Deputy City Attorney - Complex Commercial Litigator - 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 : September 18, 2026 Application Deadline : Continuous, earliest close 5:00 p.m. Friday, October 2, 2026 Compensation Range: $158,548 - $277,810 Recruitment ID : RTF0167143-01097721 The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is looking for a qualified and motivated complex commercial litigator to join its office. 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. The Office provides a hybrid work schedule for eligible employees. To learn more about the City Attorney’s Office please visit our website . About the Position This position would be part of the Tax Team. Litigators on the Tax Team work primarily on defending the City in tax refund lawsuits. Issues litigated in these cases include federal and state constitutional doctrines (e.g., Commerce, Due Process, and Equal Protection Clauses, state preemption of city taxing power); valuation of taxable and nontaxable property; interpreting complex federal, state, and local laws and regulations; and the application of the City’s taxes to the diverse and emerging industries comprising San Francisco’s business community.  Amounts in dispute range from the tens of thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars. Experience with state or local tax matters is not required as litigators on the Tax Team benefit from the subject matter expertise of the Team’s advice attorneys and collaborate with auditors and appraisers in the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector and the Office of the Assessor-Recorder. Minimum Qualifications Licensed to practice law in California. Desired Qualifications Five or ideally more years of civil litigation experience. Experience with complex litigation, ideally litigation involving financial transactions or financial issues (for example, business litigation).   Experience with litigation involving constitutional issues and/or statutory interpretation issues. Experience with complex motion practice and/or appeals.   Ability to assume a high degree of responsibility quickly, work both independently and collaboratively, and identify and assess substantive and procedural legal issues. Ability to work effectively and efficiently, meet multiple competing deadlines, manage workload changes, and dive into new assignments quickly. Excellent written and oral communication and advocacy skills. Ability to manage, investigate, and litigate multiple matters. Ability to handle all phases of litigation, including written discovery, depositions, motion practice, settlement negotiations, non-jury trials, and appeals. Experience handling court appearances and oral argument. Familiarity with California civil procedure and San Francisco local rules. Experience with e-discovery. Demonstrated interest, comfort, and good working knowledge of sophisticated document review tools. Ability to work effectively with paralegals, legal assistants, investigators, and other colleagues. Ability to exercise excellent judgment, adapt to changes, and be curious. Excellent interpersonal skills and a positive attitude. Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment. Interest and ability to work successfully as part of a team. Verification Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirement s . Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco. All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores. Selection Procedures The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum