Legal Secretary I

Position Information Do you have administrative skills and experience working in a legal office? The County of Sonoma District Attorney's Office has an excellent opportunity to begin a career in the legal secretarial field.
Starting salary up to $32.
26/hour ($67,330/year) and a competitive total compensation package!* As a Legal Secretary I, you will be responsible for supporting attorneys in all phases of criminal and civil prosecution as a member of the Environmental and Consumer Law Division team.
In this role, you will provide a wide variety of legal secretarial services to the attorneys on consumer protection, environmental protection, white collar crime/fraud, wage theft, election law violations, and Brown Act complaints.
Responsibilities and tasks will include preparing documents in final form, filing papers with the proper court, providing backup at the front desk, and processing a wide variety of legal documents.
Additional duties may include: Filing documents and placing matters on calendar in the Sonoma County Superior Courts Organizing and scanning incoming reports and discovery to the case management system Maintaining case files in the case management system Researching case status and information in various justice system programs Composing routine letters for assigned attorneys The ideal Legal Secretary I candidate will have experience working as a legal secretary in a private or governmental law office.
In addition, they will possess: Experience assisting attorneys in litigation in a District Attorney’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, US Attorney’s Office, or a private law firm A legal secretary certificate and/or at least one year of legal secretarial (or equivalent?) experience in a public or private law office The ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other staff, departmental representatives, court officials, and the public Strong communication and organizational skills The ability to multi-task, while shifting priorities, in a fast-paced environment Experience working with the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint) Experience working with a legal case management system.
What We Offer Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities.
You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including: Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range Career Advancement - With time and good performance, the opportunity for advancement to Legal Secretary II (salary up to $36.
55/hour) Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options Staff Development/Wellness Pay - Annual benefit allowances of up to $500 and ongoing education/training opportunities Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment The County of Sonoma Sonoma County offers a rare and compelling array of scenic, recreational, and geographic characteristics – including over 200 award-winning wineries, inspiring coastline and beaches, the Russian River, and majestic redwoods.
The County encompasses over one million acres of land and water; rich with agriculture, parks, campsites, lakes, and open space.
Sonoma County is also home to a wide variety of restaurants, art and music festivals, farmers' markets, and concert venues.
Local schools continually rank high on California's Academic Performance Index, and the Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University offer higher education opportunities.
Sonoma County is an increasingly diverse region and is home to approximately 500,000 residents.
The Latino population has grown by almost 230% within the last 25 years and is approximately 27% of the population.
In 2016, slightly over half of Sonoma County’s population was between 25 and 64 years old; however, between 2007 and 2016, the fastest-growing age range in the county were those aged 65 to 74.
Please visit www.
sonomacounty.
ca.
gov and sonomacountyconnections.
org for additional information about Sonoma County - the place to live, work, and build your career legacy.
*Salary is negotiable within the established range.
Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.
Additional information can be found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory.
This recruitment is being conducted to fill a Legal Secretary I position in the District Attorney's Office.
The employment list established from this recruitment may also fill future Spanish bilingual full-time, part-time, and extra-help positions as they occur during the active status of the employment list.
Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.
Minimum Qualifications Education and Experience: Satisfactory completion of a legal secretarial training program which directly relates to the required knowledge and abilities is highly desirable, and one year of responsible clerical experience or work experience in a law office or office of the courts which directly relates to the required knowledge and abilities.
Performance Skills: Ability to type accurately at a rate of 65 words per minute.
License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Working knowledge of: legal terminology, legal forms and documents; business English, spelling, grammar and punctuation; word processing equipment.
Knowledge of: modern legal office practices and procedures; the effective operation and utilization of dictation transcription machines may be required; the effective operation and utilization of photocopiers, fax machines and other office machines and equipment; alphabetical, numerical and other filing systems appropriate to law offices; government or department codes, ordinances, laws, regulations, procedures, precedents, policy decisions and written format in order to carry out clerical and minor administrative functions under general direction; the records and filing systems used in a law office or office of the courts.
Ability to: perform basic computer and word processing tasks; transcribe from dictating equipment a wide variety of legal dictation at an acceptable rate of speed may be required; compose, type and assemble information into proper legal form from outlined instructions or established procedures; finalize attorney's work products for filing or mailing; compose routine letters and memoranda; understand and follow complex oral and written instructions, and adhere to established practices and procedures; use good judgment in making decisions in accordance with existing laws, ordinances, regulations, department policies and procedures; understand, weigh and apply regulatory, office practice and procedural guidelines to a variety of unrelated situations; maintain a wide variety of legal files, records and reports; establish and maintain harmonious and effective working relationships with departmental personnel, legal and court related departments and the public; perform basic arithmetic calculations; type accurately at the rate of 65 words per minute.
Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application.
Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying.
If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.
Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.
Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria.
Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications.
Responses that state "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.
The selection procedure will consist of the following examination: An Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position.
Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria: Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.
Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire.
Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination.
Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION A background investigation is required prior to employment.
Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation.
Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy.
Reference information will not be made available to applicants.
For positions that are required to have access to Sheriff’s Office or Probation Department facilities, a more extensive “Security Clearance” will be performed after hire.
Successful completion of the probationary period may be contingent upon passing the security clearance, which may include completion and review of a Personal History Statement packet, Live Scan fingerprint based criminal history checks, warrant checks, written reference checks, etc.
* If you are offered a position which requires a security clearance, the job offer letter will clearly specify this as a condition of the probationary period.
Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc.
, may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position.
If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter.
You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.
HOW TO APPLY Applications are accepted online at www.
yourpath2sonomacounty.
org.
Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail.
All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement.
Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.
The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging.
We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve.
The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.
HR Analyst: DP HR Technician: EV