Legal Secretary
THE CURRENT VACANCY IS IN THE SHASTA COUNTY’S PUBLIC DEFENDER’S OFFICE
ORAL EXAM IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 2025
RESPONSES TO SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS REQUIRED
FINAL FILING DATE: January 3, 2025 AT 12:00 PM
SALARY INFORMATION
$ 3,390 - $ 4,327 APPROXIMATE MONTHLY* / $ 19.56 – $24.96 APPROXIMATE HOURLY*
*Please refer to the appropriate Bargaining Unit Memorandum of Understanding for potential future salary increases* Please
visit https://www.shastacounty.gov/personnel/page/labor-agreements-mous.
ABOUT SHASTA COUNTY
Shasta County offers all the amenities of the big city while retaining a comfortable small-town atmosphere. With its natural beauty, affordable housing, excellent educational system, abundance of recreational opportunities, and excellent quality of life, Shasta County is a great place to live, work, and raise a family.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
The Shasta County Public Defender provides efficient and effective legal defense services to indigent individuals charged with crimes in felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile matters. In addition, the Office of the Shasta County Public Defender provides legal representation to indigent individuals facing conservatorship, guardianship, parental terminations, probate, and Welfare & Institutions Code Section 5150 proceedings.
ABOUT THE POSITION
Under general direction, to perform responsible legal secretarial, clerical, and routine administrative duties in support of an attorney with program management responsibilities, which involve active and extensive public interests and contact with other public agencies; and to perform related work as required.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
The class of Legal Secretary is distinguished from the Administrative Secretary class series in that while the general nature of secretarial support activities is similar, an incumbent in this class works in a legal setting and is required to be fully proficient in all aspects of the mission of the office to which assigned. It differs from a Legal Services Supervisor in that the latter has significant supervisory responsibilities in addition to secretarial duties.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate for the Legal Secretary position at the Public Defender's Office is a dedicated professional who thrives in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment. They possess excellent interpersonal communication and customer service skills, enabling them to effectively interact with clients, attorneys, and staff from diverse backgrounds. This individual has a proven ability to deescalate tense situations, providing empathetic and composed responses to anxious clients while maintaining professionalism.
The ideal candidate is a quick learner who adapts seamlessly to new software and case management systems, ensuring a smooth transition in an ever-evolving legal environment. They are proactive in identifying challenges and take initiative to solve problems, consistently seeking opportunities to improve workflows and increase efficiency. Their strong sense of humor and team-oriented attitude fosters a positive and collaborative workplace culture, contributing to the success of the office as a whole.
Attention to detail is a hallmark of their work, as is their ability to multitask and prioritize effectively in a setting where deadlines are critical. They demonstrate exceptional organizational skills, ensuring that all tasks are completed accurately and on time. Above all, the ideal candidate is committed to the mission of the Public Defender's Office and is passionate about providing support that helps deliver justice to those in need.
EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES
Performs difficult legal secretarial and clerical duties involving the use of considerable independent judgment; may perform routine administrative duties; composes routine memoranda, contracts, resolutions, ordinances and letters; maintains Law Library; may perform legal research; prepares legal forms necessary for filing cases before court, including briefs, motions and orders, warrants, citations, complaints, subpoenas, petitions and resolutions; answers correspondence independently; maintains calendar and schedules appointments for the manager; answers the telephone and interviews callers, exercising considerable judgment in giving out information and referring to the proper person; makes travel arrangements; installs and maintains filing systems and other clerical procedures; prepares payroll and prepares a variety of bills and invoices; opens, sorts and distributes mail; operates a variety of modern office appliances and orders office supplies as necessary; assists in budget preparation and administration; prepares financial and statistical reports; may supervise, train, and evaluate a small staff.
TYPICAL QUALIFICATIONS
It is the responsibility of applicants to identify in their application materials how they meet the minimum qualifications listed below.
Any combination of education and experience sufficient to directly demonstrate possession and application of the following:
Knowledge of: Legal terminology, forms, documents, and procedures; basic organization, services, programs, and functions of the legal system; forms and formatting for legal documents; style/format of business correspondence, punctuation, spelling, and general English usage; modern office practices, procedures, and equipment; filing and recordkeeping methods; modern office equipment; basic elements of supervision, including instructing workers on specific tasks.
Ability to: Perform difficult and responsible legal secretarial and clerical duties; organize work effectively to meet critical administrative deadlines; determine office priorities; deal with deadlines and office emergencies; interpret and apply specific policies and procedures; type at a speed of not less than 55 words per minute from clear copy on a typewriter or computer terminal; take dictation at a speed of 90 words per minute and transcribe it accurately may be required for certain positions; compose correspondence independently; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work; supervise the work of a small staff.
These standards are typically attained with: Two (2) years of clerical experience preparing a wide variety of legal documents.
