Job Specifications

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

Under direction, to serve as Secretary to a Department Head or to coordinate, supervise, and evaluate the work of subordinate legal secretarial and clerical staff; to compose, prepare and process the most difficult and complex legal documents in proper format from brief instructions, rough copy or recorded draft; and to do other work as required.

Positions in this class serve as the Department Head Secretary or as the first level supervisor responsible for planning, scheduling, training and evaluating the work of subordinate staff. Incumbents perform the most complex and difficult legal secretarial work, which requires a thorough knowledge of legal processes, terminology and procedures. Positions in this class differ from the lower class of Legal Secretary II by the complex nature of the work assignment, the independence of work and by the responsibility to supervise a work unit.

Incumbents have frequent contact with attorneys, County departments, and outside agencies which requires a broad knowledge of the rules, policies and procedures of the legal department. Incumbents are required to exercise independent judgment and discretion, safeguard the confidentiality of information and demonstrate tact and diplomacy.

Plans, assigns, schedules, coordinates and evaluates the work of legal secretarial and clerical staff; trains new staff in legal clerical work, terminology and office procedures and policies; maintains a complex master calendar for court matters and client meetings; coordinates computer and word processing training; serves as a liaison to Information Services to plan, evaluate, and implement new and improved data processing applications; prepares agendas and takes minutes at Staff, Board, Task Force and other meetings; may process extraditions, maintain brief or opinion banks or files; maintains and updates search clause manual; prepares a wide variety of difficult and complex legal documents including briefs, orders, motions, warrants, citations, jury instructions, complaints, points and authorities, subpoenas, interrogatories, petitions, pleadings, resolutions, ordinances, opinions, tables of authority, reports, Board letters and correspondence from brief instructions, handwritten, typed or recorded drafts; determines format, distribution and priority; processes legal documents, records and reports within the department, through the courts or with other agencies; obtains a variety of records and reports required for cases;

prepares files for attorneys, pulls files for cases scheduled for court and ensures required documents are included; records court events and disposition on the case file and in computerized case tracking system; schedules appointments and meetings for attorneys; makes travel arrangements; answers routine requests for information; screens telephone calls and mail, provides information requested, takes messages, refers inquiry or request to appropriate staff or other agency, and resolves matters which do not require legal advice; researches State Codes, other legal reference books, brief banks, and opinion files to assist attorneys; maintains automated and manual files and record-keeping systems; composes correspondence and prepares reports; compiles statistical and narrated reports; orders and maintains supplies; designs or revises forms to conform to legislative changes; may process personnel and payroll transactions; may calculate attorney fees and back-up data for grants and other programs; conducts new employee orientation; may compute and prepare probate conservatorship accountings; may process conservatorship cases; may update brief banks and opinion files; operates word processing equipment and computer terminals to input, access and analyze data; attends meetings.

• Thorough knowledge of office procedures and practices, including preparation of correspondence and reports and filing;
• Thorough knowledge of vocabulary, spelling, grammar and punctuation;
• Thorough knowledge of standard typewriter set-ups and formats for business correspondence and reports;
• Working knowledge of legal terminology forms, documents and procedures;
• Working knowledge of the forms and formatting for legal documents;
• Working knowledge of the organization services, programs and functions of the courts and legal departments;
• Some knowledge of supervision and training;
• Some knowledge of the application of data processing to legal office operations may be required for some positions.

• Plan, assign, schedule, coordinate and evaluate the work of subordinate staff (required for most positions).
• Perform complex and difficult legal clerical work requiring independent judgment, accuracy and speed;
• Prepare legal documents in accepted formats from brief instructions, handwritten, typed or recorded drafts;
• Understand, interpret, explain and apply rules, laws, and regulations, policies and procedures;
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships;
• Understand and follow oral and written directions;
• Make arithmetic computations;
• Maintain records and prepare reports;
• Adjust to workload changes and meet deadlines under pressure of legal deadlines;
• Screen and prioritize correspondence and phone calls;
• Exercise independent judgment and discretion, safeguard the confidentiality of information, and demonstrate tact and diplomacy;
• Work independently;
• Perform routine legal research;
• Process a wide variety of legal documents;
• Compose letters and written responses to inquiries and routine portions of reports;
• Operate word processing equipment and computer terminals to input and access data;
• Operate standard office equipment.

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

Two years of increasingly responsible legal secretarial experience that demonstrates application or possession of the required knowledge and abilities listed above.

Performance: Pass a performance test, which demonstrates keyboard proficiency.