Position/Program Information
LAW OFFICES OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY
ALTERNATE PUBLIC DEFENDER EXAM NUMBER 7-9243B-R
We are accepting applications starting Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. (PT). This recruitment will remain open until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without notice. TYPE OF RECRUITMENT Open Competitive Job Opportunity
With more than 10 million residents, Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the nation. As the largest employer in Southern California, over 112,000 employees in more than 36 Departments provide vital public services as diverse as law enforcement, property assessment, public health protection, water conservation, cultural activities, and many more.
Who we areThe Los Angeles County Office of the Alternate Public Defender is a premiere indigent criminal defense firm of approximately 300 attorneys and staff in over 20 offices throughout the county. Today, the Alternate Public Defender’s Office is the second-largest public defender’s office in the state. We provide the highest quality legal defense for the most vulnerable members of our society and specialize in trying the most serious cases, including the death penalty and homicide cases. We pride ourselves in providing an environment that values teamwork, a sense of family, and diversity.
What does a Senior Law Clerk do?The Senior Law Clerk (SLC) position in the Alternate Public Defender's Office performs legal research work. This is a 16-week internship program with a unique opportunity to advance into permanent employment as a Deputy Alternate Public Defender (DAPD) I.
During the 16-week rotation, you will go on record while conducting preliminary hearings, and have an opportunity to participate in case work in specialized areas such as Post-Conviction, Law Enforcement Accountability, and Immigration. You will assist in preparing a wide variety of criminal cases and may participate in hearings and jury trials under the mentorship and supervision of senior-level DAPDs. While working in specialized units, as an SLC you will conduct legal research, review legal documents, and organize extensive reports and exhibits to be used in trials.
Essential Job Functions
- Researches, studies, interprets, and applies laws, court decisions, and other legal authorities for use in the preparation of cases, opinions, pleadings, briefs and other legal documents.
- Organizes extensive legal discovery, reports, documents and potential exhibits.
- Conducts pretrial review of case files for witness subpoenas and other necessary evidence for trial.
- Conducts preliminary interviews of potential complainants in criminal cases and reports on findings of facts to determine if cause of sufficient evidence is present to undertake prosecution.
- Reads, understands and analyses legal documents such as pleadings, affidavits, court orders, transcripts statutory codes and appellate decisions.
- Prepares a variety of legal documents including drafts and memoranda summarizing the results of examinations of court decisions, administrative board decisions, State statutes, ordinances and opinions.
- Provides information to judges, attorneys, and the public concerning the work of the department.
- Communicates with witnesses, experts, clients and other interested parties.
- Schedules witnesses and prepares witnesses and clients in courtroom procedures and appropriate protocol.
- Interviews clients to obtain factual, biographical and financial information.
- Performs other related work as required.
Requirements
REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY: OPTION 1 : - Have a Juris Doctor degree from an approved or accredited law school*, AND
- Be registered to take the first available bar following your law school graduation date, AND
- Be eligible for certification through the California State Bar (Bar) Practical Training of Law Students (PTLS)** program at the time of the appointment.
-OR- OPTION 2***: - Be currently enrolled in law school*, AND
- Have successfully completed Second Year or equivalent of law school*, AND
- Be eligible for certification through the California State Bar (Bar) Practical Training of Law Students (PTLS)** program at the time of the appointment.
* In order to receive credit for a Juris Doctor degree or current academic standing, you must provide at the time of filing or within seven (7) calendar days from application submission, a legible copy of your official diploma/transcripts/letter from an accredited institution that shows the area of specialization. If you are unable to attach the required documents, you must email them to ecervantes@ hr.lacounty.gov . Please include the exam number and exam title in your email. Applications received without proof of the required degree(s) or certificate will not be considered as meeting the stated requirements under Option I.
Unofficial transcripts will not be accepted to meet the educational requirement. For more information regarding education, please see the Employment Information document on the LA County Jobs website.
**To be eligible for California State Bar certification (PTLS), applicants must:
- Have sat for or registered to sit for the first eligible bar exam. The results of the first eligible bar must not be published at the time of appointment, AND
- Register as a law student with the California State Bar.