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS
- Do you have two (2) years of clerical experience preparing a wide variety of legal documents? If “Yes,” please provide details including, but not limited to, employers, dates of employment, and job duties. If “No,” type N/A.
- Are you able to type a minimum of 45 wpm? If yes, please attach a copy of your most recent typing certificate. Yes / No
- This position is in an office that works closely with attorneys assigned to handle criminal matters. Do you understand that some tasks required in this role may involve reading police reports, hearing stories about criminal acts, exposure to graphic materials, and speaking with defendants, witnesses, and victims on the phone or in person? Yes / No
- I acknowledge that if I answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, but did not give the requested additional information, my application may be considered incomplete and may be screened out. Yes / No
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
- All new employees are required to have their paycheck directly deposited to a bank account.
- Some positions may require a valid California driver's license and acceptable driving record according to County policy.
- Reasonable accommodations may be made for those persons who are disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act to perform the essential functions of the position.
- As part of the selection process, all individuals provided with a preliminary offer of employment with Shasta County will be subject to a background investigation, including a criminal history check (primarily completed through the taking of fingerprints). An image of your fingerprints will be captured and sent to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The resulting report of your conviction history, (if any), will be evaluated along with the other information received in connection with your application. Except as otherwise required by law, a criminal conviction will not necessarily disqualify you from the position. The nature of the offense, the date of the offense, the surrounding circumstances, and the relevance of the offense to the position applied for may, however, be considered.
- Based on the results of the background investigation and criminal history check, applicants may then be provided with an offer of employment conditioned on the results of a medical examination, which includes drug/alcohol testing.
- Shasta County participates in E-Verify. For more information visit https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RighttoWorkPoster.pdf (Download PDF reader). If you do not have internet access, contact Personnel at (530) 225-5515 to request a flyer.
- In accordance with Government Code Section 3100, County employees, in the event of a disaster are considered disaster workers and may be asked to respond accordingly.
- Positions in this classification are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the County and the United Public Employees of California – General.
- Employees in this classification are covered under the CalPERS retirement program. Depending on the provisions of the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) and other applicable laws, an employee in this classification will be covered under one of the following CalPERS retirement formulas: (1) 2% at 55, (2) 2% at 60, or (3) 2% at 62. An employee in this classification will also contribute up to 9.5% his/her pay to this plan or will contribute such other amount to the plan as authorized by PEPRA and other applicable laws. Please visit our employees benefit pageathttps://www.shastacounty.gov/personnel/page/employee-benefits for additional information regarding benefits and CalPERS coverage information. The provisions in this flyer and on the County website are for information purposes only. To the extent the provisions of the flyer or the County website are inconsistent with PEPRA and other applicable laws, PEPRA and other applicable laws shall govern.
APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURES
Shasta County Personnel will accept applications and responses to the supplemental questions until 12:00 p.m., on 01/03/2025. A Resume and/or Cover Letter will be accepted in addition to the application form but will not serve as a substitute for a completed application. It is not acceptable to complete the application with statements such as, “Refer to Resume and/or Cover Letter,” or “See Attached Resume and/or Cover Letter” the employment application must be completed in its entirety prior to submission. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Closing date postmarks or faxes will NOT be accepted. This recruitment will establish a list that may or may not be used by other departments. Prior applicants must reapply to be considered.
Applicants will be screened and those considered best qualified will be invited to appear for an oral and/or written examination. Meeting the announced requirements does not guarantee inclusion into the selection process. Depending upon the number of applications received, the selection process may consist of additional application screening, written and/or practical exam(s), oral interview, or any combination thereof.
Veterans' Credit: Veterans (as defined by California Government Code section 18973) who have been discharged from military service under conditions other than dishonorable and who receive a passing score on all components of the employment examinations (up to and including oral examinations) shall receive credit for an additional five points to be added to their final examination score. To be considered for this credit, a veteran MUST provide a copy of his or her discharge document (DD-214 or equivalent) and information as to the type of discharge (honorable, dishonorable, etc.) WITH THE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION ON OR BEFORE THE FINAL FILING DATE.
Applicants are encouraged to apply on-line at www.ShastaCountyCareers.com or submit an application to the Shasta County Personnel Office.
Arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants with disabilities. Requests for accommodations may be made to the Shasta County Personnel Office by the filing deadline posted on this bulletin. Shasta County does not discriminate on the basis of disability. If you feel you are being denied service based on a disability, our ADA Coordinator may be reached at (530) 225-5515; relay service (800) 735-2922; fax (530) 225-5345.
Shasta County will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Shasta County is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting calcivilrights.ca.gov/fair-chance-act.
Agency
County of Shasta
Address
1450 Court Street, Suite 348
Redding, California, 96001
Phone
(530) 225-5515
Website