Legal Secretary I - Strategic Advocacy Team - City Attorney's Office (TPV 1458)

City and County of San Francisco•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is looking for a qualified and motivated legal secretary to join its Strategic Advocacy Team. Appointment Type : Temporary Provisional (TPV). This temporary position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process, is considered "at will" and shall serve at the discretion of the Department Head. This position will be subject to the Permanent Civil Service examination process. Successful participation in the Permanent Civil Service examination and selection through an open competitive process is needed in order to be considered for the permanent appointment. The Strategic Advocacy Team is a new team established to respond to complex and novel issues at the intersection of litigation and advice work. Currently the team is exclusively focused on developing, coordinating, and implementing strategies to respond to federal administration actions that threaten the City and County of San Francisco and its residents. In the future, the team may also address other major issues that require significant litigation and legal counsel. The team acts as a force multiplier that allows the Office to leverage internal and external resources to deliver meaningful results on high-priority matters. Our litigation docket is currently in federal court and generally involves cases with significant public policy implications, constitutional claims, novel legal issues, and multiple parties. Our advice work typically addresses matters of citywide concern or issues that relate to pending or anticipated litigation. We also handle projects and assignments that extend beyond traditional legal work. No task is too big or too small for this team, and we aspire to be low ego, high energy, creative, collaborative, and nimble.

Requirements

Two (2) years of verifiable experience as a legal secretary transcribing dictation and typing legal documents including petitions, motions, briefs, complaints and other legal forms
The ability to type 55 net WPM
A certificate of completion in legal secretarial skills from a recognized college, university, or training program, which involved learning legal terminology and legal formats and forms, may substitute for six (6) months of the required legal secretarial experience.
Proof of satisfactory completion must be submitted at the time of filing.

Nice To Haves

Excellent verbal and writing skills, and an ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively across multiple legal teams.
Strong civil litigation experience
Ability to handle multiple tasks and deadlines and accept and implement written and oral instructions.
Communicate effectively and tactfully with attorneys, office personnel, court personnel, vendors, City personnel, and the general public.
Working knowledge of civil litigation procedures, legal terminology and court rules.
Adept in Microsoft Office Suite, with a focus on Word.
Experience with Adobe Professional, Microsoft Teams, and NetDocs.
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.

Responsibilities

Preparing, editing and proofreading a wide variety of legal documents in proper format which may include pleadings and briefs with preparation of table of contents and table of authorities, motions, notices, declarations, complaints, discovery documents, correspondence and contracts utilizing multiple word processing systems, spreadsheet software, and case management systems/software.
Legal filings and service of documents with state and federal courts as well as other government agencies.
E-filings may include confidential underseal filings that accommodate multiple and voluminous media format.
Scheduling of depositions, court reporters, witnesses and subpoenas.
Opening, monitoring, organizing, closing legal case files; creating and updating file index, correspondence and electronic record files.
Maintaining and updating attorney appointments and team calendar; keeping abreast of important court dates, local court rules and procedures regarding filing legal documents with courts as mandated including e-filing, and serving legal document as required by rules; prioritizing duties and deadlines to accommodate work schedules of attorneys.
Reviewing, preparing, editing, and finalizing resolutions and ordinances for submission to Board of Supervisors.
Performing general administrative tasks such as coordinating and setting up meetings.
Managing retention contracts and invoicing process for multiple consultants and keeping attorneys informed on contract expirations/expenditures/budget.
Assisting with special projects, e.g., research and public records request and backing up other teams for court E-filings.
Contact with court staff, administrative law organizations, consultants and other city departments using discretion and tact.