• Supervises and participates in the work of less experienced paralegals, legal support staff, or clerical staff providing specialized support to the District Attorney's Office.
• Handles highly specialized and complex assignments requiring a high level of skill and independence including the organization of documents used in the prosecution of major crimes.
• Supports litigation and discovery efforts; collects and examines factual data that is not available through routine sources and requires deviation from established procedures.
• Performs legal research involving the prosecution of suspects accused of major crimes; analyzes data and organizes summaries into various formats for attorney presentations.
• Reviews client and witness interviews to ensure thoroughness and accuracy and to identify additional information required.
• Drafts a variety of legal documents (e.g., affidavits, petitions, motions, warrants, and trial briefs).
• Reviews legal documents and forms for completeness and conformance to specific requirements set forth in applicable legal codes.
• Organizes and maintains files; provides case management; and prepares reports and correspondence.
• Interviews witnesses, defendants, and outside agencies (e.g., other county departments) in civil or criminal cases for pre-trial or pre-hearing declarations and prepares discovery requests and responses.
• Establishes internal procedures for organizing and processing work; manages workflows; and ensures the quality, accuracy, and completeness of work within specified timeframes.
• Participates in the recruitment of Paralegals and interns; assists with the development of training materials and provides specialized trainings (e.g., PIMS, TCIS, and processes) to subordinates, peers, and managers.
• Negotiates and resolves administrative issues with representatives of opposing counsel or clients; responds to public inquiries or complaints.

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS:
One year of experience at the level of Paralegal performing a wide variety of paralegal duties under the direction of an attorney.

WITHHOLD INFORMATION
Permanent employees who have completed their initial probationary period and hold the qualifying payroll title may file for this examination if they are within six (6) months of meeting the experience requirement by the last date of filing.  However, their names will be withheld from the eligible list until the required experience is fully met.

No Out-of-Class experience will be accepted for this examination.

LICENSE(S) REQUIRED
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS II - LIGHT
Light physical effort which may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit, and some bending, stooping or squatting. Considerable walking may be involved.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION

• Four hours of MCLE in legal ethics.
• Four hours of MCLE in either general law or in a specialized area of laws.

EXAMINATION CONTENT
This examination will consist of an interview weighted 50% and an Appraisal of Promotability (AP) weighted 50%. 

Part I.  The interview will assess candidates' general preparedness to perform the duties of the position, working relationships, decision-making ability, organizational ability, supervisory knowledge, and knowledge of legal research methods.
 
Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on the interview in order to be eligible and participate in the AP portion of the exam.

Part II.  The AP will evaluate candidates' professional knowledge of criminal laws, legal principles, communication skills, adaptability, dependability, work habits, and analytical skills.

Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on the interview and AP in order to be placed on the eligible list.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
The names of candidates receiving a passing grade in the examination will be placed on the eligible list in the order of their score group for a period of 12 months following the date of promulgation.

SPECIAL INFORMATION

QUALIFYING BACKGROUND CHECK
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

Before a final appointment is made to this position, you will be required to complete and pass a thorough background investigation including a Live Scan.
 
Examples of disqualifying factors are:

• Any criminal charges or convictions
• Job related misdemeanor convictions
• Certain serious traffic convictions or patterns of traffic violations such as three (3) moving violations in one (1) year; failure to appear; at-fault accidents; applicant placed on a three (3) year probation
• Poor credit history
• Poor employment history
• Substance abuse
• Driving under the influence

NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD
All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's User ID and Password may erase a candidate's original application record.

Department Contact: Ray Duque
Department Contact Phone: (213) 257-2700
Departmental Contact Email: exams@da.lacounty.gov
California Relay Service Phone: (800) 735-2922
ADA Coordinator Phone: (213) 257-3020
Teletype Phone: (800) 899-4099
Alternate Teletype Phone: (800) 897-0077