Probate Attorney

Salary: $12,545.36 - $15,587.18 Monthly
Location : Los Angeles, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: R9744G
Department: 36F* - Probate Office
Opening Date: 03/01/2024
Position Description
Priority consideration will be given to those who apply by March 24, 2024.
The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the largest unified trial court in the United States. Its 580 judges and commissioners work in one of the 36 facilities within the Court's 12 judicial districts and are supported by 5,000 full-time Court employees. The Court has an annual budget of more than $1 billion. Located in Southern California, Los Angeles County is geographically one of the nation's largest counties, covering 4,752 square miles and, with over 10,400,000 residents, is also one of its most populous counties.
ABOUT THE POSITION:
The Court seeks dynamic, well-qualified, and highly motivated individuals to work as Probate Attorneys to fill additional positions in its growing Probate Unit. Probate Attorneys analyze submissions to the Probate court, advise the court on matters of Probate law and respond to procedural questions from the court, attorneys, and litigants. Incumbents analyze and interpret Probate and related law and apply Court and divisional policies.
For a detailed job description, please click here. Please note the requirements in the job description may vary from the requirements in the bulletin. Applicants must meet the requirements stated in this bulletin.
TELEWORK OPPORTUNITIESThis position is eligible for telework following an initial training period.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

1. Resume
2. A sample of your writing, up to ten pages;

Please attach both documents to your online application following the guidelines below. Failure to submit the required documents at the time of filing will result in your application being disqualified.

• Attachments must be in Microsoft Word or PDF format and should not exceed 10 MB per application.
• Documents must be attached prior to submitting the application. Once the application is submitted, you will not be able to edit or add documents.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
To qualify, you must meet the following minimum requirements at the time of application:
Graduation from an accredited law school; an active license with the State Bar of California; five (5) years' experience practicing law in California, three (3) years of which include practicing Probate law involving matters such as decedents' estates, trusts, guardianships, and/or conservatorships.
EDUCATION VERIFICATION
To receive credit, a legible copy of your law school diploma -OR- transcript(s) (unofficial are acceptable) detailing the degree conferred and the name of the educational institution must be attached to your online application. Otherwise, your application materials will be deemed incomplete and rejected accordingly.
For a list of acceptable accredited institutions or international universities, please visit http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation, www.chea.org/search, or http://whed.net/home.php.
Foreign studies must be evaluated by an academic credential evaluation agency and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from the United States. For a list of acceptable evaluation agencies, please visit www.naces.org or http://aice- eval.org/members/. Foreign studies submitted without acceptable evaluation will be rejected.
Licenses; Certificates; Special Requirements:
A valid California Class C driver license or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
The ideal candidate will be independent, reliable, adaptable, and possess the following desirable qualifications:

• Knowledge of law affecting Probate court proceedings, including Probate, Family, Mental Health, Welfare, Civil, Elder, and Tax law, and the ability to use on-line resources to perform legal research.
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines and to set priorities and allocate resources to meet the needs of the Court in a timely and effective manner.
• Ability to exercise sound, expert, independent judgment within general policy guidelines.
• Effective communication skills, including the ability to discuss complex legal issues with judicial officers, attorneys, the public, and administrative personnel.
• Ability to function as a team member on projects with colleagues, judicial officers, and other professionals, including the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with judicial officers, court and County employees, members of the public, and others encountered in the course of work.
• Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Ability to operate a computer using standard business software and operate standard office equipment.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of court records and information.

