| Location | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Salary | $29.71–$36.12 Per Hour |
Legal Secretary I - Bilingual (English/Spanish) - Extra-Help
Salary
$29.71 - $36.12 Hourly
Location
Santa Rosa, CA
Job Type
Extra Help
Job Number
26/09-0020-OBIL
Department
Public Defenders Office (PDO)
Opening Date
09/14/2026
Closing Date
9/29/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Bargaining Unit
01
Position Information
Do you have experience working in a legal office, fluent bilingual (English/Spanish) abilities, and administrative skills?
The County of Sonoma Law Office of the Public Defender is offering an excellent opportunity to begin your career in the legal secretarial field.
Starting salary up to $36.12/hour, plus an additional $1.50/hour fluent bilingual pay.
As a Legal Secretary I, you will utilize your bilingual skills and provide legal secretarial support to the Law Office of the Public Defender. You will be responsible for preparing, redacting, and finalizing legal documents, transcribing various recordings into proper style and form, and providing legal secretarial services to law office staff. Additional duties may include:
The ideal candidate for this position will have experience in a criminal or governmental law office, including working with a legal case management system, and possess many of the following:
Fluent (reading, writing, conversational) Spanish is required for this position. Applicants who wish to be considered for a bilingual position must indicate their level of skill in the required supplemental questionnaire. An examination will be conducted prior to employment in a bilingual position to confirm the level of skill in this area.
Extra-Help Employment
Extra-help employees relieve or augment permanent staff. Temporary, extra-help employees are not in the classified civil service and do not have property rights to permanently allocated positions. In addition, they do not receive most employee benefits such as long-term disability insurance coverage, accrual of vacation, participation in the County retirement program, or eligibility to take promotional examinations. Temporary, extra-help employees are limited in their employment to a maximum of one calendar year. These employees must be off of work for three months before they can be re-employed on an extra help basis. Extra-help employees who meet the eligibility requirements may qualify for a County contribution toward medical coverage.
This recruitment is being conducted to fill a fluent bilingual (English/Spanish) temporary, extra-help Legal Secretary I position in the Public Defenders Office. The employment list established from this recruitment may also fill future extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the employment list. The Civil Service title for this position is Legal Secretary I.
The County of Sonoma
Sonoma County offers a rare and compelling array of scenic, recreational, and geographic characteristics - including over 200 award-winning wineries, inspiring coastline and beaches, the Russian River, and majestic redwoods. The County encompasses over one million acres of land and water; rich with agriculture, parks, campsites, lakes, and open space. Sonoma County is also home to a wide variety of restaurants, art and music festivals, farmers markets, and concert venues. Local schools continually rank high on Californias Academic Performance Index, and the Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University offer higher education opportunities. Sonoma County is an increasingly diverse region and is home to approximately 500,000 residents. The Latino population has grown by almost 230% within the last 25 years and is approximately 27% of the population.
Please visit www.sonomacounty.ca.gov and sonomacountyconnections.org for additional information about Sonoma County - the place to live, work, and build your career legacy.
Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience and Education: Satisfactory completion of a legal secretarial training program which directly relates to the required knowledge and abilities is highly desirable, and one year of responsible clerical experience or work experience in a law office or office of the courts which directly relates to the required knowledge and abilities.
Performance Skills: Ability to type accurately at a rate of 65 words per minute.
License: Possession of a valid drivers license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position. The position advertised on this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver's License.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Working knowledge of: legal terminology, legal forms and documents; business English, spelling, grammar and punctuation; word processing equipment.
Knowledge of: modern legal office practices and procedures; the effective operation and utilization of dictation transcription machines may be required; the effective operation and utilization of photocopiers, fax machines and other office machines and equipment; alphabetical, numerical and other filing systems appropriate to law offices; government or department codes, ordinances, laws, regulations, procedures, precedents, policy decisions and written format in order to carry out clerical and minor administrative functions under general direction; the records and filing systems used in a law office or office of the courts.
