneys who handle the day-to-day legal demands of every department, board, commission, and elected official the government contains — and those demands are extensive.

Contracts are a constant. Every vendor agreement, consultant contract, intergovernmental cooperation agreement, and lease that the government enters requires legal review. The assistant solicitor checks for terms that create unacceptable liability exposure, ensures the contract complies with public procurement law and appropriations authority, and negotiates modifications with the other party. In an active municipal government, this can mean reviewing dozens of contracts per week.

Ordinance drafting is legislative work at the local level. When the city council wants to change a zoning regulation, adopt a new fee schedule, or create a new program, the assistant solicitor translates policy intent into legally sound code language. This requires understanding both the substantive legal framework — state enabling legislation, constitutional limits on local authority — and the local political context that shapes what the final ordinance can realistically say.

Advisory work is perhaps the most valued service the office provides. Department directors face situations where the legally correct path isn't obvious — a personnel action with potential discrimination exposure, a contract interpretation dispute, a conflict-of-interest question involving a board member. The assistant solicitor provides a legal analysis and practical recommendation, taking responsibility for the legal judgment while leaving the policy decision to the official.

Litigation exposure varies by office. Most government solicitors' offices manage a portfolio of pending claims — slip-and-fall accidents, civil rights complaints, employment disputes. Assistant solicitors handle depositions, motion practice, and sometimes trial work in these matters, or coordinate with outside counsel and provide ongoing oversight and advice.

Education:

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an ABA-accredited law school
• Admission to the bar of the state where the office is located — essential, non-negotiable
• Law review or moot court participation is valued in competitive markets; it's less critical than practical legal skills at the assistant solicitor level

Experience:

• 2–5 years of legal practice after bar admission
• Government law experience (judicial clerkship, AG office, legislative drafting, municipal law) is ideal but not required
• Litigation, contracts, or regulatory experience in private practice transfers well
• Real estate transactional experience is particularly relevant for offices handling acquisitions, easements, and right-of-way matters

Practice areas with high transfer value:

• Municipal, county, or state government legal work
• Civil rights litigation (§ 1983 defense) or employment law
• Land use, zoning, and real estate
• Administrative law and regulatory practice
• Contracts and commercial law

Core legal skills:

• Legal research: Westlaw and Lexis+ proficiency
• Clear, concise legal writing: opinions, memos, contracts, and ordinances
• Oral advocacy: administrative hearings, zoning boards, and civil proceedings
• Client counseling: advising non-lawyer clients on legal risk and options

Practical requirements:

• Active bar membership in good standing — verified by state bar during application process
• Professional malpractice coverage (typically provided by the government employer)
• Valid driver's license for inter-facility travel and court appearances

Government law offices at every level face persistent recruiting challenges. The salary differential between government and law firm practice is real, and the candidates most competitive for assistant solicitor positions are often weighing offers from private firms that pay considerably more. Despite this, government law offices continue to attract a meaningful segment of the legal profession — candidates who prioritize work variety, mission alignment, work-life balance, and public service loan forgiveness over maximum compensation.

The current demand for government attorneys is sustained by several factors. Population growth is increasing the volume of land use, permitting, and infrastructure work that generates legal needs. Federal funding programs for transportation, water, and housing create compliance and contracting demands that require attorney time. Employment law, particularly the expanding landscape of discrimination protections and accommodation requirements, keeps employment litigation caseloads growing.

For experienced government attorneys — those with 10+ years who understand the breadth of municipal law and have built relationships with elected officials and department heads — career options are strong. Some move into private practice serving municipal clients, which can pay substantially better while using the same skills. Others advance to City Solicitor, County Counsel, or City Attorney positions that are among the more senior non-elected leadership roles in local government.

For new attorneys considering government practice as an entry point, the value is real: broad exposure to legal issues, genuine responsibility early in the career, and the PSLF benefit for those with loan debt. Many successful private practice attorneys look back on government legal work as the most formative professional experience they had, because the breadth and responsibility came faster than private firm work would have provided.

Dear [Solicitor/Hiring Manager],

I'm applying for the Assistant Solicitor position with [City/County]. I've been a staff attorney at [Law Firm/Agency] for three years, focusing primarily on municipal and administrative law matters for local government clients.

In that work I've drafted zoning ordinances and text amendments, represented municipalities at zoning hearing boards and city council meetings, negotiated developer contribution agreements, and assisted with real estate due diligence on several municipal property acquisitions. I've also handled a handful of civil rights claims in federal court — a § 1983 complaint and two employment discrimination matters — which gave me direct litigation experience alongside the transactional and advisory work.

The Assistant Solicitor role appeals to me specifically because of the scope. Working for an external client, I see only the legal dimensions of matters that come to me fully formed — I rarely see the policy or operational considerations that shaped why the issue arose. Working inside the solicitor's office, I'd have the relationship with departments to understand context that isn't captured in a contract or a complaint, and to give advice that reflects what the agency actually needs rather than what a document says.

I'm admitted to the [State] bar and I've been in good standing since [year]. I'm available to provide writing samples from published ordinances and legal memoranda.

I'd welcome the chance to meet and discuss the position in more detail.

[Your Name]