Senior Legal Secretary

Senior Legal Secretary

The County of Orange is hiring for a Senior Legal Secretary position. The salary range is $61,318.40 - $82,659.20 annually. The position is located in Santa Ana and is full-time.

This recruitment will establish an open eligible list that will be used to fill current and future Senior Legal Secretary positions. The eligible list established may also be used to fill positions in similar and/or lower classifications throughout the County of Orange. This recruitment will be open for a minimum of five (5) business days and will close on Monday, January 19, 2026, at 11:59 PM (PST).

The Office of County Counsel serves as legal counsel of the County of Orange and represents the Board of Supervisors, County officers, and County departments. The County Counsel's mission is to provide the highest quality legal advice and representation to the Board of Supervisors, elected and appointment department heads, County agencies, their departments and staff, and Board-governed special districts.

The Senior Legal Secretary will provide legal secretarial support to assigned attorneys on the Office's LPS/Probate or Litigation and Advisory teams. The position supports attorneys who represent different client agencies and diverse areas of the law. The incumbent is responsible for the timely preparation, processing, and filing of legal documents in a variety of complex and non-complex civil actions and litigation. These documents include but are not limited to opinions, agreements, contracts, pleadings, letters, and memoranda. The position may involve legal clerical support in a specialized area of civil law but providing a full range of clerical support and addressing other duties is essential.

The ideal candidate will have experience in the following competencies:

• Creating, formatting, and editing various legal forms and related documentation
• Analyzing and interpreting court rules, procedures, and citation checks
• Foundational understanding of court system procedures, processing legal documents, and filing deadlines
• Conducting research and locating relevant resources in a law library setting

Human Resource Services (HRS) will screen all application materials to identify qualified applicants. After screening, qualified applicants will be referred to the next step and notified of all further procedures applicable to their status in the competition.

Application Screening (Refer/Non-Refer) Applications and supplemental responses will be screened for qualifications that are highly desirable and most needed to successfully perform the duties of this job. Only those applicants that meet the qualifications as listed in the job bulletin will be referred to the next step.

Online Assessment (Weighted 100%) Candidates whose applications reflect the most job-related experience and training will be invited to the online assessment. Only the most qualified candidates will be referred to the next step.

Eligible List Once the assessment has been completed, HRS will establish an eligible list of candidates. Candidates placed on the eligible list may be referred to a selection interview to be considered for present and future vacancies.

Based on the Department's needs, the selection procedure listed above may be modified. All candidates will be notified of any changes in the selection procedure.

The County is committed to providing a mechanism to give preferential consideration in the employment process to veterans and their eligible spouses and will provide eligible participants the opportunity to receive interviews in the selection process for employment and paid internship openings. Please review the policy.

Email is the primary form of notification during the recruitment process. Please ensure your correct email address is included in our application and use only one email account. Candidates will be notified regarding their status as the recruitment proceeds via email through the GovernmentJobs.com site. Please check your email folders, including spam/junk folders, and/or accept emails ending with "governmentjobs.com" and "ocgov.com." If your email address should change, please update your profile at www.governmentjobs.com.

For specific information pertaining to this recruitment, contact Joanna Xue at joanna.xue@ceo.oc.gov or (714)-834-7338.

In addition to the County's standard suite of benefits, such as a variety of health plan options, annual leave and paid holidays, we also offer an excellent array of benefits such as a Health Care Reimbursement Account, 457 Defined Contribution Plan and Annual Education and Professional Reimbursement. Employees are provided a Retirement Plan through the Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS).

Please go to the following link to find out more about Defined Benefit Pensions and OCERS Plan Types/Benefits. http://www.ocers.org/active-member-information

Click here for information about benefits offered to County of Orange employees.

The information you provide on this questionnaire will be evaluated and used to determine your level of expertise during the selection process. Be as specific as possible and include all information requested. If you do not have experience in an area, please answer "N/A". Statements such as "see application" or "see resume," will not be accepted in lieu of a response. All employers referenced on this questionnaire must be listed on your application. Do you understand these instructions?

Please select from the following options which best describes your experience.

• Three years of secretarial work in a legal environment that demonstrates the possession of the required knowledge and abilities
• One year of work experience as a County of Orange Legal Secretary
• Possession of an ABA-approved certificate as a paralegal and one year of legal secretarial work. Education that is related to the required knowledge and abilities may be substituted for all or a portion of the required experience at the rate of three college semester units for one month of experience
• None of the above

Based on your response to question #2, if you are substituting relevant education for the required experience as defined in the Senior Legal Secretary minimum qualifications, you are acknowledging that you attached a copy of your college coursework to your application. Foreign degrees require an evaluation of U.S. equivalency by an agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Services (N.A.C.E.S)

Describe your secretarial work experience in a legal environment as it relates to the position. Be sure to include your years of experience, from which employer/role you gained the experience from, your scope of responsibilities, and the types of legal forms and/or documents you've prepared. If none, please type "N/A".

* Required Question

The County of Orange is an equal employment opportunity employer, encouraging applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.