Judicial Assistant II

Superior Court of California, County of Solano; Vallejo (CA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Superior Court of California, County of Solano in Vallejo/ Fairfield area seeks an experienced legal secretary to perform advanced journey level and highly confidential support for judges. This is a full-time, non-exempt position handling drafting, editing, and filing of legal documents, calendar management, and liaison with court staff.

The role requires strong knowledge of legal terminology, confidentiality, and ability to work under tight deadlines.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Two years of progressively responsible legal secretarial/administrative experience required.
• Paralegal certificate or college coursework may substitute for up to one year of experience.
• A valid California driver’s license may be required.

Responsibilities

• Compose, proofread and edit legal documents and correspondence.
• Review daily calendars for judge review and calendar accuracy.
• Prepare documents using various software applications.
• Transcribe confidential directions and orders.
• Maintain judicial records and files; update chamber libraries.
• Coordinate with calendar clerks to maintain the calendar system.
• Enter and update information in automated case management systems.
• Screen calls and communicate with stakeholders; assist with policies and procedures.

Skills

Excellent written and oral skills

Maintain confidentiality

Organize and prioritize work

Excellent proofreading/editing

Education

High school diploma, GED, or equivalent

Paralegal certificate or related coursework (substitution)

Job description

Job Definition

Under general supervision, performs advanced journey level, complex, and highly confidential legal secretarial work for judges. This position is regular, full-time, represented and non-exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act. This is a represented position.

Essential Functions (Core Competencies)

• Composing, proofreading and editing documents including but not limited to correspondence, memoranda, orders of the court, statements of decision, judgments, opinions, criminal and civil jury verdict and findings forms, criminal and civil jury instructions.
• Reviewing daily calendar files prior to judge’s review, for presence of necessary documents and pleadings.
• Preparing documents using a variety of software applications.
• Transcribing complex and/or confidential directions relative to orders, judgments, opinions, correspondence, hearings, and informal discussions.
• Reviewing files, orders, judgments, and other documents submitted to the Court to ensure accuracy.
• Screening telephone calls; taking and relaying inquiries and messages; communicating with stakeholders to update and/or verify information; arranging appointments, meetings, and conferences; making travel arrangements for judiciary; assisting other court personnel with policies, procedures, and rules of the court, and giving procedural information to the public, employees, and others.
• Maintaining judicial records and files; updating chamber law libraries; ordering office supplies; preparing judicial travel claims for payment; verifying and maintaining inventory of equipment.
• Coordinating with calendar clerks to maintain calendar system.
• Entering and updating information in automated case management systems.
• Performing other related work as required by business needs or as assigned.

The ideal job applicant will possess all of the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) listed below, including other KSAs, and meet all minimum requirements.

Required Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The successful applicant will possess the following (KSAs):

Knowledge Of

• Legal terminology, procedures and processes applicable to the assigned department.
• Legal and general recordkeeping systems and file maintenance methods.
• Specialized typing formats and legal documents.
• Correct English usage including spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Modern office equipment, including computers.
• Correspondence composition techniques.
• All phases of the legal field including forms, procedures, citations and methodology.
• Office management principles, basic law library control; general office practices and procedures.
• State statutes and Rules of Court (state and local).

Ability To

• Exercise tact, courtesy, and efficiency in working under short-time deadlines.
• Exercise tact and discretion in dealing with the public and sensitive information.
• Prepare final documents from handwritten, typed or voice-recorded drafts, including formatting specialized documents.
• Determine proper and routine wording and phrases from handwritten documents and notations.
• Research regulations, citations, case status procedures and information from technical resource materials.
• Organize and prioritize work assignments.
• Handle multiple assignments concurrently.
• Maintain accurate records and make accurate arithmetical calculations; discover and correct errors in computations in submitted documents.
• Communicate effectively with people of diverse socio-economic backgrounds and temperaments.
• Maintain confidentiality of information.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Educational And Work Experience Requirements

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent.
• Two (2) years of progressively responsible legal secretarial or administrative experience in a law office or as a Judicial Assistant, Courtroom Clerk, or comparable class in a Superior Court.

Substitution

• Education from an accredited college or university with major coursework in business administration, criminal justice or a related field OR paralegal certificate may be substituted for up to one (1) year of experience.

License Requirement

A valid California driver’s license may be required, or the ability to provide alternate transportation may be required if obtaining a driver's license is prohibited by a medically documented disability.

Physical Requirements And Work Environment

The duties assigned to this position requires standing, walking, use hands to finger, handle, pinch, pull objects or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, and balance. Customarily, assigned work may include frequent lifting of up to approximately 10 pounds and the need to sit and work at a computer for long periods. Occasional lifting of up to 25 pounds may be required. Some bending, stooping, and/or squatting may be required. While performing assigned duties, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The noise and traffic level in the work environment are similar to a high-volume business office. Reasonable accommodation requests will be considered during the pre-employment testing period and after employment when requested, medically documented, and determined by the court to be appropriate under applicable law.

Supplemental Information

Assignments may be in either Fairfield or Vallejo and may change depending on judicial assignment. Must be willing to work in either location.