Legal Secretary I/II - Public Defender

County of Humboldt•Eureka, CA

42d•Onsite

About The Position

LEGAL SECRETARY I/II - PUBLIC DEFENDER County of Humboldt Public Defender's Office Are you interested in making a difference? If so, please consider joining our dedicated team at the County of Humboldt Public Defender's Office! The Public Defender Office provides Mission-Driven Work With Real Impact You are part of a team that changes outcomes for real people. Work here is meaningful, emotionally impactful, and unlike any private-sector role. Work includes criminal, juvenile (criminal), mental health, and specialty court matters. Secretaries here are valued as essential partners that work with interdisciplinary teams: Attorneys, Social Workers, Investigators and Admin Staff. Collaborative & supportive team culture - our office is known for humor, empathy, and a high-trust, fast-paced environment. Independence & Ownership of Work - Staff who want independence thrive in our office Job Highlights: This position is responsible for a variety of duties, including; Draft and file legal documents. Process incoming documents into electronic case management system. Answer telephones. Make client appointments. Work Location: This position is located at 1001 4th Street St. Eureka, CA 95501 A typical work schedule for this position is M-F; 8-5 This position is represented by the AFSCME bargaining unit. Please note: This a continuous recruitment and Human Resources reserves the right to close this recruitment at any time. DEFINITION Under general supervision, provides varied, responsible and confidential secretarial and office administrative assistance to one or more attorneys; may provide direction to office support staff on a project basis; performs related work as assigned. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Legal Secretary I is the entry level in this specialized secretarial series. It is designed to allow an experienced incumbent with either well-developed office administrative or secretarial support skills to learn the terminology, formats and procedures in the legal secretarial field, or an incumbent with knowledge of legal office terminology, formats and procedures to learn office administrative and secretarial support skills. This class is alternately staffed with Legal Secretary II and incumbents may advance to the higher level after gaining experience and demonstrating proficiency which meet the qualifications of the higher level class. Legal Secretary II is the journey level class of this series, fully competent to independently perform a wide range of legal secretarial support work. General procedures and guidelines are normally established by the secretarial supervisor or the attorney to which assigned; however, day-to-day activities may require the use of initiative and independent judgment. Responsibilities include regular contact with County staff and outside agencies in situations where tact and discretion are important. This class is distinguished from Senior Legal Secretary in that the latter assigns, directs and reviews the work of a legal secretarial and/or support staff.

Requirements

Knowledge of:
Office administrative and secretarial practices and procedures, including filing and business letter writing.
Legal office terminology, processes, procedures, and the format for legal documents. The operation of common office equipment, including a word processor and personal or on-line computer.
Record keeping, report preparation and filing methods.
Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. Business arithmetic, including percentages and decimals.
Skill in:
Drafting pleadings and other legal documents from stenographic notes, brief instructions, dictated tapes or printed information.
Providing varied and responsible secretarial and office administrative assistance to one or more attorneys and/or associated staff.
Using initiative and independent judgment within established guidelines.
Organizing and maintaining accurate records and files.
Organizing work, setting priorities, meeting critical deadlines, and following up on assignments.
Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.
Typing accurately at a rate of 50 net words per minute from printed copy.
NOTE: Specific positions may require skill in taking dictation at a rate of 80 words per minute by hand or stenographic machine and transcribing it accurately. Specified positions require skill in typing accurately at a rate of 50 net words per minute from printed copy.
Specified positions may require possession of a valid California driver's license.
Legal Secretary I: One year of EITHER secretarial and office administrative experience equivalent to the County's class of Secretary OR legal office support experience equivalent to the County's classes of Legal Office Assistant II or Court Clerk II.
Legal Secretary II: In addition to the above, two years of experience in providing legal secretarial and office administrative support to one or more attorneys and related support staff.

Responsibilities

Drafts pleadings, subpoenas, briefs, contracts, ordinances and other legal documents and correspondence, memoranda and reports from stenographic notes, brief instructions, dictated tapes or printed materials.
Calendars and schedules court dates, meetings and appointments for attorneys; files or arranges for the filing of legal briefs and other necessary paperwork with the court. Receives and screens visitors and telephone calls, providing information regarding the particular area of assignment, which may require the use of judgment and interpretation of policies and procedures or taking messages or referring the caller to the proper attorney.
Processes a variety of legal agreements, contracts, etc., following attorney's instructions. Researches and compiles a variety of informational materials.
Types drafts and a wide variety of finished documents, including both general and legal-related correspondence and documents; may use word processing equipment and input or retrieve data and prepare reports using an on-line computer system.
Initiates specified correspondence such as transmittal letters independently for signature by appropriate staff; reviews finished materials for completeness, accuracy, format, compliance with policies and procedures, and appropriate English usage.
Organizes and maintains chronological and other files.
Relieves attorneys of certain administrative matters by following up on projects, transmitting information, keeping informed of pertinent activities, and scheduling and arranging for meetings.
Organizes own work, sets priorities and meets critical deadlines.

Benefits

Health Insurance
Medical: Multiple plan options available through CalPERS
County covers majority of employee premium and contributes to dependent coverage
Additional Insurance Coverage
Dental: Full premium coverage for employees and all dependents
Vision: Full premium coverage for employees and eligible dependents
County-Provided Benefits
Life Insurance
Longevity Pay
Educational Reimbursement
Deferred Compensation
Employee Assistance Program
Bus Pass Program
Optional Benefits
Employees may elect to purchase additional coverage including:
Supplemental Life Insurance with guaranteed issuance period at time of hire
Flexible Spending Accounts
VACATION
1 - 3 completed years of service = 12 days (192-hour cap)
4 - 10 completed years of service = 15 days (240-hour cap)
11 - 15 completed years of service = 20 days (320-hour cap)
16 - 20 completed years of service = 25 days (400-hour cap)
21+ completed years of service = 30 days (480-hour cap)
HOLIDAYS
Employees earn 15 paid holidays per year (specific dates as defined in their specific Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)), including 2 personal holidays.
SICK LEAVE
Employees earn 12 sick days per year with an unlimited cap on sick day accumulation.
PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS
The County is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness certified employer.
INCENTIVE PAY
County employees may be eligible for additional incentive pay, such as on-call pay, shift differential pay, locked facility pay, or annual uniform allowance, as defined in their specific MOU.