Litigation Specialist

Description

The City Attorney's Office is seeking a highly motivated and organized Litigation Specialist to join our team. In this critical role, the Litigation Specialist will provide comprehensive legal and administrative support to the Civil Division of the department.

Under minimal supervision, the Litigation Specialist is expected to perform specialized legal secretarial and clerical work in support of transactional and trial attorneys. The ideal Litigation Specialist: will be expected to:

• Manipulate documents into various formats and be familiar with document editing applications.

• Have knowledge of e-filing across multiple state jurisdictions including state and federal courts.

• Have knowledge of calendaring, court rules and deadlines.

• Have experience working in a government agency law office (local, state, or federal), court, or law firm environment is desirable.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

Positions in this classification are strictly involved in providing highly skilled litigation support to their assigned attorneys. These secretarial tasks require a thorough understanding of and training in general concepts and procedures.

Independent judgment and initiative is required in the types of decisions made. Positions in this class are fully aware of organizational policies and procedures governing actions to be taken on their own initiative. They perform a variety of secretarial details involved in the daily operations of their assigned office.

Essential Functions

The following functions are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed functions and/or may be required to perform additional or different functions from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

Coordinates the preparing, filing and serving of necessary court documents before and after each attorney's court appearance.

Reviews trial case files and prepares subpoenas; prepares required paperwork; requests additional reports/information as requires.

Independently request information on outstanding warrants, prior convictions and contacts other jurisdictions for additional information.

Updates Case Management system; prepares complaints and amended complaints as required.

Assist trial attorneys in scheduling and coordinating their calendars with respect to filing required litigation documents and making court appearances, in accordance with statutory deadlines.

Prepares discovery documents; maintains good client relations by communicating the progress of a case to the victims and witnesses as requires.

Assists trial attorney at trial with preparing jury instructions, voir dire and court orders, judgments and rulings.

Following trial or disposition of a litigated case, prepares appropriate notices of rulings and judgments.

Verifies correctness of legal citations cited in Points and Authorities filed in litigated cases.

Independently composes routine and involved correspondence requiring good judgment; obtains information through files review and familiarity with court requirements.

Keeps abreast of current court procedures in order to comply with new court rules and litigation procedures.

Files, organizes and updates active litigation files for assigned trial attorneys.

Follows up on calendar dates for the Anaheim Family Justice Center prosecutors, general law or prosecution section in connection with litigation.

Operates computer to enter and edit a wide variety of legal information using a limited number of programs and formats and creates legal vocabulary for use in the word processor.

Operates printer and prints documents stored in word processor.

Proofreads materials for clerical accuracy, spelling, syntax, grammar, punctuation and clarity, using judgment in making editorial changes.

Screens mail, arranges in priority order, assembles background information and distributes to appropriate attorneys.

Delivers documents to court, attorneys' offices and other City locations.

Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.

Qualifications

Experience and Training Guidelines: Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities are as follows:

Experience in:Performing responsible legal secretarial, clerical work in direct support of civil or criminal litigation attorneys.

Knowledge of: Modern office equipment and procedures; civil and/or criminal procedures advanced statutes and court rules; civil and/or criminal litigation forms and formats; word processing methods; English usage, spelling, grammar and punctuation; business math; legal terminology; basic organization and use of a law library; procedures of a civil and/or criminal law office related to preparing and filing of legal documents.

Ability to:Type at a net corrected speed of 50 words per minute; read, understand and apply complex materials; maintain and modify legal filing systems; initiate and compose routine correspondence and legal documents; perform routine legal clerical and secretarial work independently; receive confidential information and maintain confidentiality; operate a computer; prepare, file and serve civil or criminal litigation documents independently; proofread and detect errors in typing, spelling, grammar, syntax and punctuation; establish and maintain effective relationships with those contacted in the course of work; organize and schedule work to meet deadlines, maintain and update legal calendar for appearances and assignments.

License/Certification Required: Possession of a valid California Driver's License by date of appointment.

Supplemental Information

IMPORTANT APPLICATION INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTION

Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis until a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. The deadline for the first review of applications is onWednesday, May 29, 2024at 5:00PM.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early.Applicants that apply after the first review are not guaranteed to be considered for this recruitment. This recruitment may close at any time without notice after the first review date.

The selection process will consist of a minimum of skills examination and oral interview.

Well-qualified applicants will be asked to provide a typing assessment that has been completed within the year. However, attaching a valid typing certificate is welcome at the time of application.Successful applicants will be invited for an oral interview

The typing assessment must be proctored in-person and not be from an online/internet test. The following information must be on the certificate:

1: Your name

2: The name of the issuing agency, the proctor's name, and contact details for verification

3: The date of the test taken (must be within 1 year)

4: The length of the test (must be at least a 5 minute test)

5: The result must indicate net corrected typing speed of 50 WPM or higher

The eligibility list established from this recruitment may also be used to fill the current and/or additional vacancies throughout the City.

Candidates must be specific and complete in describing their qualifications for this position. Failure to state all pertinent information may lead to elimination from consideration. Stating "See Resume" is not an acceptable substitute for a completed application.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a reference / background check (to include a conviction record) and pass a post-offer pre-employment medical examination (which will include a drug/alcohol screening). The City of Anaheim utilizes E-Verify and new employees must provide documentation to establish both identity and work authorization.

Communication regarding your application and/or status will be sent to the email address listed on your application. Please check your email regularly throughout the recruitment process as you will not receive communications by any other method.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Edited 5/8/24