a DaY in the Life of an assistant citY attorneY
Government lawyers Section Chairs : Christian Katchuk - 13th Judicial Circuit Court & Lyndsey Siara - 13th Judicial Circuit Court
as a litigator , the work i perform for the city can be impacted by any number of city departments and divisions .
Imake my way to Old City
Hall , mentally annotating my to-do list for the day . I greet the guard and a City Council member as I head to the City Attorney ’ s Office ’ s Litigation division .
The City Attorney is appointed by the Mayor . The Tampa City Attorney ’ s Office is comprised of approximately 20 attorneys that represent dozens of City departments and divisions . Our attorneys specialize in everything from real estate , land use , code enforcement , governmental procurement , environmental law , personal injury law , employment law , to constitutional law and more . Our litigation attorneys represent the City of Tampa in each of these practice areas before administrative bodies , and state or federal court , at both trial and appellate levels . In everything we do , the City Attorney ’ s Office strives for quality legal service , professionalism , and a strong work ethic that will benefit Tampa ’ s citizens .
It ’ s 8:05 a . m . and I quickly check my email . The Chief of
Litigation pops into my office for an update on any matters that should be raised “ For the Good of the Order ” at our morning meeting . I respond , “ The usual … several Zoom depositions , a WebEx hearing to resolve a discovery dispute , and I ’ m still working on that appellate brief .”
I squeeze in some email responses and a call to counsel for a co-Defendant in one of my many lawsuits . I sigh with relief as I leave a voice mail : “ Tag , you ’ re it .”
As a litigator , the work I perform for the City can be impacted by any number of City departments and divisions . Therefore , I scan the local news for any relevant headlines that may indicate a lawsuit on the horizon . For the same reason , I scan City Council ’ s agenda and make a note to touch bases with various attorneys in the office .
At 9:30 a . m ., the “ All Attorneys ” meeting begins . As we prepare for the week , I see my muted office phone light up . A quick look at the caller ID and I realize : “ Tag , I ’ m it .”
At 10:03 a . m ., my Zoom depositions begin . I am defending the City in a personal injury case ; my exhibits spread out on my desk , just out of the camera ’ s view . As the depositions conclude , I annotate the file and draft instructions to my paralegal for additional discovery . It ’ s now 12:30 p . m .
Before heading out for lunch , I ask a colleague about the colleague ’ s non-binding arbitration , and make a mental note to finalize my own presentation for an end-of-month non-binding arbitration .
By 2:55 p . m ., I am in the “ zone ” and my legal research leads me to “ The Case .” I incorporate it into my brief and leave it alone for the day , needing time and distance to ensure the argument is persuasive .
It ’ s now 4:10 p . m . I begin pulling the files for my non-binding arbitration and tell myself , “ No time like the present .” n
Author : Toyin K . Aina- Hargrett – City of Tampa Attorney ’ s Office join the Government lawyers Section in your member profile at www . hillsbar . com .
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