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Legal Secretary (Senior) (#714080)
$29.20-$36.87 Hourly / $5,061.69-$6,391.65 Monthly / $60,740.23-$76,699.80 Yearly




DEFINITION

Under direction, performs and/or leads the work of other Legal Secretaries engaged in a variety of difficult and complex clerical and administrative support work in connection with the preparation, processing, coordinating and/or filing of criminal and/or civil cases; performs related duties as required.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS

This class is characterized by the responsibility to perform and/or lead complex clerical and administrative support work which requires knowledge of legal terminology, procedures and practices in the preparation, processing, tracking and filing of cases.  Incumbents in this class work with attorneys and other professionals and may specialize in providing support to criminal and/or civil legal operations and services.  Incumbents have responsibility for a work unit or a technical segment of clerical operations that could include the supervision of work performed by Legal Secretaries and/or clerical support personnel.

THE POSITION

Under direction, performs and/or leads the work of other Legal Secretaries. This class is characterized by the responsibility to perform and lead complex clerical and administrative support work, which requires knowledge of legal terminology, procedures and practices in the preparation, processing, tracking and filing of cases.  Incumbents of this class work with attorneys and other professionals and may specialize in providing support to criminal and/or civil legal operations and services.  Incumbents have responsibility for a work unit or a technical segment of clerical operations performed by Legal Secretaries and/or clerical support personnel. 

Examples of Duties

May lead the work of others engaged in complex clerical and administrative support work in support of legal operations and services; trains and evaluates subordinate staff; maintains work unit production statistics and prepares related reports; participates and assists in the review and implementation of new office procedures. 
  
Prepares a variety of legal documents, such as briefs, opinions, motions and jury instructions, from verbal instructions, handwritten, typed or voice recorded draft; receives direction regarding and independently determines document format, distribution and preparation priority; proofreads and/or corrects copy for grammar, spelling, punctuation and conformance to established procedures or other guidelines; develops forms and standardized correspondence language; may take dictation or instruction in order to compose routine correspondence.  

Processes legal documents, records and reports through the office to which assigned as well as through the Courts or other judicial system and/or administrative agencies based on established procedures or special instructions in case files; prepares case files; receives, processes and files a variety of reports, documents and fees resulting from legal actions; collects and maintains statistical data. 
  
Provides the public, employees and others with general procedural and/or case information which requires distinguishing between and consideration of sensitive, protected and/or public information. 
  
Coordinates the preparation of files for attorneys; pulls files on cases scheduled for Court and ensures that all needed documents are included; maintains correct status of Court calendars; may accompany attorneys to meetings; may assist with routine legal research. 
  
Maintains files and record keeping systems; 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. 
  
Screens phone and office callers; takes and relays inquiries and messages; evaluates informational needs of callers; answers questions; directs people or transfers calls to appropriate parties or offices; calls people and other County departments to request, update or verify information.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Thorough knowledge of general office practices and procedures; legal terminology, procedures and processes applicable to the office to which assigned; clerical work methods and techniques; legal and general record keeping systems; file maintenance methods; technical reference materials; specialized typing formats and legal documents used in areas of assignment; grammar, spelling and punctuation; office equipment operation; forms and formatting techniques; standard correspondence composition practices.  

Working knowledge of procedural and operational review techniques as applicable to legal clerical operations and/or support activity.  

Ability to lead the work of others engaged in performing a variety of difficult and complex clerical legal duties; understand, interpret and apply laws, regulations, policies and procedures governing clerical processing operations; prepare final documents from handwritten, typed and voice recorded draft; format specialized documents; determine proper routine wording and phrases; research regulations, citations, case status procedures and information from technical resource materials; prepare routine procedural document; perform clerical activities in support of legal processes and/or services; evaluate unusual circumstances and resolve through the application of legal and standard operating procedures; perform routine legal research; communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with people of diverse socio-economic backgrounds and temperaments; maintain accurate records and document actions taken; organize and prioritize work assignments; makes routine arithmetical calculations; discover and correct errors in arithmetical computation, grammar, spelling and punctuation; maintain confidentiality of information; recognize and respect limit of authority and responsibility; demonstrate tact and diplomacy; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships.

Education and Experience

High school diploma or GED; supplemented by three (3) years of full-time work experience in preparing and processing legal documents including eighteen (18) months of experience in a governmental agency that demonstrates possession of and competency in the requisite knowledge and abilities.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Recruiting requirements may be set to test transcription speed; however, these skills are not the primary areas to be measured in the selection process.
 
Positions allocated to this class may require bilingual skills.

ADA Compliance

Physical Ability :  Tasks involve the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, but which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (5-10 pounds).  Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or work station.

 

Sensory Requirements :   Some tasks require visual perception and discrimination.  Some tasks require oral communications abilities.

 


Environmental Factors :  Tasks are regularly performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, pollen, odors, wetness, humidity, rain, fumes, temperature and noise extremes, machinery, vibrations, electric currents, traffic hazards, toxic agents, violence, disease, or pathogenic substances.


CLASS: 714080; EST: 1/1/1999;