Paralegal

City of Sunnyvale; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

CalPERS retirement pension

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Holidays

Job summary

The City of Sunnyvale is seeking a regular, full-time Paralegal to join the Office of the City Attorney. The ideal candidate will draft and edit contracts, resolutions and ordinances, coordinate with City departments on Public Records Act requests, draft discovery responses, and assist attorneys with case file management.

Responsibilities include legal research, maintaining the City’s Municipal Code, supervising support staff, and coordinating with departments to ensure timely records production

Qualifications

• Paralegal degree or ABA-approved program; or equivalent law-related education and experience.
• Ability to perform basic legal research and draft/edit legal documents.
• Willingness to handle diverse administrative and clerical tasks in a city attorney office.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and manage legal documents including contracts, leases, ordinances, and resolutions.
• Assist with Public Records Act requests and related inquiries.
• Coordinate discovery, prepare administrative records, and support case management.
• Maintain master calendar of pre-trial and trial dates; liaise with departments and external parties.

Skills

Legal research

Paralegal work

Organizational skills

Legal document drafting

ProLaw

Education

ABA-approved paralegal program

Tools

ProLaw

Job description

Description

The position opens Wednesday, September 23, 2026, and the final filing date is Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 5:00 pm or after receiving 75 qualified and complete applications, whichever is first. The City of Sunnyvale is seeking a regular, full-time Paralegal to join the Office of the City Attorney. The ideal candidate will be a skilled paralegal with experience in legal research and transactional and litigation duties. This position will draft and edit contracts, resolutions and ordinances, coordinate with City departments in responding to Public Records Act requests, draft discovery responses, prepare administrative records, and assist attorneys with management of their case/project files.

City Of Sunnyvale Benefits

• CalPERS retirement pension
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Retiree medical benefit
• 11 paid Holidays
• 30 hours* of Floating Holidays
• Paid Time Off (PTO) accruals
• Employee Wellness Programs
• And MORE!

(*Prorated based on date of hire)

Under general supervision of the City Attorney, the Paralegal performs a broad range of paraprofessional legal, administrative and clerical duties to support the Office of the City Attorney.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

The position of Paralegal is a fully qualified journey-level technical classification. This classification supports the City Attorney and attorney staff, and performs directed basic legal and/or factual research in support of specific cases or projects; drafts, prepares and manages legal documents and records, information databases and office files; identifies, collects and organizes documents and records; conducts investigations; works with clients; manages legal deadlines; and performs other administrative and budget support functions, as assigned. The Paralegal also may supervise assigned support staff. This classification differs from the lower-level classification of Legal Secretary in that the Legal Secretary classification performs a wide variety of complex and confidential legal secretarial services, including litigation support, for the Office of the City Attorney.

Essential Job Functions

(May include, but are not limited to, the following):

• Performs specialized legal administrative duties including preparation and management of legal documents.
• Prepares drafts of contracts, leases, permits, ordinances, resolutions and amendments for review by professional and managerial staff.
• Performs routine legal research and compiles data from such references as digests, encyclopedias, practice manuals, or other sources.
• Assists with Public Records Act requests and other inquiries from the public.
• Collaborates with City departments to ascertain the volume and nature of records responsive to Public Records Act requests and monitors deadlines for timely production of responsive records, assists attorneys in identifying responsive records exempt from disclosure, performs and coordinates redaction of information exempt from disclosure in responsive records.
• Assists in the preparation of form complaints, declarations and other basic pleadings.
• Prepares a variety of other materials, including correspondence, reports, charts, spreadsheets, and statistical data for review by professional and managerial staff; coordinates and may perform related statistical and clerical work, including typing, word processing and data entry.
• Gathers documents from departments in response to discovery related requests, organize exhibits, documents related to litigation, as assigned.
• Maintains a master calendar of pre-trial and trial dates as assigned.
• Coordinates the gathering of information from various departments in the preparation of contracts and other legal documents; reviews and proofreads contracts and other legal documents to ensure necessary provisions are included.
• Collects, compiles and utilizes technical information to make recommendations to staff attorneys; compiles, organizes and analyzes various data for use in reports or other documents.
• Coordinates and monitors overall office activities and work flow ensuring timely completion of clerical and administrative support; performs administrative detail, such as coordinating and scheduling activities; acts as liaison with other City departments, as assigned.
• Establishes and maintains confidential files and record keeping systems; maintains calendars; processes documents appropriately.
• Maintains and updates legal library and other manuals and resources materials, City Attorney Office website, and performs other general clerical services.
• Using Prolaw, organizes and maintains legal records and office files by legal subject, litigant name, case record, and by type of legal service request, case, or action.
• Serves as contact or resource person in answering questions and complaints; provides information related to the work of the office to the public, law firms, courts, and various entities.
• Assists City personnel in answering questions regarding legal documents, procedures, filings, and the status of various cases and legal actions.
• Maintains and updates the City's Municipal Code.
• Supervises assigned support staff.
• Assists in department budget preparation and budget administration.
• Respond to and assist with inquiries from the public.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Position requires prolonged sitting, standing, walking, reaching, twisting, turning, kneeling, bending, squatting and stooping in the performance of daily activities. The position also requires grasping, repetitive hand movement and fine coordination in using a computer keyboard. Additionally, the position requires near and far vision in reading written reports and work related documents and using a computer. Acute hearing is required when providing phone and personal customer service. The need to lift, drag and push files, paper, books and documents weighing up to 25 pounds is also required. Some of these requirements maybe accommodated for otherwise qualified individuals requiring and requesting such accommodation.

