Departmental Organization

Office of City Attorney

The City Attorney is the chief legal advisor for the City of Atlanta and is the director of the Department of Law. As chief legal advisor for the City of Atlanta, the City Attorney is responsible for providing legal counsel to the Mayor and to the Atlanta City Council. The Department of Law is vested with exclusive authority and jurisdiction in all matters of law relating to the executive branch of the city government and every department, bureau, office, institution, commission, committee, board and other agency thereof. The Department of Law litigates all civil matters on behalf of the City of Atlanta; provides for the defense of city officers and employees in certain situations involving civil litigation arising out of the performance of official duties of the officer or employee; provides written legal opinions on questions of law connected with the interest of the City of Atlanta to the Mayor, any department head, and president or member of the Atlanta City Council; attends all meetings of the Atlanta City Council and meetings of the committees of the council as requested; supervises, administers and performs all claims work under O.C.G.A. § 34-9-1, et seq., and performs any other services as are consistent with the usual and customary duties of municipal corporation counsel.

The Department of Law does not provide legal advice to members of the public. The Department of Law is limited to providing legal advice, counsel and representation to the Mayor, City Council members, City officials and departments in all civil matters regarding the City of Atlanta, Georgia.

The Department of Law is comprised of two groups and four divisions:

The Airport Legal Division serves as legal counsel to the Department of Aviation, which operates Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest and most efficient airport in the world.  This Division provides advice and counsel on a variety of commercial matters such as real estate, contracts, construction, finance, procurement of goods and services, tax matters, local and federal legislative matters, and federal regulatory laws. The attorneys in this Division work with all departments of the Airport, the Atlanta City Council, the mayor’s office, multiple city departments, governing bodies of other municipalities, and local, national, and international airports.

The Business Services Division provides legal counsel and contract services to the legislative and administrative branches of the City of Atlanta. Specifically, professionals in this Division serve the Departments of AIM, Enterprise Assets Management, Finance, Grants, OCC, Parks and Recreation, Planning and Procurement, Public Safety and the Board of Zoning Adjustments. This Division also provides legal counsel on commercial transactions, including municipal financings, contracts, tax matters, real estate matters and land use matters, the City’s public safety agencies, including the Atlanta Police Department; the Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department; the Department of Corrections; the Municipal Court and the Offices of the Solicitor and the Public Defender.

The City Attorney Group provides legal counsel to the Mayor and the City Council.  The City Attorney and the City Attorney Group is also responsible for the administration of the Department of Law, including strategic planning, legal operations and administration, budget and financial analysis, invoicing and vendor maintenance, among other things.    It is also responsible for proactively evaluating, reviewing, and improving standards and processes within the City of Atlanta, with a centralized focus on preventing and reducing liability related to federal, state and local laws and regulations. The City Attorney Group is responsible for conducting thorough and impartial investigations into the affairs of any City of Atlanta department, board, office, commission, institution, authority, retirement system or any other instrumentality or agency thereof, where appropriate.

The Claims Department manages claims filed against the City of Atlanta.

The Litigation Division handles lawsuits in which the City of Atlanta, any of its employees, elected officials or its agents are named as defendants. This Division handles tort litigation, employment matters and constitutional claims filed in federal or state court. and pursues lawful recovery of revenue on behalf of the City of Atlanta.

The Operations Division also serves as counsel to the legislative and administrative branches of City government. Specifically, professionals in this Division serve: the Department of Watershed Management, providing legal counsel on a broad array of legal matters; the Department of Public Works, as well as the newly formed Department of Transportation, including the Renew Atlanta Bond and TSPLOST Programs regarding a broad variety of matters; the SAVE/E- Verify program compliance; the Mayor’s Office of Resilience; and ATL 311. The Operations Division also provides advice and counsel to the Human Resources Department providing legal advice regarding operations and legal support to multiple boards and commissions, including the License Review Board, the Defined Contribution Pension Investment Board, the Defined Benefit Pension Investment Board its General, Police and Fire administrative committees. Additionally, the Operations Division provides environmental and construction advice and counsel across the executive branch departments.