Senior Paralegal

City of Fresno; Fresno (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Fresno seeks a Senior Paralegal in the City Attorney’s Office to perform advanced paralegal duties in civil and criminal litigation, including complex pleadings, discovery, and Public Records Act responses, under direct supervision.

The role involves leading paralegal staff, coordinating with legal teams, preparing real estate documents and complex contracts, and appearing before hearing officers in administrative proceedings.

Qualifications

• Paralegal training program from an accredited school plus four (4) years of paralegal experience in a law office.
• OR two years of juris doctorate coursework with coursework in writing and research, contracts and civil procedure, plus two years of paralegal experience in a law office.
• A copy of degree, college transcripts or coursework must be uploaded with your online application for verification of meeting the educational requirement.

Responsibilities

• Prepare complex legal documents and pleadings, including proposed interrogatories, replies to interrogatories and summaries of deposition and trial testimony transcripts, and responses to Public Records Act requests.
• Prepare real estate documents and complex contracts; respond to Public Records Act requests; conduct investigative work; respond to citizen complaints; participate in administrative proceedings.

Skills

Leadership

Legal terminology

Research

Oral presentation

Job description

THE POSITION

Under direct supervision, incumbents perform a variety of complex and difficult paralegal services pertaining to civil and/or criminal litigations on behalf of the City of Fresno. Senior Paralegal is an advanced working/lead specialized class in the City Attorney’s Office. Incumbent prepares complex and difficult legal documents and pleadings, including proposed interrogatories, replies to interrogatories and summaries of deposition and trial testimony transcripts, and responses to Public Records Act requests.

Incumbents also prepares real estate documents, complex contracts, Public Records Act request responses; conduct investigative work, respond to citizen complaints and participate in a variety of administrative proceedings. The Senior Paralegal work involves frequent public contact, lead direction to other paralegal staff ensuring City codes, regulations, policies and procedures are enforced; ability to present and appear before the hearing officer and/or administrative bodies for administrative appeals, exercise sound, independent judgment, and discretion within general guidelines and operating parameters.

One vacancy exists in the City Attorney’s Office. Immediate and future vacancies will be filled from this eligible list for a period of three (3) months from the date the eligible list is created, with the option of extending that period at the City's discretion. If the examination process is suspended for this recruitment, the eligible list may be limited to three (3) months.

THE REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications on or before the posted filing deadline in order to qualify for the examination.

• Completion of a paralegal training program from an accredited school, and four (4) years of paralegal experience in a law office.
• OR
• Completion of two (2) years of juris doctorate course work from a school of law, which included course work in writing and research, contracts and civil procedure, and (2) two years of paralegal experience in a law office.
• A copy of degree, college transcripts or course work must be uploaded and included in your on-line application for verification of meeting the educational requirement. Applicants lacking the documentation may be rejected.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Possession of a valid California Driver's License is required at time of appointment. Candidates considered for hire must provide proof of a valid driver’s license and current copy of their driving record.

The selected eligible candidates certified will be required to successfully pass a Department interview and a Department of Justice fingerprint prior to employment with the City of Fresno, and sign a confidentiality agreement

THE EXAMINATION PROCESS

The examination process may consist of the following:

• Application Review - Qualifying Only: Applications submitted will be reviewed and a limited number of the most qualified candidates will be invited to the panel interview. Selection of the most qualified candidates will be based upon those applications demonstrating the greatest breadth and depth of applicable training, experience, and education. Therefore, applicants are urged to submit sufficiently detailed information in their application materials for a proper evaluation.
• Oral Examination - (100%): A panel of subject matter experts will conduct a job related oral examination to assess a candidate's knowledge of legal terminology and procedures related to the court systems and civil process; ability to conduct research, prepare legal documents and make clear and persuasive oral presentations; exercise sound, independent judgment and establish effective working relationships or other topics related to a candidate’s training, experience and qualifications for the position of Senior Paralegal. Candidates must achieve a passing score to qualify for the eligible list.

The Oral Examination is tentatively scheduled for the week of October 12, 2026.

EOE

The City of Fresno is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Should you need a special accommodation due to a qualifying disability, please contact the Personnel Service Department at [phone] in advance of the examination.