Ability to: perform basic computer and word processing tasks; transcribe from dictating equipment a wide variety of legal dictation at an acceptable rate of speed may be required; compose, type and assemble information into proper legal form from outlined instructions or established procedures; finalize attorneys work products for filing or mailing; compose routine letters and memoranda; understand and follow complex oral and written instructions, and adhere to established practices and procedures; use good judgment in making decisions in accordance with existing laws, ordinances, regulations, department policies and procedures; understand, weigh and apply regulatory, office practice and procedural guidelines to a variety of unrelated situations; maintain a wide variety of legal files, records and reports; establish and maintain harmonious and effective working relationships with departmental personnel, legal and court related departments and the public; perform basic arithmetic calculations; type accurately at the rate of 65 words per minute.
Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying
Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.
Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.
Responses to supplemental questions are used to evaluate your qualifications. Please provide sufficient information to allow for a thorough evaluation of your qualifications.
The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:
An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (pass/not pass) will be conducted to evaluate each applicants combination of educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities that relate to this position to ensure satisfaction of the minimum qualifications for this position. Candidates who possess the minimum qualifications for the position will be placed on an extra-help employment list and referred to the department. The department may contact candidates from the employment list who possess the most appropriate job-related qualifications for further consideration.
Additional Information
A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to candidates.
Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.
How to Apply
Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org. Paper applications may be submitted in person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job announcement must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.
The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.
HR Analyst: DP
HR Technician: KK
Important Note: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.
County of Sonoma Benefits: General*
These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:
Paid Time Off: Competitive vacation accrual and sick leave accruals; additional management leave annually; 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year; and may be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment.
Health Plan: Choose from nine health plans (three HMOs, three deductible HMOs, and three HSA-qualifying plans) with a generous County contribution to the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit). For more information, please see the appropriate MOU.
Retirement: Fully integrated with Social Security. For more information regarding eligibility, retirement contributions, and reciprocity with prior public service, please visit https://scretire.org/active-/-deferred/when-you-are-hired.
IRS 457 Plan: Pre-tax employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.
Retiree Medical: County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.
Student Loan Debt Relief: County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education.
Plus, excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, professional development, and more.
For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process and more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331. Additional details about benefit and compensation packages can be found in the MOUs located at Labor Agreements & Salary Resolution. For specific information about health and welfare benefits, including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts, go to Human Resources or contact the Human Resources Risk Management-Benefits Office at benefits@sonomacounty.gov or (707) 565-2900.
01
How did you first learn about this opportunity?
02
JL - Bilingual Fluent ENGLISH/SPANISH BILINGUAL ABILITIES: Do you have fluent English/Spanish bilingual abilities and wish to be considered for a bilingual position? (Fluent means the ability to speak, read, and write English & Spanish using correct grammar, translating accurately, conveying information correctly and clearly, etc.) Candidates must pass a bilingual proficiency examination to be eligible for a bilingual position.
03
For this question and all subsequent questions provide sufficient information to allow for a thorough evaluation of your qualifications. The minimum qualifications for this position is normally met with satisfactory completion of a legal secretarial training program which directly relates to the required knowledge and abilities (highly desirable) AND one year of responsible clerical experience or work experience in a law office or office of the courts which directly relates to the required knowledge and abilities.
Please describe your education, training, and experience which qualifies you for this position including your relevant certifications, coursework, and/or degrees
04
Please describe your experience preparing and processing legal documents. Include the types of legal documents you prepared or processed and highlight any experience you possess redacting documents. Also provide an example of a time when you needed to prepare/process a legal document, including the type and/or purpose of the document, any challenges you encountered, and the steps you took to resolve them and finish the task.
05
Please describe your proficiency (beginner, intermediate, advanced) for each of the following programs. List the name of each program you have used and provide an example of how you use/used the software.
Required Question
Employer County of Sonoma (CA)
Address 575 Administration Drive, Suite 116B
Santa Rosa, California, 95403
Phone (707) 565-2331