Legal Secretary I/II (Open and Promotional)

County of San Mateo • Redwood City, CA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The District Attorney’s Office is accepting applications for the position of Legal Secretary I/II. There is currently one vacancy to be filled. The mission of the District Attorney’s Office is to prosecute adult and juvenile offenders, provide services to support victims, enforce consumer and environmental laws, provide legal and investigative support to public safety partners, and remain committed to the principles of equity and transparency in seeking justice and greater public safety. To that end, the Office is committed to ensuring that no member of our office will seek or obtain a criminal conviction or seek or obtain a sentence on any individual based on race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. Legal Secretaries perform essential tasks, including preparing legal documents, correspondence, memoranda, and reports, providing support for incoming referrals, and arranging court dates, meetings, and appointments. Screening phone calls, conducting research, and compiling information are crucial aspects of the role. Additionally, Legal Secretaries maintain organized files, process mail, and effectively manage their own work, ensuring priorities are set and critical deadlines are met. Legal Secretaries must retain an abundance of procedures and consistently work under pressure. Communication, organizational, and time-management skills are essential to succeed as a Legal Secretary. Legal Secretaries working in the District Attorney’s Office focus on criminal law processes and procedures. Depending on the qualifications of the selected candidate, the vacancy may be filled at the Legal Secretary I or Legal Secretary II level.

Requirements

• One year of either secretarial and office administrative experience equivalent to the County's class of Secretary OR legal office support experience (for Legal Secretary I).
• Two years of experience in providing legal secretarial and office administrative support to one or more attorneys and related support staff (for Legal Secretary II).
• Office administrative and secretarial practices and procedures, including filing and 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 online computer.
• Record-keeping, report preparation, and filing methods.
• Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary.
• Business arithmetic, including percentages and decimals.
• Draft pleadings and other legal documents from stenographic notes, brief instructions, dictated tapes, or printed information.
• Provide varied and responsible secretarial and office administrative assistance to one or more attorneys and/or associated staff.
• Use initiative and independent judgment within established guidelines.
• Organize and maintain accurate records and files.
• Organize work, set priorities, meet critical deadlines, and follow up on assignments.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.
• Ability to type at a rate of 50 words per minute (required for some positions).
• Skill in taking dictation at a rate of 80 words per minute by hand or stenographic machine and transcribing it accurately (required for some positions).

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in a public or private law office.
• In-depth knowledge of legal terminology and legal procedures.
• Experience supporting multiple managers or attorneys simultaneously.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Excel.
• Working knowledge of legal case management systems.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, organizational, and time management skills.
• Proven success working independently on multiple assignments and meeting deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Preparing legal documents, correspondence, memoranda, and reports.
• Processing new referrals.
• Scheduling court dates, meetings, and appointments.
• Receiving and screening telephone calls.
• Researching and compiling a variety of informational materials.
• Maintaining and organizing files.
• Processing mail.
• Organizing assigned work, setting priorities, and meeting critical deadlines.
• Performing related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Five points added to their final passing score on this examination for 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, or extra help/limited term position prior to the final filing date.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed