County of San Mateo is hiring: Legal Secretary I/II (Open and Promotional) in Re

The District Attorney’s Office is accepting applications for the position of Legal Secretary I/II. There are currently three vacancies to be filled.

About the Office

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.

The Position

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.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate for this position will have:

• 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

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.

Legal Secretary I ($68,702 - $85,925 Annually)

Is the entry level in this specialized secretarial series. It is designed to allow an experienced incumbent with either well-developed office administrative or secretarial support skills to learn the terminology, formats, and procedures in the legal secretarial field, or an incumbent with knowledge of legal office terminology, formats, and procedures to learn office administrative and secretarial support skills.

Legal Secretary II ($76,502 - $95,659 Annually)

Is the journey level class of this series, fully competent to independently perform a wide range of legal secretarial support work.

Examples Of Duties

• 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.

Qualifications

Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying.

• Legal Secretary I: One year of EITHER secretarial and office administrative experience equivalent to the County's class of Secretary OR legal office support experience.
• Legal Secretary II: Two years of experience in providing legal secretarial and office administrative support to one or more attorneys and related support staff.

Knowledge of:

• 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 on-line computer.
• Record keeping, report preparation and filing methods.
• Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary.
• Business arithmetic, including percentages and decimals.

Skill/Ability to:

• 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.
• Some positions may require the ability to type at a rate of 50 words per minute.

The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.