Paralegal

The County of San Mateo District Attorney's Office is accepting applications for the position of Paralegal.

About the Agency:

The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office mission is to prosecute adult and juvenile offenders, provide services to support victims, enforce consumer and environmental laws, provide legal and investigative support to public safety partners and to remain committed to the principles of equity and transparency in seeking justice and greater public safety. To that end, we are committed to ensuring that no member of our office will seek or obtain a criminal conviction or seek or obtain a sentence of any individual on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. To learn more about the District’s Attorney’s Office please visit: https://www.smcgov.org/da .

The Position:

Paralegals perform a wide range of complex legal support work, such as conducting legal research, preparing legal memoranda, motions and other documents, responding to discovery requests, corresponding with attorneys, and assisting attorneys in all aspects of case preparation. Incumbents may receive general direction regarding the scope and approach to projects or assignments, but procedures and techniques are discretionary and incumbents are expected to possess the initiative to operate with a significant degree of independence.

The ideal candidate for this position will be able to handle several projects and assignments simultaneously, have experience with complex legal support work, strong oral and written communication skills, well developed computer skills, as well as proficiency with the full range of Microsoft products (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) in addition to legal case management software. The ideal candidate will work collaboratively with office management, attorneys, support staff, and other County departments, and will be able to accept assignments outside of their prior work experience. The abilities to independently conduct legal research, use initiative, exercise sound judgment, set priorities and meet critical deadlines are also strongly desired. In addition, the ideal candidate will have experience in processes and procedures related to the field of criminal law.

NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.

Examples Of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Perform legal research under the direction of an attorney; gather information regarding statutes, rules, regulations, court decisions, local resolutions and ordinances, and similar materials related to assigned responsibilities.
• Draft and prepare responses to motions, including points and authorities, discovery requests and other legal actions.
• Format and edit briefs written by attorneys.
• Prepare and send subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum to witnesses, agencies, medical professionals, and businesses.
• Organize, index and summarize research results and assist in preparation for litigation.
• Prepare, file and serve a variety of legal documents such as motions, petitions, and orders, while utilizing a computerized case management system.
• Work with law enforcement and other government agencies in obtaining reports and records.
• Prepare and organize digital files, exhibits and other documents for court hearings and trials.
• Prepare a variety of correspondence and written materials.
• May direct the work of others on a project basis; train others in work procedures as needed.
• Compile and review confidential and sensitive materials/records.
• Review reports, transcripts, criminal history documents and prepare summaries.
• Review audio and video evidence and prepare summaries.
• Use LexisNexis, Evidence.com and other legal software platforms, and have familiarity with E-Filing (superior court and appellate levels).
• Perform related duties as assigned.
  
  

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

Completion of coursework leading to paralegal certification or completion of the first year of law school, or two years of increasingly responsible legal office experience including legal research and policies and procedures related to the specified field of law.

Knowledge of:

• Legal research techniques and standard legal reference materials.
• Processes and procedures related to criminal law.
• Legal office terminology, processes, procedures, and the format for legal documents.
• Record keeping, report preparation and filing methods.
• Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.
• Office administrative practices and procedures, including filing, business letter writing and the operation of common office equipment, including a computer, scanner and printer/copier.
  
  

Skill/Ability to:

• Perform legal research from varied sources.
• Communicate with individuals of various backgrounds.
• Prepare a variety of legal documents.
• Use initiative and sound independent judgment within established guidelines.
• Organize and maintain accurate records and files.
• Organize work, set priorities, meet critical deadlines, and follow up on assignments.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
  
  

Application/Examination

Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, extra-help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score

Responses to supplemental questions are required and must be submitted in addition to the standard County of San Mateo employment application. A resume or reference to a resume will not be accepted as a substitute for your responses to these questions or the employment application.

The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidate's application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification . All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in the County of San Mateo, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE

Final Filing Date: Thursday, July 11, 2024, by 11:59PM PST

Application Screening: Week of July 15, 2024

Panel Interviews: Week of July 29, 2024

About The County