City Attorney Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
City Attorney positions rarely offer visa sponsorship as they typically require U.S. citizenship or permanent residence due to security clearances and oath requirements. Most municipalities restrict these roles to citizens only, making H-1B visa and other work visas unavailable for this career path. For detailed occupation requirements, see the O*NET profile.
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Get Access To All JobsCompany Description
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: March 10, 2026
- Application Deadline: Continuous, earliest close 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, 2026
- Compensation Range: $155,428-$272,350
- Recruitment ID: RTF0163439-01097725
The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is looking for a qualified and motivated real estate transactional attorney to join its Real Estate & Finance Team.
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.
About the Real Estate & Finance Team
The Real Estate & Finance Team is a collaborative and dynamic group of 11 attorneys (nine real estate and two public finance attorneys), two paralegals, and three legal secretaries. The Team oversees the legal aspects of real estate, debt financing, and other business transactions for the City. The real estate attorneys work on a wide range of real estate transactions and property management issues for the City – from large, complex development projects, such as mixed-use commercial developments and affordable and supportive housing projects, to purchases and sales, leases, loans, legislation, easements and other real estate matters. The finance attorneys represent the City on various bond and debt transactions, funding all of the capital required to build, operate and maintain City functions and services. The team works closely with many City departments, including the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the Real Estate Department, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, the Office of Public Finance, the Municipal Transportation Agency, and the Recreation and Parks Department.
Deputy City Attorney Position and Responsibilities
The team seeks an experienced real estate attorney with expertise in general real estate matters, transactions and development. In that capacity, the attorney will perform many functions – primarily negotiating real estate contracts and structuring real estate transactions on behalf of various City departments, and advising our clients regarding those contracts and compliance with City and other legal requirements. Attorneys may also appear at Board of Supervisor and Commission hearings relating to contracts and projects on which they worked.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- Licensed to practice law in California
Desired Qualifications
- Five or ideally more years of demonstrated real estate management, transactional, and development experience
- Excellent drafting and negotiating skills
- Excellent oral and written communication and legal analytical skills
- Understanding of government legislation, operations and regulations
- Ability to assume responsibility quickly and work independently and efficiently
- Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and wide range of clients with differing levels of expertise with a positive attitude
- Ability to manage and appropriately balance multiple assignments, meet deadlines, and adjust to workload fluctuations
- Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment
- An interest in and commitment to public service
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-requirements.
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 requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited to participate in the oral/performance interview.
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 inquiries to Jumy Dang, Senior Human Resources Analyst, at jumy.dang@sfcityatty.org.
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.
Company Description
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: March 10, 2026
- Application Deadline: Continuous, earliest close 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, 2026
- Compensation Range: $155,428-$272,350
- Recruitment ID: RTF0163439-01097725
The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is looking for a qualified and motivated real estate transactional attorney to join its Real Estate & Finance Team.
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.
About the Real Estate & Finance Team
The Real Estate & Finance Team is a collaborative and dynamic group of 11 attorneys (nine real estate and two public finance attorneys), two paralegals, and three legal secretaries. The Team oversees the legal aspects of real estate, debt financing, and other business transactions for the City. The real estate attorneys work on a wide range of real estate transactions and property management issues for the City – from large, complex development projects, such as mixed-use commercial developments and affordable and supportive housing projects, to purchases and sales, leases, loans, legislation, easements and other real estate matters. The finance attorneys represent the City on various bond and debt transactions, funding all of the capital required to build, operate and maintain City functions and services. The team works closely with many City departments, including the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the Real Estate Department, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, the Office of Public Finance, the Municipal Transportation Agency, and the Recreation and Parks Department.
Deputy City Attorney Position and Responsibilities
The team seeks an experienced real estate attorney with expertise in general real estate matters, transactions and development. In that capacity, the attorney will perform many functions – primarily negotiating real estate contracts and structuring real estate transactions on behalf of various City departments, and advising our clients regarding those contracts and compliance with City and other legal requirements. Attorneys may also appear at Board of Supervisor and Commission hearings relating to contracts and projects on which they worked.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- Licensed to practice law in California
Desired Qualifications
- Five or ideally more years of demonstrated real estate management, transactional, and development experience
- Excellent drafting and negotiating skills
- Excellent oral and written communication and legal analytical skills
- Understanding of government legislation, operations and regulations
- Ability to assume responsibility quickly and work independently and efficiently
- Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and wide range of clients with differing levels of expertise with a positive attitude
- Ability to manage and appropriately balance multiple assignments, meet deadlines, and adjust to workload fluctuations
- Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment
- An interest in and commitment to public service
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-requirements.
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 requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited to participate in the oral/performance interview.
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 inquiries to Jumy Dang, Senior Human Resources Analyst, at jumy.dang@sfcityatty.org.
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.
See all 48+ City Attorney Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as a City Attorney
Target federal attorney positions instead
Federal agencies like DOJ, EPA, or Treasury sponsor H-1B visas for attorney positions more readily than municipal governments with citizenship requirements.
Consider corporate counsel roles
Private companies frequently sponsor attorneys for H-1B, O-1, or L-1 visas, offering more viable paths than government positions with citizenship restrictions.
Research state-level opportunities
Some state attorney general offices or public defender programs may sponsor visas, though most still prefer citizens for government legal roles.
Build immigration law expertise
Specializing in immigration law can make you more attractive to firms that regularly sponsor visas and understand the process firsthand.
Network through bar associations
Join local and state bar associations to connect with attorneys who've navigated visa sponsorship and can provide referrals to sponsor-friendly employers.
Consider contract-to-hire positions
Some municipalities hire attorneys as contractors initially, which may lead to permanent positions once you obtain a green card through other means.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can international lawyers work as City Attorneys?
Most City Attorney positions require U.S. citizenship due to oath requirements and security clearances. International lawyers should focus on private practice, corporate counsel roles, or federal positions that may sponsor work visas instead of municipal government positions.
What degree requirements apply to City Attorney roles?
City Attorney positions require a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an ABA-accredited law school and bar admission in the relevant state. Foreign law degrees typically need evaluation and additional U.S. legal education to meet these requirements.
Do any government legal positions sponsor H-1B visas?
Federal agencies occasionally sponsor H-1B visas for attorney positions, but municipal and state governments rarely do due to citizenship preferences. The Department of Justice, EPA, and Treasury are more likely sponsors than local government entities.
Can City Attorneys transfer to private practice for visa sponsorship?
Yes, attorneys can transition from government work to private practice where H-1B and O-1 visa sponsorship is more common. Large law firms and corporations frequently sponsor experienced attorneys, especially those with government legal experience.
What alternatives exist for foreign lawyers in government work?
Foreign lawyers can pursue roles as legal analysts, paralegals, or policy advisors in government while working toward permanent residence. These positions may not require citizenship and can provide government experience before transitioning to attorney roles.
How to find City Attorney jobs with visa sponsorship?
To find City Attorney positions with visa sponsorship, use Migrate Mate, which specializes in connecting international legal professionals with sponsoring employers. Focus your search on large municipal governments, metropolitan areas, and cities with significant immigrant populations, as they commonly sponsor H-1B and O-1 visas for experienced attorneys with government law expertise.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored City Attorney jobs?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.