Legal Secretary I/II

The State Bar of California•Los Angeles, CA

8h•$66,409 - $97,399•Hybrid

About The Position

The State Bar Court (SBC) adjudicates disciplinary and regulatory cases involving attorneys and recommends attorney discipline to the California Supreme Court. The SBC is structured as a Hearing Department (trial court) and a Review Department (appeals court). California is the only state with an independent professional Court dedicated to ruling on attorney discipline cases. The State Bar Court seeks a Legal Secretary I/II to provide administrative support to the State Bar Court Judges, Clerk of the Court, Court Counsel, and attorneys. Primary responsibilities include distributing and tracking attorney assignments, proofreading decisions, maintaining supply inventories, preparing expense reports and p-card statements, and making travel arrangements. Must communicate clearly and effectively, be a team player, have strong organizational skills, and have the ability to prioritize work. Experience in Word and Excel preferred.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Two (2) years of secretarial experience, at least one year of which has been in a legal environment, or four (4) years of administrative support or general clerical experience.
Or an equal combination of education, certification, and/or directly related legal secretary experience that resulted in successful job performance.
Knowledge of centralized information and data record-keeping systems.
Knowledge of legal secretarial support principles relating to the legal specialization or activity of the assigned office.
Knowledge of modern office practices and procedures, including standard computer software such as Microsoft Office and case management system applications.
Knowledge of basic principles, concepts, and methodology of legal proceedings and legal research.
Knowledge of legal terminology, documents, and procedures.
Knowledge of the basic vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules, as specified in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary.
Knowledge of business math for nontechnical calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Knowledge of filing requirements for State Bar Court and Superior Courts.
Ability to demonstrate accomplished legal writing skills.
Ability to organize and maintain legal files and records.
Ability to work independently, and work cooperatively in a team environment.
Ability to complete multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
Ability to demonstrate independent judgment and initiative.
Ability to receive and relay detailed information through verbal and written communications.
Ability to carry out duties in accordance with policies, procedures, and scope of responsibility.
Ability to review complex written documents.
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in person, by telephone, and in writing.
Ability to demonstrate accomplished computer keyboarding skills.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of State Bar documents, records, and data, including legally protected personal information, proprietary and pre-decisional information not subject to public information disclosure, sensitive legal and programmatic data, and other sensitive information.
Possession of high school diploma or equivalent.
Three (3) years of directly relevant legal secretarial experience.
Or an equal combination of education, certification, and/or directly related legal secretary experience that resulted in the successful performance of the job.
Knowledge of workflow principles for maintaining centralized information and data record-keeping systems.
Knowledge of the complete system of technical processes for providing substantive and procedural legal support.
Knowledge of developments in the functional domain(s) of assignments and changes in guidelines applying to the work focus areas, such as matters of legislative support.
Knowledge of the relevance and importance of various legislative histories, policy issues, agreements, and other information pertinent to the organization’s interests and perspectives in legislative matters from a legislative support perspective.
Knowledge of broad legal concepts, terminology, documents, and procedures, including specialized legal processes and methodology of legal proceedings and legal research.
Ability to demonstrate accomplished legal writing skills with accurate, clear, and complete legal documents.
Ability to organize and maintain digital and paper legal files and records.
Ability to problem solve to select, organize, and logically process relevant information (verbal, numerical, or abstract) to solve a problem.

Nice To Haves

Two (2) years of post-secondary education preferred.
Two (2) years of post-secondary education.

Responsibilities

Provides routine or standardized legal support through secretarial assignments to ensure effective, timely, and accurate assistance for the assigned legal team.
Types and assembles, in final form, legal pleadings for filing in all state, federal, or State Bar courts, including proofreading and editing documents for accuracy, entering data into a database, and ensuring that litigation deadlines are met.
Checks legal citations, oversees the production of legal documents, and distributes documents to the appropriate court and in-house personnel.
Types, proofreads, and/or assembles other legal documents, including but not limited to pleadings, contracts, subpoenas, legal memoranda, letters, proposals, and/or other documents unique to the department, office, or unit to which assigned.
Produces a variety of correspondence, reports, memoranda, and other documents.
Extracts data from a database(s); and filters, sorts, counts, and completes other essential spreadsheet functions.
Assumes responsibility for secretarial assistance, including, but not limited to, calendaring court appearances; making appointments; creating and maintaining legal files and indices; date stamping, faxing, scanning, and copying documents; and screening and routing telephone calls.
Assists with processing new case assignments and monthly random audits, including preparing letters, printouts, and/or emails; entering data into a database and/or spreadsheet; and delivering files.
Performs other similar or related duties that may not be specifically included within this position description but are consistent with the general level of the job and the responsibilities described.
May provide coverage for other Legal Secretaries during staff absences on a rotational basis by assisting direct supervisors of the absentee secretaries.
Provides legal secretarial support, including preparing legal briefs, motions, and memoranda.
Formats, edits, assembles documents and enters databases for filing in all state, federal, or State Bar courts.
Interprets local court rules for requisite format and several duplications of pleadings.
Serves in a formal trainer capacity for new hires.
Tracks legislative research and analyzes internal data, policies, and legal subject matter, such as labor law and recent court decisions.
Assists others in preparing for committee or other meetings, including, but not limited to, the preparation, distribution, and printing of notices, agendas and materials, and minutes.
May format, cite, check, and edit Review Department opinions for Judges and maintain version control of all opinions, ensuring their progress from oral argument to timely filing and, at times, publication.
May perform legal and policy research, including researching, compiling, and analyzing various internal data, policies, and legal subject matter such as labor law and recent court decisions.