Supervising Civil Legal Secretary

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended. Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Postmarks are not accepted.  Applications will only be accepted on-line.

Supplemental Questionnaire:  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 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted.  Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

THE AGENCY

The Office of the County Counsel provides legal services in civil matters to the Board of Supervisors and to all County of Alameda public officials, departments and agencies.   Our mission is to provide competent, efficient and cost-effective legal representation and advice, thus advancing and protecting the programs and financial resources of the County, its officers, departments, boards, commissions, and districts.

The Office is a full service legal department practicing litigation and transactional law, and providing a wide range of advice and counsel services to its clients.  It is staffed with 53 full-time equivalent positions that include attorneys and support staff.    The Office is organized into four divisions with three supervised by Assistant County Counsels and one headed by the Chief Assistant County Counsel.  The organizational hierarchy for attorney positions is:  Associate County Counsel, Deputy County Counsel, Senior Deputy County Counsel, Assistant County Counsel, Chief Assistant County Counsel and County Counsel.  This structure presents an opportunity for advancement for those who enter the Office in the Associate County Counsel and the Deputy County Counsel positions.

THE POSITION(S)

Under general direction, Supervising Civil Legal Secretaries plan, organize and supervise the work of Civil Legal Secretaries and Lead Civil Legal Secretaries in the Office of the County Counsel and clerical staff performing a variety of responsible legal clerical functions, requiring a broad knowledge of civil legal terminology, civil legal processes and civil legal secretarial duties in addition to performing other assigned duties as required.

Either I

The equivalent of three years of full-time experience in the class of Civil Legal Secretary in the Office of the County Counsel in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney's Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

OR II

The equivalent of four years of full-time experience performing the duties of a civil legal secretary for attorneys or judges in a legal environment, three years of which must have been equivalent to the Lead Civil Legal Secretary in the Office of the County Counsel and at least one year of which must have been in a supervisory role over other Civil Legal Secretaries.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL POSSESS KNOWLEDGE OF:

• Principles of supervision and training.
• Civil law office work, legal process forms, procedures and terminology.
• Personnel procedures and practices.
• Civil law court filing and calendar procedures and functions.
• Basic principles of office organization and administration.
• Statutes pertaining to Civil law court procedures and the filing of a wide variety of civil legal documents and transactions.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL BE ABLE TO:

• Prioritize, plan, organize, direct and assign work.
• Supervise, train, evaluate and discipline a civil legal secretarial and clerical staff.
• Review and examine a wide variety of civil legal documents for accuracy and compliance with civil legal procedures and formats.
• Interpret and apply specific civil procedural laws, rules and policies.
• Prepare civil legal documents and statistical reports.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Type with speed and accuracy.

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF the following steps: 1) 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. 2) A review of candidates’ Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process. 3) An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% 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. 

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit.  Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.  Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position.  Other recruitments many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via e-mail with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:  

 

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:

 

Deadline for Filing: Review of Minimum Qualifications: Review for Best Qualified Panel Oral Interviews:

5:00 pm, Tuesday, July 22, 2014  Monday, August 4, 2014 Tuesday, August 19, 2014 Week of September 8, 2014

  *WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN*

The Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination process to accommodate qualified individuals with mental and physical disabilities, and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and Alameda County Resolution No. R-83-773.  To request an accommodation due to a disability during this or other phases of the selection process, please contact the Human Resource Services Department at (510) 272-6468 before the final filing deadline. Alameda County Human Resources Services will require documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a permanent disability pursuant to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's statute of the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, as amended, and/or the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) Act.  For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
• Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
• Vision
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
• County Allowance
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Group Auto/Home
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.