When submitting proof of registration for the bar and approval, please log in to the Applicant Community site in the California Bar website and provide a screenshot of the detailed page containing your
Application Information and Examination Event Information or a copy of your Admittance Ticket .
***Applicants who qualify under Option 2 will be permitted to participate in the exam. However, their names will be withheld from the list of candidates ("Eligible Register") for hiring consideration until they can produce a copy of their diploma or a copy of official transcripts that clearly show when JD degree was conferred.
Additional information on the PTLS program can be found at Practical Training of Law Students -State Bar of California .
PROVISIONAL LICENSEES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EXAMINATION. LICENSE: A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.
PHYSICAL CLASS: 2 - Light. This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.
Additional Information
OUR ASSESSMENT PROCESS: This exam will consist of a structured interview test weighted at
100%, measuring:
- Professional/Technical Knowledge (General Criminal Case & Statutory Law and Constitutional Principles of California Rules of Professional Conduct as they pertain to Criminal Defense),
- Critical Thinking,
- Decision Making Skills,
- Client Focus,
- Oral Communication Skills,
- Listening Skills,
- Fact Finding,
- Ethics & Integrity,
- and Cultural & Individual Sensitivity.
Candidates must meet the REQUIREMENTS and achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on the examination in order to be placed on the Eligible Register. NOTE: All notifications including invitation letters will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. Please add the below email addresses to your email address book and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.
- ecervantes@hr.lacounty.gov
- info@governmentjobs.com
- talentcentral@shl.com
- donot-reply@amcatmail.com
Los Angeles County will not consider claims of not viewing or receiving notification to be a valid reason for late test administration or rescheduling of a test component.
If you choose to unsubscribe to electronic notices, you may access your governmentjobs.com profile for a copy of sent electronic notices for this exam.
APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION :
Applications must be filed online only. We must receive your application
BEFORE 5:00 p.m., PT, on the last day of filing. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person will not be accepted. Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" green button at the top right of this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.
Plan to submit your online application well in advance of the deadline. You may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.
Fill out your application completely. The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Requirements to qualify as listed on this job bulletin. Provide any relevant job experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed. If your application is incomplete, it will be rejected.
Important: Please note that all information included in the application materials is subject to verification at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. Falsification of any information may result in disqualification or rescission of appointment. Utilizing verbiage from the Class Specification and Minimum requirements serving as your description of duties will not be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. Doing so may result in an incomplete application and you may be disqualified.
TEST PREPARATION: Study guides and other test preparation resources are available to help candidates prepare for employment tests. While the guides will help you prepare for the test, we advise you to review all related materials that you deem necessary.
- An interactive, Online Test Preparation System for taking practice tests may be accessed on the Department of Human Resources website at http://hr.lacounty.gov/ . Please click on "Find A Job" and then "Job Search Toolkit." Test preparation information is located under the "Employment Test Assistance" section.
ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION :
The names of candidates receiving a passing grade in the examination will be placed on the eligible register in the order of their score group for a period of six (6) months.
VACANCY INFORMATION :
The resulting eligible register will be used to fill vacancies at the Law Offices of the Alternate Public Defender.
AVAILABLE SHIFT : Any
___________________________________________________________________________ ANTI-RACISM, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (ARDI):
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER:Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.
COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES:
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.
NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD:
All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member's or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.
TESTING ACCOMMODATION:
If you require an accommodation to fairly compete in any part of the assessment process, you will be given the opportunity to make a request when completing your application. Please note, you may be required to submit documentation from a qualified medical provider or other qualified professional to support your request for a testing accommodation.
Testing Accommodations Coordinator: TestingAccommodations@hr.lacounty.gov
Alternate Teletype Phone: (800) 897-0077
California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922
Contact Name: Elia Cervantes
Contact Phone: (213) 738-2037
Contact Email: ecervantes@hr.lacounty .gov
Exam Number: 7-9243B-R
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