Legal Processing Assistant I/II

Ventura County•Ventura, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Under immediate (I) or general (II) supervision, Legal Processing Assistants perform specialized clerical and/or secretarial duties in support of legal defense, prosecution activities and/or specialized law enforcement and perform other duties as assigned. Support activities may include public contact, customer service, records maintenance, document production, and/or processing data. The ideal candidate will possess excellent verbal communication skills, the ability to work as a member of a team, and a desire to work in the criminal justice field. They must have excellent customer service skills, the ability to exercise sound judgment, and the ability to perform and remain calm in a fast-paced environment with frequent interruptions. Legal Processing Assistant I: $23.00 - $32.14 hourly, is the entry level in the series. Incumbents prepare, examine and process legal documents in support of specialized law enforcement or legal prosecution/defense activities, utilizing journey level clerical skills and limited application of specialized legal procedures and processes. Legal Processing Assistant II: $25.32 - $35.41 hourly, is the journey level in the series. Incumbents prepare and process a variety of legal documents and perform a variety of legal case management activities. Apply clerical skills and specialized legal knowledge to specific assignments in support of law enforcement or legal prosecution/defense functions. Generally, incumbents of this level are considered sufficiently trained in legal procedure to satisfactorily rotate through specialty assignment areas with minimal work disruption and/or training. AGENCY/DEPARTMENT: Various The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular, Temporary, Fixed-Term, Intermittent, and Extra-Help vacancies throughout various departments/agencies within the County of Ventura. NOTE: If appointed at the lower level, incumbent may be promoted to the higher level without further examination upon meeting the minimum requirements, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and in accordance with the business needs of the department. Legal Processing Assistant I/IIs are represented by the Service Employees' International Union (SEIU) and are eligible for overtime compensation.

Requirements

One (1) year of office clerical experience and some knowledge of legal terminology (as it pertains to the criminal justice system.) - For Legal Processing Assistant I
Two (2) years of legal clerical experience which includes legal document preparation and processing and the application of specialized law enforcement/legal court procedure in support of a legal specialty area (e.g., criminal defense, criminal prosecution, or witness liaison); OR One (1) year as a Legal Processing Assistant I with the County of Ventura. - For Legal Processing Assistant II
Some knowledge of legal/court procedure, process and systems, legal terminology, and the criminal justice system.
Working knowledge of general office practices and procedures.
Ability to perform specialized clerical work in support of legal processes.
Ability to learn and apply legal procedures specific to area of assignment.
Ability to evaluate unusual circumstances and resolve through the application of standard procedures.
Ability to store, maintain and retrieve information, records and documents.
Ability to search electronic information storage systems to locate information.
Ability to maintain logs, cross-reference files and indices.
Ability to update and purge storage systems in accordance with established procedures.
Ability to receive and record fees in accordance with established procedures.
Ability to perform word processing and data entry tasks efficiently.
Ability to work under pressure and meet short deadlines.
Ability to communicate effectively with people of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and temperaments.
Ability to demonstrate tact and diplomacy.
Ability to maintain accurate records and document actions taken.
Ability to compare names and numbers accurately.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of information.
Ability to maintain records and compile routine reports (e.g., routine, statistical).
Ability to make routine arithmetical calculations.
Ability to recognize and respect limit of authority and responsibility.
Candidates for positions in this series will be required to pass a background investigation in accordance with applicable law, regulation, and/or policy.

Nice To Haves

Excellent verbal communication skills
Ability to work as a member of a team
Desire to work in the criminal justice field
Excellent customer service skills
Ability to exercise sound judgment
Ability to perform and remain calm in a fast-paced environment with frequent interruptions
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. (for some positions)
Bilingual skills (English/Spanish) are highly desirable.
Experience working in the criminal justice field is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Processes legal documents and records through the office to which assigned as well as through the Courts and/or other offices based on established legal procedure or special instructions in case files; examines documents for conformance with established rules, standards and/or legal requirements.
Gives the public, clients, law enforcement officials and/or other employees procedural and/or case information which requires distinguishing between, and consideration of, sensitive/protected and public information and may require understanding or interpretation/explanation of legal documents (e.g., subpoenas), legal/court procedure or specific file notations regarding case/processing and status.
Coordinates the preparation of files scheduled for court ensuring that all needed documents are included and presented in proper form and order; maintains status of court calendars.
Accompanied by attorneys and/or other professional staff to court as required; makes notations to case files and draws the attention of the attorney to case or procedural detail.
Maintains reference materials, records systems, status logs and/or workload statistics; sorts and stores information based on alpha, numeric, content or other classification method; searches for and retrieves information stored in manual and/or automated systems; purges files in accordance with established procedure.
Coordinates court appearances for witnesses or defendants by updating appearance times, scheduling/postponing/ canceling appearances; maintains case status information and contact with interested parties; notifies witnesses and/or other parties involved of case disposition.
Prepares correspondence and/or legal forms and documents using standard word processing applications from prepared drafts, special file notations or from standard procedural guidelines.
May compute fees or credit for time served or other circumstances affecting length of custody; may collect fees, issue receipts and prepare bank deposits or statement of cash received; may prepare work unit reports and/or workload statistics; and Performs other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

General Salary Increase – 3.5% effective December 20, 2026 and 3.5% effective December 19, 2027
Merit Increases – New employees are eligible for an initial 5% merit increase within the pay range upon completion of at least 1,040 hours (approximately 6 months) assuming work meets satisfactory standards. Subsequent merit increases within the pay range will be upon completion of each additional 2,080 hours (approximately one year) from the initial merit increase.
Educational Incentive – An educational incentive of 2.5% for completion of an associate's degree, 3.5% for completion of a bachelor's degree, OR 5% for completion of a graduate degree.
Bilingual Incentive – Based on agency need, proficiency levels by exam are $.69 per hour (Level I), $1.00 per hour (Level II), or $1.32 per hour (Level III).
Flexible Workweek/Telework Schedule – We support work life balance by offering compressed work (e.g., 9/80 workweek) and remote hybrid telework schedules for some positions subject to organizational needs and satisfactory performance.
Vacation Accrual – New regular, full-time employees shall accrue approximately 14 days of vacation a year for the first 10,400 hours or 5 years of service; vacation accruals increase at 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 20 years of service topping out at 26 days a year and 400 hours of vacation hours banked.
Annual Leave Redemption – After 14,560 hours of continuous County service an employee may elect to "cash in" or redeem up to 80 hours of vacation accrued in the same year after using 80 hours of vacation in the preceding 12 months.
Sick Leave - Full time regular employees accrue 3.08 hours of sick leave per bi-weekly pay period with an advance at hire of 40.04 hours which will be balanced at the completion of 13 bi-weekly pay periods.
Deferred Compensation - Eligible to participate in the County's 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. This position is eligible for up to a 3.00% match on your 401(k) contributions.
Health Plans – Full time employees are given a flexible credit allowance to offset the purchase of medical, dental, and/or vision insurance for you and your dependents. Tier I - Employee only - $463.99 per biweekly pay period Tier II - Employee plus one dependent - $834.32 per biweekly pay period Tier III - Employee plus family - $1,024.11 per biweekly pay period
Flexible Spending Accounts - Pre-tax benefit towards eligible medical, dental and vision care and/or dependent care expenses.
Pension Plan - Participation in the County's defined benefit pension plan, which has reciprocity with CalPERS.
Holidays - 13 paid days per year which includes a scheduled floating holiday.
Additional Benefits - Tuition Reimbursement, Disability Plans, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Wellness Program