Senior Legal Secretary

Senior Legal Secretary

Salary

$63,148.80 - $85,134.40 Annually

Location

Santa Ana

Job Type

Full-Time

Job Number

0568CL-1026-025 (O)

Department

County Counsel

Opening Date

10/29/2026

Closing Date

11/6/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

CAREER DESCRIPTION

SENIOR LEGAL SECRETARY

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

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.

DEADLINE TO APPLY

This recruitment will be open for a minimum of five (5) business days and will close on

Friday, November 6, 2026 at 11:59pm (PST).

COUNTY COUNSEL

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 Counsels 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.

Click here for more information about the Office of County Counsel.

Click here for more information about the County of Orange.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The position provides legal secretarial support to attorneys serving as Courtroom Trial Deputies for the Social Services Agency's (SSA) Children and Family Services (CFS) in Juvenile Court. This unit handles cases involving children who have been physically or sexually abused, abandoned, neglected, or are otherwise at risk due to unsafe circumstances. The role delivers essential legal secretarial services to attorneys managing increasingly complex child protection matters and handling cases with strict, court mandated deadlines. As a lead worker, the Senior Legal Secretary supports the Law Office Supervisor in training Legal Secretaries and is responsible for more complex legal issues and specialized projects.

Future opportunities may exist to provide legal secretarial support to attorneys assigned to the Office's LPS/Probate or Litigation and Advisory teams. These roles support attorneys representing various client agencies and practicing in diverse areas of law. The incumbent is responsible for the timely preparation, processing, and filing of legal documents in a wide range of complex and non complex civil actions and litigation. These documents include, but are not limited to, opinions, agreements, contracts, pleadings, letters, and memoranda.

While the position may involve support in a specialized area of civil law, providing a full range of clerical services and performing other essential duties remains a core component of the role.

The ideal candidate will have experience in the following competencies:

Technical Knowledge | Technical Expertise

• 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

Strategic Planning | Coordination

• Planning and organizing complex legal and general clerical assignments effectively
• Contributing to the development and refinement of office policies and procedures
• Meeting Office of County Counsel goals and deadlines

Communication Skills | Oral and Written

• Communicating effectively by presenting thoughts, ideas, information, and messages, concisely, logically, and persuasively both orally and in writing with correct punctuation and spelling
• Communicating with peers, management, members of the public, and city or county staff to achieve business objectives and foster effective working relationships
• Using diplomacy when dealing with challenging situations or sudden changes

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Please click here for details on this classification, including the physical, mental, environmental, and working conditions.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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 (Un-proctored, Weighted 100%)

Applicants who meet qualifications will be invited to participate in one or more job related assessments. Applicants will be notified of their test date and access code, if applicable. Only the most qualified candidates will advance to the next step in the recruitment process or will be placed on the eligible list.

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 Departments needs, the selection procedure listed above may be modified. All candidates will be notified of any changes in the selection procedure.

Veterans Employment Preference

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 click here to review the policy.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

The County of Orange is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Individuals who require a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should notify the recruiter listed on the job posting as soon as possible. Documentation supporting the accommodation request may be required.

EMAIL NOTIFICATION

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.

NOTE: User accounts are established for one person only and should not be shared with another person. Multiple applications with multiple users may jeopardize your status in the recruitment process for any positions for which you apply. 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.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Click here for additional Frequently Asked Questions.

For specific information pertaining to this recruitment, contact Aniko Ruha at aniko.ruha@ceo.oc.gov or (714)-834-7330.

EEO INFORMATION

Orange County, as an equal employment opportunity employer, encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

Please note that Extra Help employees are not eligible for the benefits listed.

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

01

INSTRUCTIONS: 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?

• Yes
• No

02

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

03

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)

• I am submitting relevant education for the required experience
• I do not possess an applicable education or this does not apply

04

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 youve prepared. If none, please type "N/A".

Required Question

Employer County of Orange

Address 400 W CIVIC CENTER DRIVE

Santa Ana, California, 92701

Phone 714-834-2555

Website https://hrs.oc.gov