Minimum Qualifications

The minimum qualifications for education and experience can be met in one of the following ways:

• Certificate of completion from any paralegal program approved by the American Bar Association; OR
• Completion of a degree or certificate of completion of a paralegal program from an accredited post-secondary institution that requires completion of a minimum of 24 semester, or equivalent, units in law-related courses. The degree or program must also have accreditation from a national or regional accrediting organization or approval from the Bureau for Private Post-secondary and Vocational Education; OR
• Bachelor's degree or advanced degree in any subject from an accredited college or university and one year of law-related work experience under the supervision of a licensed attorney; OR
• Associate's degree in any subject from an accredited college or university and two consecutive years of law-related work experience under the supervision of a licensed attorney; OR
• Graduation from high school or tested equivalent and three consecutive years of law-related work experience under the supervision of a licensed attorney.

Knowledge Of

• Modern legal office practices, procedures and terminology.
• General legal principles and application.
• Legal proceedings, court practices, and the proper handling of legal documents.
• City ordinances, contracts, codes, and labor contract provisions.
• Methods of legal research and legal research materials.
• Basic data gathering and analysis techniques.
• Various legal document formats and presentations.
• Municipal government operations.
• Court rules relating to preparing and filing legal documents, including time frames.
• Modern office equipment and designated specialized computes software and operating programs.
• Case files and records management practices.
• Proper English usage, spelling, grammar, composition and punctuation.
• Recordkeeping, proofreading, and filing practices and procedures.
• Office methods, procedures, software and equipment.
• Basic budgetary systems and procedures.

Ability To

• Prepare legal records, reports, documents.
• Perform basic legal research
• Perform arithmetic calculations.
• Maintain confidential data and information.
• Accurately interpret and analyze information.
• Operate a computer using word processing and business software and other office equipment.
• Organize and set priorities within areas of assigned responsibility; complete assignments in a timely and accurate manner.
• Compile, prepare and maintain clear, concise and accurate reports, correspondence and other written materials.
• Establish and maintain accurate records, databases and other related legal and office administrative support files.
• Organize and maintain specialized legal files.
• Understand and follow written and oral instructions.
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain and promote positive and effective working relationships with employees, other agencies, public officials and the public.
• Demonstrate initiative and exercise good judgment in performance of duties.
• Exercise tact and diplomacy in dealing with sensitive, complex and confidential personnel issues and employee situations.
• Learn the operation, policy and procedures of the City Attorney's office.
• Deal with City officials, employees and the public concerning matters which involve a high degree of sensitivity and confidentiality.
• Work independently and as a team member; recognize and set priorities and meet deadlines.
• Observe safety principles and work in a safe manner.

Willingness To

Complete mandated training and continuing education, including at least four hours of legal ethics and four hours of general or specialized law courses every two years. Supervising attorneys certify that paralegals have completed the continuing education requirements.

Licenses/Certificates

Possession and continued maintenance of a valid class C California driver's license or the ability to provide alternative transportation as approved by the appointing authority and a safe driving record.

Desirable Qualifications

• California paralegal certification.
• Experience in a law office of a California public agency.

The City of Sunnyvale is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state, or local laws. The City of Sunnyvale is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at [phone] or [e-mail].