Paralegal/Senior Paralegal

Description

Under general supervision, Paralegals and Senior Paralegals assist attorneys in the preparation of cases for trial and hearing matters; prepare exhibits and witnesses for trial; analyze existing information regarding cases and research pertinent case laws; and research and develop the contents of legal documents.

The Paralegal classification provides paraprofessional legal assistance and differs from the Legal Processing Assistant series in that the latter provides less technical clerical and administrative duties.

The Senior Paralegal classification is the full journey level and may lead in this series. The Senior Paralegal provides paraprofessional legal assistance for major or complex cases and differs from the Paralegal in that the latter performs less complex paralegal duties and does not serve as a team leader.

The ideal candidate will have experience working in a prosecutorial legal environment, helping to collect and organize large amounts of data for statistical analysis of programs; interviewing victims, analyzing and organizing evidence, and preparing exhibits and witness materials in preparation for preliminary hearings and trials; additionally, the ideal candidate will be able to manage and maintain a large database of historical information and retrieve information for attorneys as requested.

If assigned to a grant-funded position, hours worked will need to be tracked through a work study.

APPROXIMATE SALARIES
Paralegal: $26.49 - $37.16 per hour
Senior Paralegal: $33.54 - $40.70 per hour

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
CLOSING DATE: Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive a sufficient number of qualified applications to meet business needs. (Previously: Tuesday, February 25, 2025)
FIRST APPLICATION REVIEW: Week of February 24, 2025

Examples Of Duties

Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Assists attorneys in pre-trial case preparation; organizes, controls and prepares exhibits based on statistical, documentary and other types of research; handles documentary evidence and reports relating to cases.
• Conducts legal research and locates statutes and relevant case citations; reviews documents to determine compliance with statutes, court decisions, and other applicable laws.
• Prepares and organizes preliminary correspondence and legal documents such as affidavits, petitions, trial briefs and other similar documents for the review and approval of an attorney.
• Gathers factual information and performs legal research that is not available through routine sources and requires deviation from established procedures.
• Conducts and reviews client and witness interviews; reviews information to ensure sufficiency and accuracy and identifies additional information required.
• Performs other related duties as required.

In addition to the duties listed above, the Senior Paralegal may:

• Have responsibility for highly specialized and complex assignments requiring a high level of independence including the organization of documents used in the prosecution or defense of major crimes.
• Assist in training employees.

Typical Qualifications

These are entrance requirements to the exam process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE
Paralegal - An education and experience background which demonstrates possession of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job. The required knowledge, skills, and abilities can be obtained by:

• Completion of a paralegal/legal assistant certificate program, OR
• Two (2) years of law school.

Senior Paralegal - An education and experience background which demonstrates possession of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job. The required knowledge, skills, and abilities can be obtained by either:

• Completion of a paralegal/legal assistant certificate program and three (3) years of experience as a Paralegal, OR
• Two (2) years of law school and three (3) years of experience as a Paralegal, OR
• Completion of a Juris Doctor.

DESIRED

• Experience working in a legal prosecutorial environment such as a City Attorney's Office, District Attorney's Office, Attorney General's Office, or Department of Justice.
• Experience interviewing victims, analyzing and organizing evidence, and preparing exhibits and witness materials in preparation for preliminary hearings and trials.
• Experience assisting in the enforcement of victim restitution orders in civil or criminal consumer protection cases.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS :

• Must be able to pass a thorough background check.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
Working knowledge of:

• the principles, concepts and methodology of legal research, discovery and fact investigation;
• legal principles and their applications;
• rules of evidence and the conduct of court proceedings;
• investigative interviewing techniques;
• legal terminology.

Working ability to:

• prepare a variety of complex documents, reports, proposals, and recommendations;
• identify, evaluate and extract pertinent information from a wide variety of sources in the preparation of cases and legal documents;
• apply legal principles and practices;
• perform legal research and investigate incidents;
• establish and maintain effective working relationships with members of the legal profession, public officials, and the general public;
• communicate effectively both verbally and in writing;
• train employees (Senior Paralegals Only).

Recruitment Process

FINAL FILING DATE: Applications must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 PM on Tuesday, February 25, 2025.

To apply online, refer to our web site at www.ventura.org/jobs . If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

Note to Applicants: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, it/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application.

NOTE: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil services" style examination, then appointment by "lateral transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here for additional information.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this exam at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the exam process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in the application being removed 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 - 100%: A job-related oral examination will be conducted to evaluate and compare participating examinees' knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Examinees must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.

NOTE: If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, an examination may 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.

Candidates successfully completing the exam process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Candidates under consideration for appointment will be required to successfully pass a thorough post-offer, pre-employment background investigation 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 by e-mail at jayna.landeros@ventura.org

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.

Service Employees International Union (LOCAL 721)
(SEIU)

To learn more about Benefits, Retirement, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), see links below.

• Benefits website or you may call (805) 654-2570.
• Retirement FAQ's
• Memorandum of Agreement

Union Code: UPP

Closing Date/Time: Continuous

• 

• County of Ventura

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