Job Description

Job Description and Duties

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provides administrative, paralegal, and legal secretarial support to an appellate court justice and, in some courts, the justice’s research attorneys.

• Supports the intake and processing of writ petitions; preparing court orders; using and maintaining internal court data bases.

• Calendars cases for oral argument and tracks cases for timeliness.

• Word processes, edits, proofreads, and reviews opinions and court orders for correctness with respect to grammar, spelling, punctuation, content, and organization; conforms opinions to uniform style using the California Style Manual.

• Prepares final opinions by checking facts referenced against all documents from the clerk’s office and reporter’s transcripts, administrative record, exhibits, and correspondence.

• Verifies and Shepardizes legal authorities cited using resources found in the law library and computer data bases such as state and federal reporters, state and federal statutes, citators, textbooks, handbooks, restatements, and legislative intent materials.

• Transmits opinions and modifications to Reporter of Decisions; communicates with Reporter of Decisions regarding stylistic requirements and content of opinions; proofreads and carefully inspects galley proofs of all published opinions for complete accuracy.

• Maintains and updates chambers library.

• Organizes and routes work, sets priorities, and follows up to ensure coordination and completion of assigned work; exercises skill in setting priorities that accurately reflect the importance of assigned responsibilities; trains backup support staff.

• Works closely with Clerk’s Office and file room staff to ensure that materials are received and sent out in timely fashion.

• Drafts correspondence; independently initiates specified correspondence for signature by appropriate staff.

• Performs additional secretarial and administrative assistant functions as requested.

KNOWLEDGE OF

• Administrative office practices and procedures, the standard format for typed materials, including proper memoranda, briefs, drafts, opinions, recordkeeping systems and file maintenance, and standard office procedures and practices.

• Complex legal concepts, terminology, principles, and procedures.

• Methods of complex legal research (traditional and electronic).

• California trial and appellate court practices and procedures.

• Personal computers and the use of specified computer applications, such as word processing, spreadsheets, legal applications, desktop publishing, and on-line search and reference tools.

• Correct business English, including spelling, grammar, and punctuation, with emphasis on legal terminology, the uniform system of citation and the California Style Manual, etc.

• Organizational policies and procedures.

• Basic supervisory principles and practices.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

QUALIFICATIONS

Equivalent to six (6) years of legal secretarial experience, including four (4) years of technical legal research.

OR

Bachelor’s degree and two (2) years of legal secretarial experience, including technical legal research. Additional directly related experience and/or college-level coursework may be substituted on a year-for-year basis for either of the paths outlined above.

OR

One (1) year as a Judicial Assistant OR two (2) years as a Deputy Clerk OR three (3) years as a Lead Judicial Secretary or Assistant Deputy Clerk III with the judicial branch.

Equivalent years of experience performing the duties of a class comparable in the level of responsibility to the classes listed above in a California Superior Court or California state-level government entity also qualify.

Benefits

PAY & BENEFITS

Salary Range: $6,826 to $8,304 per month

(Starting salary will be between $6,826 and $7,509)

Please note due to statewide fiscal conditions, the posted salary range is subject to a temporary 3% reduction. In exchange for this reduction, judicial branch employees accrue an additional 5 hours of paid personal leave per month through June 30, 2027.

Some highlights of our benefits package include:

• Health/Dental/Vision benefits program

• 14 paid holidays per calendar year

• Choice of Annual Leave or Sick/Vacation Leave

• 1 personal holiday per year

• Up to $130 per month reimbursement for qualifying commuting costs

• CalPERS Retirement Plan

• 401(k) and 457 deferred compensation plans

• Employee Assistance Program

• Basic Life and AD&D Insurance

• FlexElect Program

• Pretax Parking

• Long Term Disability Program (employee paid/optional)

• Group Legal Plan (employee paid/optional)

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online at and search for JO#6496 .

The following items are required.

• Completed online application

• Cover letter

• Résumé

For earliest consideration, please apply by August 29, 2025 , and include all required items listed above. The position will remain open until it is filled.

The Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678. All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.

Job Tags

Permanent employment, Full time, Temporary work, Work at office,

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