Attorney - Bakersfield - 016

Superior Court of California, County of Kern; Bakersfield (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking dedicated attorneys to join their team in Bakersfield. This full-time position offers the opportunity to engage in complex legal research and provide critical advice to judicial officers. Ideal candidates will possess strong analytical skills and an active membership in the State Bar of California. Join a supportive environment where your contributions will directly impact the legal community and help shape the future of justice. If you are passionate about law and eager to make a difference, this role could be your next career step.

Qualifications

• Conducts extensive legal research and prepares legal documents.
• Advises court on complex legal issues and assists with legislative proposals.

Responsibilities

• Researches difficult legal questions for court judges.
• Prepares memoranda and documents for judicial consideration.

Skills

Legal Research

Civil Law

Legal Writing

Judicial Procedures

Education

Active membership in the State Bar of California

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

Attorney - Bakersfield - 016 | Government Jobs page has loaded.

Superior Court of California, County of Kern

Location

Bakersfield, CA

Full-Time

Job Number

016

Legal

Division

Legal Research

05/08/2025

Closing Date

5/22/2025 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada); Tijuana

ATTORNEY
Metro, Bakersfield - 016
This regular, full-time recruitment closes on May 22, 2025 at 5:00 PM.

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY:

Under general supervision, this professional level position performs research assignments on behalf of the Superior Court, some involving new concepts in the law or issues lacking applicable prior legal precedents. Reviews pleadings, motions, writs, and legal briefs submitted to the Superior Court and prepares memoranda for the judicial officers.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

This is the intermediate journey level of the Attorney series. This class is distinguished from the Deputy Attorney class in that it performs under less supervision and is given a higher volume caseload with more complexity. This class is distinguished from the higher level Senior Attorney class in that the latter performs the more difficult and complex legal duties and/or may serve as a lead worker, mentoring and coordination the duties of attorneys and other legal staff.

SENIOR ATTORNEY:

Under limited direction, this professional level performs the most complex, legal work of the court; acts a legal advisor and provides technical research assistance to the court judges, executive, and managerial staff, may plan, assign, and review the work of other attorneys.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

This is the advanced journey/lead worker level of the Attorney series. Incumbents may serve as a lead worker, mentoring and coordinating the work of attorneys and other legal staff. This class is distinguished from the lower level Attorney class in that it performs more complex legal research work demanding a higher degree of resourcefulness and knowledge. This class is distinguished from the higher level Supervising Attorney class in that the latter has full supervisory authority regarding hiring, firing, discipline, performance assessments, training, etc., for a staff of attorneys, senior attorneys, and other legal staff.

Essential Functions

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY:

• Researches difficult legal questions and prepares memoranda, documents and summary of alternatives for judicial officer’s consideration.
• Advises the court on difficult legal questions regarding specialized areas of law.
• Responds to judicial officer inquiries and prepares memoranda, documents and summaries of alternatives for the judicial officer’s and executive staff’s consideration.
• Reviews cases on appeal, researches pertinent issues and law, and prepares preliminary opinion for the courts’ consideration.
• Confers with judicial officers with respect to procedural and substantive legal issues and requirements of individual cases.
• May serve as legal adviser to the judicial officers, judicial committees, or executive officers on specific matters before the court.
• May assist with the drafting of legislative measures and other legal work required by the court.
• May train, review work, and schedule assignments of the Deputy Attorney orother staff.
• May preside over various Court proceedings as a hearing officer on a pro tem basis.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned

SENIOR ATTORNEY:

Researches difficult legal questions and prepares memoranda, documents, and summaries of alternatives for the judge(s) and executive staff’s consideration.

• May train, review work, and schedule assignments of other legal staff.
• Reviews appealed cases; researches pertinent issues and law; and prepares preliminary opinion for the courts’ consideration.
• Confers with judges, attorneys and the public with respect to procedural and substantive legal issues and requirements of individual cases.
• Assists with the drafting of legislative proposals.
• Writes proposed decisions on matters currently before the court; processes petitions for Writs of Habeas Corpus.
• Advise judges on a variety of civil and criminal issues and proceedings.
• Obtains investigation reports and advises the judges as to proper disposition.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY:

Incumbents perform their work under general direction. Attorneys conduct extensive legal research using independent judgment, discretion, and initiative. Erroneous recommendations, decisions, or failure to achieve objectives may result in substantial delays and considerable expenditure of resources. Incumbents in this class may have supervisory responsibility for the work of others.

Employment Standards:

Active membership in the State Bar of California, and work experience of (3) years as a practicing licensed attorney OR any combination of training, education and experience equivalent, as determined by the Court, that would provide the required knowledge and abilities for the position.

SENIOR ATTORNEY:

Incumbents in this classification receive limited direction within a broad framework of policies and procedures and may oversee the work of other legal staff. Assigned duties require the exercise of judgment to choose among possible actions, often without clear precedents. Erroneous recommendations, decisions, or failure to achieve objectives may result in substantial delays and considerable expenditure of resources.

Employment Standards:

Active membership in the State Bar of California and work experience of (2) two years in the class of Associate Attorney or (4) four years in the practice of law OR any combination of training, education and experience equivalent, as determined by the Court, that would provide the required knowledge and abilities for the position.

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY:

Knowledge of:legal principles and their applications, especially with regard to civil law and motion matters; legal research methods and techniques; California Rules of Court, local rules of court, and judicial preferences in regard to applying the rules to law and motion write-ups; theory, application, and use of bonds in civil litigation; rules of evidence in the conduct of court proceedings; current key or critical court decisions impacting law and motion issues; policies and procedures of the Superior Court.

Ability to:analyze legal concepts and apply legal principles and practices; present arguments and standards of fact and law clearly and logically in written and oral form; perform legal research of a technical and complex nature; deal tactfully with the public and court personnel; train and review the work of others if applicable.

SENIOR ATTORNEY:

Knowledge of: legal principles, precedents and their application, statutory and constitutional laws of the State of California, principles of civil and criminal law, methods, materials and practices of legal research and writing.

Ability to : present statements of fact and law and argue clearly and logically in written and oral form is required.

Selection Procedures

All applicants are required to submit an updated online application. Résumés will not be accepted in lieu of the required application.

Status Notifications: You will benotified by emailthrough the governmentjobs.com site during the process of this recruitment. Some email accounts have been known to place these emails in the spam/junk file. Please check your email folders and/or accept emails ending with governmentjobs.com and kern.courts.ca.gov If your email address should change, please update your profile at www.governmentjobs.com

To learn more about how to create an application clickhere.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Employer Superior Court of California, County of Kern Phone [phone]
Website http://www.kern.courts.ca.gov