Legal Assistant - Citywide (8173) - (C00218)

THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAM

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

• Application Opening: January 2, 2024
• Application Filing Deadline: Apply Immediately. Application filing will be open at least through January 16, 2024 and will close anytime thereafter.
• Recruitment ID:  C00218

Under supervision of an attorney, performs a variety of paraprofessional legal duties for one of the legal departments of City government; engages in legal research assignments; interviews clients; assists in the preparation of legal documents and instruments; and performs related duties as required.

Essential duties:

• Investigates, collects and compiles case materials and documentary evidence in contract and personal injury litigation.
• Drafts Complaints, Affidavits, Motions, Interrogatories and other pleadings connected with trial preparation and discovery; interviews witnesses and assists the attorney at trial or at depositions.
• Performs legal research and assists in the preparation of contracts, leases, briefs and legal opinions; may perform statistical research required for litigation.
• Assists in the preparation of legislation, including research of existing statutes and regulations, review of existing legislation for possible conflicts with proposed legislation and analysis or digesting of proposed legislation.
• As assigned, maintains a tracking system for adjusting claims against the City, coordinates investigation and departmental review of claims and communicates with members of the public and departmental representatives relative to claims against the City.
• Corresponds and communicates with attorneys, representatives of other governmental agencies and the general public.
• As assigned, analyzes depositions, exhibits, and pleadings to extract facts pertinent to issues argued on brief; may assemble exhibits, affidavits and other legal documents for use in preparing a trial.
• Interviews citizens with complaints and obtains information for appropriate City legal department; may observe a variety of legal conferences and proceedings; when assigned, attends and observes court room activities.
• Performs related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

If you are interested in a job like this, we are looking for people that have the following:

Completion of a certificated Paralegal Studies curriculum approved by the American Bar Association.

Substitution: The education as described above may be substituted by one of the following:

• Possession of an associate (AA) degree from an accredited college or university AND six (6) months of law-related work experience; OR
• Completion of thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter units of law-related courses from a postsecondary institution that has been accredited by the American Bar Association or by a national/regional accrediting organization or approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education; OR
• Two (2) years of paralegal or law-related work experience under the direct supervision of an attorney

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education for considerations taken when reviewing applications. 

Note: Falsifying one's education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

SELECTION PROCEDURES

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Supplemental Questionnaire (Qualifying): Applicants are required to complete a supplemental questionnaire as part of the application process. The purpose of the supplemental questionnaire is to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's education, experience and training in relation to the Minimum Qualifications for this position. It is essential that an applicant provide complete information in identifying their education, experience and training. The supplemental questionnaire will be used to evaluate if the applicant meets the minimum qualifications.

Legal Assistant Examination (100%): Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to take a multiple-choice exam to determine your relative knowledge, skill and ability level in one or more of the following job-related areas.  These areas may include, but not be limited to:

• Knowledge of legal procedures, legal terminology, and legal research techniques
• Ability to manage large databases and information
• Ability to write effectively and prepare legal documents and forms
• Ability to analyze legal problems
• Ability to perform legal research with accuracy
• Ability to deal tactfully with attorneys, office and court personnel, representatives of other governmental entities and the general public.

This is a standardized multiple-choice examination. In accordance with Civil Service Rule 111.11.4, inspection privileges do not apply to the questions and answers in this examination.

The multiple-choice exam will be administered remotely. This computer-administered exam can be taken at home. Candidates must have access to a computer and reliable internet connection to participate in this exam. Candidates will be scheduled for a specific time and date to complete the examination.

Requests for an alternative test date may be considered in limited circumstances, with proper documentation, and must be submitted to the analyst within five (5) calendar days of the announcement of the test date.

The score you achieve on this examination shall be valid and "banked" for three years, starting from the date of the examination. This means that, during this three-year time period, you will not be required to take this test again should you apply and be found eligible for a future announcement for which this particular test is used. If the test for this future announcement is held within one year of the date of this examination, your score will be automatically applied to that announcement. However, after one year, you have the option to either (a) apply your test score to the other announcement or (b) re-take the test. Re-testing is permitted no sooner than one year from the date of the examination and only in association with your eligibility for another announcement for which this test is used. Please note that, should you re-test, your re-test score would become your official score since it is the most recent (even if it turns out to be lower than your original score).
If a significant modification is made to this exam in the future, the application of "banked" scores may no longer be appropriate. In such a rare circumstance, candidates with "banked" scores would be required to re-take the exam sooner than the three-year period specified above.

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the examination in order to be placed on the resulting eligible list.

Candidate scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.

Exam Preparation Materials: Candidates may review the following guide prior to the exam:

Multiple-Choice Test Preparation Manual, available at the following link: https://sfdhr.org/multiple-choice-test-preparation-manual.

Date(s) of Examination: Only those applicants who meet the Minimum Qualifications will be notified of the exact date of the examination. Devices such as cell phones, smart watches, and cameras are prohibited during the test.

Requests for an alternative test date may be considered in limited circumstances, with proper documentation, and must be submitted to the analyst within five (5) calendar days of the announcement of the test date.

Eligible List/Score Report: 

A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of 12 months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2022-23.pdf.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:

Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/]. The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY

Submit your application through this job ad. If needed, computers are available for the public (from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from [email protected] that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Melinda Miyagishima, by email at [email protected].

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.