Legal Office Assistant I/II (Open and Promotional)

County of San Mateo•San Mateo, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Legal Office Assistant I/II perform a variety of routine to moderately difficult legal office support duties and activities in County criminal justice departments such as the District Attorney's Office, Probation Department and Sheriff's Office. Responsibilities include creating and typing legal and confidential correspondence, records, documents and forms; proofreading typed legal material for accuracy, completeness and correct English usage, grammar, spelling and punctuation; entering, editing and retrieving legal data in computer systems; performing basic arithmetic calculations; collecting and consolidating legal material from several sources; creating, maintaining and purging legal office files; performing routine office support activities such as taking messages from telephone callers and visitors, giving directions and instructions, responding to questions, providing general information, filing, photocopying, distributing mail and ordering supplies; and serving as a back-up for clerical co-workers who are absent from the office. The ideal candidate must be able to handle demanding job assignments and several clerical duties simultaneously in legal offices where activities occur at a fast pace; produce considerable amounts of legal correspondence and reports for long periods of time; be detailed, accurate and complete in their work; adapt to frequent interruptions, rapidly changing priorities and different assignments quickly and efficiently; use computers frequently and proficiently; use appropriate initiative, sound judgment and tact to handle sensitive and confidential discussions and interactions with individuals who are irate and hostile; and work well under stress. The recruitment will result in the creation of a hire list that will be active for six months. The list may be extended depending on the needs of the hiring departments.

Requirements

One year of general clerical or office assistant experience (for Legal Office Assistant I).
One year of experience which required the use of legal terminology and concepts to provide a variety of office support (for Legal Office Assistant II).
Knowledge of legal documents, forms and terminology.
Knowledge of policies and procedures related to the department to which assigned.
Knowledge of office practices and procedures, including filing and the operation of standard office equipment.
Knowledge of business data processing principles and the use of word processing or personal computing equipment.
Knowledge of business letter writing and the standard format for typed materials.
Knowledge of correct English usage, including spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Knowledge of business arithmetic, including percentages and decimals.
Knowledge of recordkeeping principles and practices.
Ability to read and understand legal and court documents and extract relevant information.
Ability to perform detailed legal office support work accurately.
Ability to compose routine correspondence from brief instructions.
Ability to operate standard office equipment, including a word processor and computer terminal.
Ability to use initiative and sound independent judgment within established guidelines.
Ability to prioritize work and coordinate several activities.
Ability to deal tactfully and effectively with a variety of individuals, some of whom may be hostile or irate.
Ability to organize and maintain accurate files and records.
Ability to make accurate arithmetic calculations.
Ability to understand and carry out oral and written directions.
Ability to type at a rate of 40 net words per minute from printed copy (may be required for specific positions).

Nice To Haves

Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.

Responsibilities

Read and process various legal documents such as court calendars, court orders, booking slips, probation reports, arrest records and other legal information for maintaining records.
Verify, code, edit, enter and retrieve legal data and prepare reports from an on-line or personal computer system following established formats; may access confidential state-wide data files.
Review legal documents, arrest or incident records, files and cases to identify inaccurate, inconsistent and unclear codes, data and other information; notify appropriate staff and may participate in resolving problem situations; check court and legal documents for proper authorization and obtain missing signatures.
Compile data from multiple sources to complete and process legal forms, documents and reports in accordance with established procedures.
Type 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; may compose standard correspondence from brief instructions.
Proofread and check typed and other materials for accuracy, completeness, compliance with departmental policies, and correct English usage, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Establish and maintain office and case files; research and compile information from such files; close and purge files according to established procedures.
Receive and screen visitors and telephone calls and take messages; provide 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; maintain confidentiality of information.
Operate standard office equipment, including word processors and personal or on-line computers, facsimile equipment and central telephones.
May perform routine office support activities such as opening and distributing mail, processing outgoing mail and ordering office supplies.
Provide off hours services as required.
Perform related duties as assigned.