Attorney Time Frequently Asked Questions
Attorney Time will apply to those covered by bargaining unit agreements in rep units 020/021 (Sacramento County Attorneys Association) and 033 (Sacramento County Management Association – Civil Attorneys Unit) that are permanent full time employees on January 1 of each year.
Attorney Time hours will be available to use January 1 of each year through December 31.
Permanent (regular) full-time employees will receive 80 hours on January 1.
Employees hired or transfer into a qualifying position after January 1 will not receive Attorney Time hours until January 1 of the following year.
Permanent full-time employees who transfer to temporary full-time positions remain eligible despite the position status. The employee remains a permanent full-time employee.
For example: An employee is a permanent full-time Attorney Lv 4 Criminal and is moved into a temp overlap position pending their retirement. The employee remains eligible for Attorney Time provided they are a permanent full-time employee on January 1.
Yes, you are eligible to receive 80 hours of Attorney Time if on an unpaid leave of absence on January 1.
No, employees who occupy intermittent positions are not considered permanent employees, rather they are deemed temporary employees. Temporary employees are not eligible for Attorney Time.
No, you are not eligible because you do not hold the qualifying position when receiving out of class pay.
Your hours remain available until used and if hours remain at time of separation from County service, they are paid as a terminal payout on the final check.
The employee keeps the remaining Attorney Time hours and waits until January 1 of the following year to receive additional Attorney Time hours. In no circumstances can the employee receive more than 80 Attorney Time hours in a calendar year.
Promoting to a position eligible for Management Leave:
- You will receive the same number of hours that you had remaining for Attorney Time.
Promoting to a position eligible for Executive Management Leave:
- The employee has the following options to select on or before assuming the Executive position:
1) keep the current number of hours as Attorney Time which are non-cashable, or
2) receive pro-rated Executive Management hours determined by the number of remaining full pay periods left in the year, starting the first full pay period from the entry into the Executive Management position. In no case shall the total number of hours exceed 80 hours per Policy #830, Management Leave. If the employee previously used 80 hours, they will not be eligible for Executive Management Leave until the following January 1.
Any unused balance is paid as a terminal payout on the final paycheck.
The employee has either used or been paid a balance of 80 hours for the current year and must wait until January 1 of the following year to receive 80 hours.
The Attorney Time hours used on the timesheet are retirement applicable. The terminal payout of Attorney Time hours is never retirement applicable.
Yes, it is treated like any other pay.
No, these hours cannot be used to integrate with these programs.
No, they cannot be used when an employee is on Supplemental Military Leave.
MTO allows managers to take time off without affecting their compensation and does not require any record-keeping, as managers are not eligible for overtime. This offers substantial flexibility in balancing personal and professional responsibilities in recognition of the extended hours managers routinely work. Per the policy, generally speaking, “MTO is not intended as a substitute for multiple day leaves, such as vacation or sick leave.” For more details, visit the internal Personnel Services site and search MTO.
In contrast, Attorney Time provides managers with 80 hours of leave per calendar year, which must be recorded on the timesheet when used as Z133 (Mgt/Atty Leave) to ensure accurate tracking. It is important to note that both Attorney Time and MTO require supervisor approval prior to taking the time off.