Post Bar Law Clerk

Ventura County; Ventura (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office is recruiting post-bar law clerks for Spring and Fall 2027, with the opportunity to ultimately become prosecutors (Attorney I) upon successfully passing the California Bar Exam in 2027.

Under immediate supervision, law clerks assist in case preparation by researching, interviewing clients and witnesses, and making routine court appearances.

Qualifications

• Final-year law students planning to take the California Bar in 2027.
• Legal experience in a prosecutor's office is desirable.
• Commitment to serving the Ventura County community is valued.

Responsibilities

• Assist in case preparation by researching, interviewing clients and witnesses, and making routine court appearances under supervision.
• Conduct legal research and draft documents to support cases.
• Prepare complaints, pleadings, memoranda, briefs, and appeals as needed.
• Research and write responses to writ applications and file them with the court.
• Work with assigned Counsel to prepare legal positions for defense or argument in court.

Skills

Law student

Legal research

Prosecutor career

Education

Two years of law school

Paralegal certificate

Job description

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office is currently recruiting post-bar law clerks for Spring and Fall of 2027, with the opportunity for applicants to ultimately become prosecutors (Attorney I) upon successfully passing the California Bar Exam in 2027.

The Position

Under immediate supervision of a Deputy District Attorney, assists in case preparation by doing research, interviewing clients and witnesses, and making routine court appearances.

The ideal candidates

The ideal candidates are in their final year of law school and planning to take the California Bar Examination in 2027. The ideal candidate will also have legal experience in a prosecutor's office and be looking for a career as a prosecutor with the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

Ventura County District Attorney’s Office

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office is the public prosecutor for the county's nearly 840,000 residents. Our office employs approximately 310 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and professional staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims.

The Ventura County District Attorney recognizes the importance of Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion (“DEBI”) in the office’s culture and climate, hiring, training and education, opportunities for advancement, and the relationship with the communities it serves. The District Attorney has created this committee to promote these stated values for the benefit of the Office and to achieve the Office’s mission.

Mission Statement

We are committed to public safety, the pursuit of truth and justice, to ensuring victims are protected, and our communities are served with fairness and integrity.

NOTE:

Upon graduation from law school and admission to the California Bar, an individual appointed to extra-help law clerk by virtue of this recruitment may, dependent upon both time and his/her performance as a law clerk, other qualifying legal-related experience, and the needs of the District Attorney's Office, be appointed to the higher level, permanent or extra help classification of Attorney.

PAYROLL TITLE/STATUS:

Law Clerk/Extra Help

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

OPENING DATE: August 17, 2026

CLOSING DATE: September 4, 2026 at 11:59 PM (Depending on the number of qualified applicants, this date may change.)

FIRST APPLICATION REVIEW: Week of September 7, 2026

• Interviewswitnessesandevaluatesevidence.
• Negotiatesdispositionandmodificationofcasesaccordingtoofficepolicy.
• Maymakeroutinecourtappearancesandpresentations.
• Prepares and files complaints, pleadings, memoranda, briefs, appeals, and other legal documents.
• Conducts trial prosecution by preparing strategies, ordering investigations and subpoenas, resolving legal issues through research, participating in jury selection, and presenting evidence and arguments.
• Identifies and resolves legal issues through legal research.
• Works closely with assigned Counsel on pertinent legal issues and challenges and assists in preparing legal positions for defense or argument in court.
• Researches and writes responses to writ applications after review and files them with the court.
• Performs other related duties as required.

These are entrance requirements to the exam process, possession of which assures neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Any combination of education, training and/or experience that demonstrates possession of the required knowledge skills and abilities. Possession of the requisite KSAs can typically be demonstrated by successful completion of a paralegal certificate program or completion of two (2) years of law school.

HIGHLY DESIRED

• Completing final year of law school and planning to take the California Bar Exam in 2027.
• Legal experience in a prosecutor's office.
• Demonstrated commitment to serving the diverse Ventura County community.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

Knowledge of:

• rules of evidence, legal principles, criminal law, and trial procedures;
• State and Federal law pertaining to specific trial assignments;
• legal research;
• ethical responsibilities enunciated by the American Bar Association and California Bar Association.

Ability to:

• Perform legal research;
• investigate and analyze evidence and legal problems;
• prepare cases; prepare reports and legal documents;
• communicate effectively orally and in writing;
• deal effectively with victims, members of the legal profession, public officials, and the general public.

FINAL FILING DATE:

Applications must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California no later than 11:59 PM on September 4, 2026.

FIRST REVIEW:

A first review of applications is anticipated to occur on or around September 7, 2026, and subsequent reviews may be conducted until sufficient applications are received to meet business needs through the final filing date.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying:

All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in removal of the application from further consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION - qualifying:

All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the examination process.

TRAINING & EXPERIENCE EVALUATION:

A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.

NOTE: The selection process will likely consist of an Oral Exam, which may be preceded or replaced with the score from a Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E), contingent upon the size and quality of the candidate pool. In a typical T&E, your training and experience are evaluated in relation to the background, experience and factors identified for successful job performance during a job analysis. For this reason, it is recommended that your application materials clearly show your relevant background and specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is also highly recommended that the supplemental questions within the application are completed with care and diligence. Responses such as "See Resume" or "Refer to Resume" are not acceptable and may disqualify an applicant from further evaluation.

ORAL EXAMINATION/PRACTICAL EXAMINATION - 100%:

A job-related examination will be conducted to evaluate and compare participating applicants' knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Applicants must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.

AN ORAL/PRACTICAL EXAMINATION will be required.

A verification email/letter will be sent confirming the test schedule and location details. All exams and interviews will be conducted in person at the District Attorney's Office. There will be no telephonic exams or interviews.

NOTE: If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, an oral/practical examination will not be conducted. Instead, a score of seventy percent (70%) will be assigned to each application, and each applicant will be placed on the eligible list. The eligible list established for this position may be used to fill present and future extra-help vacancies within the District Attorney's Office.

Candidates successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of nine (9) months. The eligible list established by this recruitment will be used to fill extra help law clerk positions anticipated to begin work in September 2027. There are currently up to three (3) extra-help Post Bar Law Clerk vacancies.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION:

A thorough post-offer, pre-employment background investigation will be conducted which will include inquiry into past employment, education, credit history, criminal background information, and driving record.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Jayna Landeros at [e-mail] or at [phone].

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.