Contra Costa Superior Court - Paralegal (closes 10/18/2024)
Click Here to Apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/contracostacourts/jobs/4678937/paralegal?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs
The Superior Court of Contra Costa County is conducting an open recruitment to fill a Paralegal position. Individuals selected must be available to be assigned to any court location. Under general direction and attorney supervision, the Paralegal assists court attorneys and the public by providing paralegal assistance in the Self-Help Center and Family Law Facilitator’s Office. The paralegal provides legal assistance to one or more attorneys or attorney facilitators; may lead workshops; provides educational and informational materials to the public; assists the public and attorneys with completing legal forms; assists with researching and analyzing statutes, legal articles, and case law; assembles, proofreads, and edits legal drafts; performs related duties as assigned.
Examples of Duties
Assists the Family Law and Self-Help Facilitators and the Self-Help Managing Attorney with a variety of paraprofessional legal duties relating to family law, landlord/tenant, limited conservatorship, guardianship, small claims, domestic violence restraining orders, civil harassment restraining orders, civil name changes, and related topics;
Assists with draft court orders based on Clerk minutes, including logging the orders and gathering attachments at the direction of the Self-Help Managing Attorney and/or Senior Assistant Family Law Facilitator;
Assists with posting and mailing court documents after litigants have been granted an order for posting, and preparing the proof of service;
Assists Self-Help Facilitator with addressing and correcting outstanding items in tentative ruling for their guardianship cases;
Provides document review, and procedural assistance in person, by phone, or email in a variety of case types depending on assignment; uses court systems to gather case facts, case status, and review applicable law, statutes, rules, and procedures to respond properly to customer inquiries within the scope of their work;
Collects information from self-represented litigants and the Court during workshops and triaging;
Reviews legal documents and forms for completeness and procedural compliance;
Gathers factual information and performs routine legal research on various matters to assist attorneys and self-represented litigants;
Explains legal procedure, process, and options to self-represented litigants in group/workshop settings on a variety of topics appropriate to the Court’s self-help services, under the supervision of the Self-Help Managing Attorney;
Provides information and educational materials to the public regarding court rules, regulations, procedures and forms;
Reviews court files and case history in the court’s case management system to determine the status of cases and identify correct forms for use by self-represented litigants;
Identifies non-routine cases and seeks specific direction from or refers to appropriate Facilitator’s Office or Self-Help Center attorney;
Under the direction of an attorney, complete an initial review of judgment documents;
Processes pro per wage assignments, ex parte wage assignments, orders after hearing and judgments after completed by attorneys and judges;
Makes phone calls, gather materials, conduct internet research and assist with updating packets, forms and flyers;
Assists with collecting and analyzing data, and with preparing reports needed for legal or administrative matters;
Assists with performing community outreach activities to inform the public of self-help services offered by the Court;
Performs a variety of administrative support duties as assigned;
If designated to provide bilingual services, complete any and all assigned duties in Spanish; and
Triage customers at the Brief Information and Referral/Triage windows, during workshops/clinics, and by phone or email, as needed.
Regular and punctual attendance is essential.
Minimum/Desirable Qualifications
Knowledge of:
Legal processes, practices and procedures applicable to area of assignment;
Federal and state laws and regulations applicable to area of assignment;
State and local court rules applicable to area of assignment;
Standard legal reference materials and basic legal research techniques;
Procedures and legal terminology applicable to the preparation, acceptance and processing of legal documents;
Interviewing techniques;
Principles of correct and accepted grammar, punctuation and spelling;
Principles of technical legal writing and drafting;
Official document formatting and editing;
Principles and practices of customer service and telephone etiquette;
Computer systems and software used in professional legal work; and
Office administrative practices and procedures.
Ability to:
Read and understand statutes, court decisions, legal documents and similar material;
Synthesize technical or factual information;
Read and understand legal documents and verify accuracy, completeness and authenticity of signatures and documents;
Interpret judicial orders and explain case and procedural information accurately to litigants, attorneys and other agencies;
Perform legal support and legal research tasks;
Effectively explain legal concepts and procedures to self-represented litigants who may have little or no knowledge of the law;
Set priorities and complete projects in a timely manner;
Communicate effectively both orally and in written form;
Remain patient, calm and professional while working with individuals who are in highly stressful situations;
Work cooperatively with judicial officers, attorneys, supervisors, clerical staff, technical staff and the general public; and
Operate personal computers, office equipment and office automation software.
Minimum Qualifications:
Possession of a high school diploma, a GED equivalency certificate or a high school proficiency certificate.
Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's License.
AND
Two (2) years of experience required as a paralegal performing duties that demonstrate possession of the knowledge and abilities described above.
Note: As per California Business & Professions Code section 6450 (d), every two years, commencing January 1, 2007, any person that is working as a paralegal shall be required to certify completion of four hours of mandatory continuing legal education in legal ethics and four hours of mandatory continuing legal education in either general law or in an area of specialized law. All continuing legal education courses shall meet the requirements of Section 6070. Certification of these continuing education requirements shall be made with the paralegal's supervising attorney. The paralegal shall be responsible for keeping a record of the paralegal's certifications.
Education/Education Substitution:
Option 1: A certificate of completion of a paralegal program approved by the American Bar Association.
--OR—
Option 2: A certificate of completion of a paralegal program at, or a degree from, a postsecondary institution that requires the successful completion of a minimum of 24 semester (36 quarter) units in law-related courses that has been accredited by a national or regional accrediting organization or approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education.
--OR—
Option 3: Substitution of law-related education with work experience working under the direction of an Attorney and associated education in accordance with the California Business & Professions Code section 6450 (c)(3) or (c)(4).
For the Bilingual classification, an additional minimum qualification is "Intermediate Mid" level Spanish proficiency as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Supplemental Information
Application and Selection Process:
Interested individuals must complete a Court application on-line and provide a valid email address. To apply, go to:http://www.cc-courts.org: and click on the Job Opportunities tab. After submitting your application all subsequent communications will be via email. Please add contracosta.courts.ca.gov and info@governmentjobs.com to your email address book to ensure delivery of emails. For additional information email: jobs@contracosta.courts.ca.gov.
Depending on the number of applications received, an application evaluation committee may be convened to review and evaluate each candidate's application, and those deemed best qualified will be invited to an oral interview which may include a written examination and/or practical problem exercise. The court reserves the right to make revisions to the testing process in accordance with the Court Personnel Plan and accepted selection practices.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Conditions of Employment
Successful completion of fingerprint and a criminal record background check is required prior to appointment and is a condition of employment.
All employees of the court who operate a vehicle on court business must certify they possess a valid California Driver's License and required levels of automobile insurance.
Convictions
Felony and misdemeanor convictions MAY BE disqualifying for employment with the court. The court will assess the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has elapsed since the offense was committed, and the nature of the job duties to be performed.
Employment Eligibility:
In accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, all persons hired after November 6, 1986, are required to present to the Court, at the time of appointment, original documents which show satisfactory proof of: 1.) identity and 2.) U.S. Citizenship or a legal authorization to work in the United States.
Union Representative
This position is represented by AFSCME Local 512.
Applicants with Disabilities
Reasonable accommodations will be made so applicants with disabilities may participate in the recruitment process. Please advise Superior Court Human Resources of special needs in advance.
The Court is an equal opportunity employer. The Court provides equal employment opportunity at all times and does not discriminate in violation of applicable law.
