A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 4:30 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted. Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

THE POSITION(S): Legal Secretary will perform a wide variety of high volume moderate to difficult, legal secretarial and clerical work which includes composing, typing and processing a variety of legal documents and correspondence requiring the use of legal forms, legal process, and legal terminology. Incumbents will also be responsible for scheduling attorney's calendars, answering phone calls for the attorneys, and relaying accurate information to staff, court personnel judges, witnesses and clients. Incumbents report to an attorney(s), but may receive technical supervision and training from a Supervising Secretary or a Supervising Clerk. The current vacancies are located in the Public Defender’s Office.

THE REQUIREMENTS: These are entrance requirements for admission to the examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. A candidate's performance in the examination will be judged in comparison with the performance of other candidates.

EXPERIENCE: The equivalent of one year full-time experience as a Legal Stenographer or Transcriptionist in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, Consolidated Courts.)

EDUCATION: Completion of a one year legal secretarial training curriculum in an accredited business college.

EXPERIENCE: The equivalent of two years full-time experience performing the duties of a legal stenographer or legal secretary for attorneys or judges in a legal environment that included preparing documents such as pleadings, briefs, legal memoranda and opinions, and other papers containing extensive legal citations.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: Must be able to type into a word processor at a minimum of 50 words per minute from clear copy.

THE EXAMINATION: THIS IS A REOPENING OF AN EXISTING EXAMINATION. The names of qualified candidates in this examination will be merged onto the existing list according to examination score. This list may be canceled at any time without notice to candidates.

The examination may include but may not be limited to: KNOWLEDGE OF legal terminology, general legal forms and documents; business English usage, grammar, spelling, vocabulary and punctuation; modern office practices, procedures and equipment; alphabetical and numerical sequences used in filing; proper telephone etiquette and procedures; law office practice, work procedure and equipment practices; function of the offices of the County Counsel or Public Defender; word processing/computer applications and techniques and applicable practice terminology, statutes and court rules.

ABILITY TO identify and correct basic English usage errors in documents; prepare legal documents from general instructions; organize and maintain legal files and records; plan and organize; make decisions and use good judgment; analyze and problem solve; work independently in the absence of specific instructions; interpersonal sensitivity; communicate effectively orally and in writing and compose correspondence independently.

The examination will consist of the following four steps: A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process, a review of candidate's Supplemental Questionnaires to verify further knowledge, skill or ability. The next step is a written test which will be weighted as 30% of the candidate’s final examination score. Those scoring highest on the written test will be invited to participate in an oral interview which will be weighted as 70% of the candidate’s final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises. CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO ANNOUNCED EXAMINATION STEPS.