09/03

City of San José

LEGAL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT TRAINEE (C)(1165)

 CLASS CODE: (C)1165    
DEPARTMENT:

City Attorney's Office 		ACCOUNTABLE TO:

Varies

 FLSA STATUS:

Non-exempt

CLASS SUMMARY:

   Under immediate supervision, learns and performs legal administrative assistant duties. Performs related work as required.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

   This is the entry level trainee class in the Legal Administrative Assistant series for incumbents with no prior legal administrative experience. Work involves learning to compose and type legal documents, ordinances, resolutions, and briefs requiring accuracy, neatness, and attention to detail. This class is distinguished from the higher level class of Legal Administrative Assistant I in that the incumbents of that class perform duties of moderate complexity at the full working level. This class is distinguished from classes in the Office Specialist series in that the incumbents of that series perform general stenographic and clerical work, and incumbents of this class perform specialized work involving legal terminology and procedures.

QUALIFICATIONS

   (These qualifications are typically required. An equivalent combination of education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities sufficient to satisfactorily perform the duties of the job may be substituted.)

Education and Experience:

   Graduation from high school or equivalent (G.E.D or California Proficiency Certificate). Any combination of training and experience equivalent to two (2) years of responsible experience in stenographic (transcription or word processing) and clerical work, preferably with one year having been acquired in a law office. A certificate and/or degree in legal secretarial studies or related field, or an associate degree from an accredited college may be substituted for one year of responsible experience.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (position requirements at entry and depending on area of assignment):

· Knowledge of basic English, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and arithmetic.

· Knowledge of office practices and procedures.

· Knowledge of word processing practices and procedures.

· Ability to express oneself clearly both orally and in writing.

· Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with a wide spectrum of office employees, other City department staff, outside professional office staff, officials, and the public.

· Ability to work efficiently and effectively under deadlines.

· Ability to handle a variety of tasks simultaneously.

· Ability to perform work requiring attention to detail.

· Ability to operate computers and a variety of other office equipment.

Desirable Qualifications (likely to contribute to more successful job performance; can often be learned on the job):

· Ability to learn routine legal and court practices and procedures.

· Ability to learn legal terminology and phraseology.

· Ability to learn principles and techniques associated with proofreading and reviewing legal documents.

· Ability to learn to prepare documents and effective correspondence on legal matters.

· Ability to learn to maintain a variety of records and reports; and detailed, accurate calendaring, tracking of court dates, and ticklers.

· Ability to learn methods of researching legal documents.

· Ability to learn to use the law library.

DUTY

NO.		 TYPICAL CLASS ESSENTIAL DUTIES:Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

FREQUENCY
1. Performs administrative support duties for attorney staff, such as screening visitors and calls; distributing mail; arranging schedules; maintaining appointment calendars and ticklers; and handling travel-related details. Daily
2. Serves as contact person in answering inquiries and complaints; providing information related to the work of the Office to the public, law firms, courts, and various City, County, State, other public and private agencies/entities; routinely obtaining information as requested or needed. Daily
3. Transcribes dictation; types a variety of legal papers and non-legal material; learns to produce a variety of routine legal papers and documents on a word processor; composes correspondence, memoranda and other material from verbal instruction, short written notes, or independently as appropriate. Daily
4. Prepares, proofreads, and reviews final draft forms of legal papers, contracts, amendments, ordinances, resolutions and court documents to ensure accuracy of dates, clarity of wording and language, conformance to usual type clauses used in such a document, consistency between clauses and/or provisions, verification of accuracy and pertinence of citations and code references through use of the law library; notes necessary changes, additions, deletions, and corrections for review and approval by an attorney or supervisor. Daily
5. Learns methods for researching source documents, indices, handbooks and files for information necessary to routinely prepare a variety of legal documents.

 As Required
6. Provides assistance upon request and/or direction to other Legal Administrative Assistants in the Office; and participates in the presentation of various training demonstrations to other office staff. Assists in the development of office procedures as requested. As Required
7. Operates standard office machines and equipment. Daily
8. Learns various software applications as they relate to the preparation of legal and other documents. As Required
9. Performs other duties of a similar nature or level. As Required

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS (Check all that apply to performance of the essential duties of the job)

  Climbing X Kneeling   Crawling
  Balancing X Lifting X Reaching
X Stooping X Fingering X Standing
X Talking X Grasping X Walking
X Hearing   Feeling X Pushing
  Crouching        

 

 

 

 

___X__Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

CLASSIFICATION HISTORY

3/2/80, Rev 1/83, Rev 1/84,

Rev 09/03; s001

Formerly titled Legal Secretary Trainee