Senior Legal Office Assistant

Probation Department is looking for a candidate who enjoys working in a team environment in addition to having the skill set to perform independently with limited supervision. Compensation for this position may begin at an advanced step on the Senior Legal Office Assistant salary range scale.

This position will be located at one of our Probation Offices in Eureka, CA. A typical work schedule is Monday - Friday, 7:30am-4:30pm with a 1-hour lunch or 8:00am-4:30pm with a 30-minute lunch. Please note the following: The successful candidate for this position will be required to undergo a detailed background investigation.

Under general supervision, assigns, directs and reviews the work of a small legal office support staff; provides difficult, technical, confidential or specialized legal office support to various County offices; performs related work as assigned.

This class performs as either the working lead level in the legal office support series, with responsibility for providing direction to a group of legal office support staff performing similar work or functions as the specialist level, performing difficult, technical, complex or specialized legal office support duties. This is not considered a supervisory class in that the selection, evaluation and discipline of employees is normally not assigned to this level and the number of employees for which direction is provided is limited. This class is distinguished from Legal Office Services Supervisor in that the latter is the first full supervisory level over a group of legal office and related support staff.

Examples Of Duties

• Provides lead direction, training and work review to a small legal office support staff; organizes and assigns work, sets priorities and follows up to ensure coordination and completion of assigned work.
• Provides input into selection decisions, performance evaluations and disciplinary matters.
• Performs difficult, complex, technical, confidential and/or specialized legal office support work, which may require the exercise of independent judgment, the application of technical skills, or a knowledge of detailed or specialized activities related to the department to which assigned, including but not limited to:
• Processing commitments for various governmental institutions.
• Assembling, maintaining and updating master and trial calendars; setting and resetting trials, conferences and other legal matters.
• Compiling information from various sources to complete required forms for application for state, medical and social benefits; working directly with probation officers to insure timely and complete applications on behalf of probationers.
• Processing and typing a variety of legal documents including petitions, court orders, probation reports, sheriff's reports and arrest warrants.
• Receiving, storing and maintaining property and evidence received by the Sheriff's Department and Drug Task Force; maintaining inventory and "chain of evidence" records; disposing of contraband and unneeded property and evidence; determining ownership and returning found property and evidence.
• Verifies, codes, edits, enters and retrieves legal data and prepares reports from an on-line or personal computer system following established formats; may access confidential statewide data files.
• Reviews legal documents, arrest or incident records, files and cases to identify inaccurate, inconsistent and unclear codes, data and other information; notifies appropriate staff and may participate in resolving problem situations; checks court and legal documents for proper authorization and obtains missing signatures.
• Compiles data from multiple sources to complete and process legal forms, documents and reports in accordance with established procedures.
• Types correspondence, reports, forms and specialized documents related to the functions of the organizational unit to which assigned from drafts, notes, dictated tapes, or brief instructions, using a typewriter or word processor.
• Proofreads and checks typed and other materials for accuracy, completeness, compliance with departmental policies, and correct English usage, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Establishes and maintains office and case files; researches and compiles information from such files; closes and purges files according to established procedures.
• Receives and screens visitors and telephone calls and takes messages; provides information regarding County or unit activities and functions to clients, the public and other staff which may require the use of tact and discretion or the interpretation of policies, procedures or guidelines; maintains confidentiality of information.
• Operates standard office equipment, including word processors and personal or on-line computers.
• Performs general office support activities as required.

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

• Basic supervisory principles and practices.
• Legal office terminology, processes, procedures and forms.
• Legal documents, forms and terminology.
• Policies and procedures related to the department to which assigned.
• Business data processing principles and the use of word processing and personal computing equipment.
• Office practices and procedures, including filing and the operation of standard office equipment.
• Business letter writing and the standard format for typed materials.
• Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Business arithmetic, including percentages and decimals and basic bookkeeping practices.
• Record keeping principles and practices.

Skill in:

• Planning, assigning, directing and reviewing the work of others.
• Training others in work procedures.
• Performing technical, specialized, complex or difficult legal office support work.
• Reading and understanding legal and court documents and extracting relevant information.
• Exercising initiative and sound independent judgment within established guidelines.
• Prioritizing work and coordinating several activities.
• Composing routine correspondence from brief instructions.
• Operating standard office equipment, including a word processor and computer terminal.
• Dealing tactfully and effectively with a variety of individuals, some of whom may be hostile or irate and/or from varying ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Organizing and maintaining accurate files and records.
• Making accurate arithmetic calculations.

Other Requirements:

• Specified positions may require skill in typing accurately at a rate sufficient to produce final documents and enter information into a computer system.
• Specified positions may require possession of a valid California driver's license.
• Specified positions may require being able to pass a detailed background and/or criminal history check.
• Specified positions may require evening, weekend or other off-shift work and may be required to act as a matron.

Desirable Education and Experience:

• One year of legal office support experience at a level equivalent to the County's class of Legal Office Assistant II.

Working Conditions & Additional Information

A complete, original application must be filed for each position you are interested in applying for. Applicants must apply online through the County's automated application system at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/humboldtcountyca.

Applications must be submitted no later than the final filing date and time listed on the job flyer.

It is important that your application shows all the relevant education and experience you possess. Human Resources staff does not consider or review resumes or attachments. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

Please read the job requirements section of the announcement. Be sure you meet these requirements since they will be carefully evaluated during the selection process.

Your performance in any employment examinations will be compared with the performance of others who take the tests. The examination results will be emailed to you as quickly as possible.

The County utilizes a set of rules to ensure that our hiring processes are fair and equitable. Applications will be screened and those considered qualified will be invited to appear for an oral and/or written examination. Meeting the requirements does not guarantee inclusion into the selection process. Depending upon the number of applications received, the selection process may consist of additional application screening, written and/or practical exam(s), oral interview, or any combination thereof.

How long does it take to fill out the application?

• You should allow 30 45 minutes to fill out your application.

Can I change my application after submitting it?

• No. Once an application has been submitted, it is final. Applicants may submit a new application with updated information during the filing period if they wish. Only the most recent application submitted will be considered. All other applications will not be considered.

How long until I hear back from you and how can I check for updates on my application?

• You may receive communications regarding your application at different stages of the selection process. Important updates will be sent to the email address listed in your governmentjobs.com account at the time of notification. To ensure you don't miss any critical information,