Legal Secretary - Entry

Placer County is currently accepting applications for Legal Secretary- Entry. Currently, the District Attorney’s office has one, full time, in office vacancy. 

Placer County offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees. The following information represents benefits currently available to permanent Placer County employees and may be subject to change. Applicants should inquire as to the most current benefit package during hiring interviews or by contacting the Human Resources Department.

Click here to view General benefits

For more information regarding the benefits Placer County has to offer, please visit Placer County's Human Resources website.

To perform specialized, confidential, and diversified legal secretarial work; to assist in the scheduling and handling of office details; and to relieve legal staff of administrative detail.

This is the entry-level class in the Legal Secretary series.  Positions in this class typically have little directly related work experience and work under immediate supervision while learning job tasks.  The Legal Secretary - Entry class is distinguished from the journey- level by the performance of less than the full range of duties assigned to the journey-level.  Incumbents work under immediate supervision while learning job tasks, progressing to general supervision as procedures and processes of assigned area of responsibility are learned.

• Perform general and legal secretarial duties related to assigned unit.
• Type, edit and format legal documents including pleadings, briefs, opinions, correspondence, and other legal matters.
• Process routine departmental correspondence independently, and maintain files of correspondence, pleadings, discovery, legal opinions and other records and documents.
• Assist staff by performing duties related to unit assignments or projects including researching and compiling information.
• Provide information in person or over the telephone relative to departmental procedures, policies records, court rules and case files.
• Collect information from a variety of sources pertinent to assigned unit; compile data as necessary. 
• Schedule a variety of court events.
• Maintain and monitor records and files; follow-up on due dates; perform other monitoring functions to ensure timely completion of work.
• Operate standard office equipment including word processing applications as assigned; operate computer software program(s) as related to assigned area.
• Enter and retrieve data into and from local, state and national computer systems; conduct record searches in a centralized database.
• Provide information to law enforcement agencies, courts, attorneys, parties related to cases, and the public in accordance with legal requirements.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other County employees, and the public using principles of good customer service.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

It is the responsibility of applicants to identify in their application materials how they meet the minimum qualifications listed below.

Experience and Training
Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience: Two (2) years of responsible clerical and/or secretarial experience.

Training: Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade. 

Required License or Certificate:
May need to possess a valid driver’s license as required by the position.  Proof of adequate vehicle insurance and medical clearance may also be required.

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of court legal processes and timelines.
• English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Office practices, methods, procedures, and equipment including filing and computer systems.
• Principles of customer service.
• Organization procedures and operating details of an office.
• Basic record keeping principles and procedures.

Online Examination (100%) - Tentatively scheduled for the week of October 10, 2022

After the posted filing deadline, qualified candidates will receive a notification via email when the examination is available. The online examination may include multiple choice, true/false, fill-in, matching, and/or essay type questions directly related to the required knowledge and abilities for this classification.

Note: Candidates will have approximately three (3) calendar days from the date of notification to complete the online examination. Only one attempt will be permitted.

Prior to the date of hire, applicants must undergo a fingerprint test by the Department of Justice, pass a medical examination (which may include a drug screening and possibly a psychological evaluation), sign a constitutional oath, and submit proof of U.S. citizenship or legal right to remain and work in the U.S.  For some positions, applicants may also be required to submit proof of age, undergo a background investigation (which may include a voice stress analysis and/or a polygraph), and/or be bonded. Additionally, positions in law enforcement classifications and those supporting law enforcement functions will be required to complete a conviction history questionnaire prior to or during the interview process. Applicants for positions with access to Medi-Cal billing software or who are licensed providers must clear the Federal Exclusion List, credentialing, and social security verification. Failure to clear these requirements may result in an employment offer being withdrawn.

The eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be certified as a substitute list for a substantially similar classification. For this purpose, a substantially similar classification is one at a lower level in the same classification (example: entry level vs. journey level) and/or a similar classification (similar work performed, similar training and experience qualifications required). If you are contacted for an interview by a County department, you will be informed of the classification and other relevant information. If you choose not to interview for a substantially similar classification, you will remain on the eligible list for which you originally applied.

Placer County offers an expedited process for qualifying certain applicants for interviews. Candidates currently employed, or employed within the last year, by a public agency operating under a personnel civil service or merit system may be eligible to be placed on a Public Agency Eligible List and certified as eligible for appointment to a similar job assignment without going through the examination process. For more information on the Public Agency Eligible List, to download forms, or to apply, please click here.

Thank you for your interest in employment with Placer County. Placer County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to an active nondiscrimination program. It is the stated policy of Placer County that harassment, discrimination, and retaliation are prohibited and that all employees, applicants, agents, contractors, and interns/volunteers shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, transfer, and promotion will be based on the qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled regardless of gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, race (including traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists), color, ancestry, religion (including creed and belief), national origin, citizenship, physical disability (including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics/information), age (40 or over),  marital status, military and/or veteran status, sex (including parental status, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), political orientation, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Please contact the Human Resources Department at least 5 working days before a scheduled examination if you require accommodation in the examination process. Medical disability verification may be required prior to accommodation.