Description The City Attorney's Office is seeking a highly motivated and organized Litigation Legal Secretary (Litigation Specialist) to join our team. In this critical role, the position provides comprehensive legal and administrative support to the Civil Division of the department. Litigation Legal Secretary is the working title for the City's established title of Litigation Specialist.
The Litigation Legal Secretary title reflects the highly specialized legal secretarial and clerical support provided specifically in litigation and trial environments. The role goes beyond basic administrative support, requiring advanced knowledge of litigation processes, court rules, e-filing, calendaring, and trial preparation, but does not cross into the substantive legal work reserved for paralegals. Under minimal supervision, Litigation Legal Secretary is expected to perform specialized legal secretarial and clerical work in support of transactional and trial attorneys.
The ideal will be expected to: Manipulate documents into various formats and be familiar with document editing applications. Organizing and maintaining case materials (physical and electronic) Managing complex data and document demands for litigation Have knowledge of e-filing across multiple state jurisdictions including state and federal courts. Have knowledge of calendaring, court rules and deadlines.
Compiling evidence, coordinating depositions, and preparing exhibits Assisting with trial preparation, discovery, and presentations Have experience working in a government agency law office (local, state, or federal), court, or law firm environment is desirable. Supporting attorneys with litigation technology 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 filing and serving of necessary court documents.
Independently request information from outside counsel and, relevant contacts, other jurisdictions for additional information. Updates Case Management system, files and organizes active litigation files. Maintains attorney calendars by accurately recording court dates and appearances as directed.
Tasks all deadlines in connection with appearances. Prepares appropriate notices of rulings and judgments following trial or disposition of a case. Familiarity with court requirements and current court procedures in order to comply with the court rules and litigation procedures (e.g
State, Federal and Appellate Court). Proofreads prepared materials to ensure documents are free from typographical and grammatical errors and are properly formatted. Reads and sorts incoming mail and e-mails then distributes as appropriate as well as answering phones and directing incoming calls.
Schedules court reporters, expert witnesses and other experts for testimony at depositions and trial. Perform related duties and responsibilities as required or requested by attorney. 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 litigation attorneys. Knowledge of: Modern office equipment and procedures; civil procedures, advanced statutes and court rules; state and federal deadlines when served with a summons and complaint; knowledge of discovery deadlines; civil 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 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 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 on Monday, June 9, 2025 at 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 desirable 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