EXAMINATION INFORMATION:
Part I: Qualifying evaluation of education, training and experience based upon submitted application materials and supplemental questionnaire.
Part II: Applicants who best meet job-related qualifications will be invited to participate in the examination process that may consist of any combination of written, performance, or oral appraisal to further evaluate job-related experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities.
APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:
Applications may only be filed online. To learn how to apply online, please access the Online Employment Application Guide. The Court reserves the right to verify all submitted documentation prior to appointment. The Court will only consider completed applications submitted, along with the required documents, and will reject incomplete applications. A resume will not substitute for a fully completed employment application. To facilitate the full and proper consideration of your work experience, clearly specify what professional experience meets the required job qualifications. When listing your work experience, please specify the beginning and end dates for each job you held and describe your experience for each position.
Please provide a current and accurate e-mail address for the Court to communicate with you about this job opportunity. Human Resources staff will notify all applicants of their application status via e-mail. We recommend that you add info@governmentjobs.com to your SAFE SENDERS list to avoid the notification being filtered as spam mail.
The Court is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants with disabilities who require reasonable accommodation to participate in the recruitment process can contact the email address provided below. For additional employment information, please click here (Download PDF reader).
Questions regarding this posting may be e-mailed to abetancourth@lacourt.org.
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:
We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. Applicants who successfully pass each (and all) examination part(s) will be placed on an eligible list that will remain active for approximately one year. Other vacancies may be filled using this list.
Exam No.: R9744GProbate Attorney
Applications may be filed online at:
OR via the HR computer kiosk at
Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Human Resources Administration
111 N. Hill Street, Room 203
Los Angeles, CA 90012
MegaFlex Benefit Plan
Benefits may be purchased using a tax-free monthly benefits allowance of 14.5% or 17% of the employee's monthly salary or $1,300.00, whichever is greater. The percentage is based on employee's years of service. If the monthly cost of the benefits selected is less than the monthly allowance, the employee receives the difference as additional taxable pay. For detailed plan information, click
Insurance
The MegaFlex plan includes a robust range of insurance options, including medical, dental, disability, life, and AD&D insurance.
Flexible Spending Accounts
Employees may contribute up to $237 per month into a tax-free Health Care Spending Account and up to $400 per month tax-free into a Dependent Care Spending Account. The Court contributes up to $375 per month to the Dependent Care Spending Account.
Leave Benefits
Annual Leave - Instead of traditional sick and vacation leave, employees earn 10 days of annual leave per year and may buy up to 20 additional days of annual leave.
Holidays - 14 days per year.
Bereavement leave
Retirement
- Optional tax-deferred supplemental retirement plan that includes a County match up to 4% of employee's salary.
- Optional tax-deferred supplemental retirement plan that includes a County match of up to 4% of employee's salary.
Retirement Pension Plan administered by the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA).
If the candidate is a "new member" of the County's defined benefit plan (LACERA) on or after January 1, 2013, that person's pension will be limited under the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act (PEPRA). For these purposes, a "new member" is someone who first becomes a member of LACERA on or after January 1, 2013 - that is, someone first employed by the County on or after December 1, 2012 - unless she or he established reciprocity with another public retirement system in which she or he was a member before January 1, 2013. For further information, visit
Other Benefits:
The Commuter Benefit Plan (CBP) - Allows employees to pay for eligible public transit expenses using pre-tax dollars (up to IRS limits).
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Tuition Reimbursement- The Tuition Reimbursement Program provides eligible employees with tuition assistance (maximum $2000 per fiscal year) for courses toward a degree program at an accredited college and/or university. The program is intended to support the ongoing development of a highly effective workforce at the Court.
The information contained herein concerning the benefit package available to incumbents in this classification is based on an employee's appointment to a full-time, permanent position in the Court service in this class. The specific benefit package any individual employee may receive is subject to change based on that employee's particular employment status and payroll title.
01
INSTRUCTIONS: The hiring team will evaluate your responses to this online supplemental questionnaire to determine your eligibility to participate in the next phase of the examination process. Please answer every question as specifically and as completely as possible. Attaching or referencing a resume will not be considered responsive. Providing incomplete responses, false statements, omitting a material fact, and providing only partial information can disqualify you. If any of the questions is not applicable to you, please indicate 'N/A" in the designated space below.

• Please check the box to indicate you have read and understood the instructions.

02
Please provide the name and location of the law school that conferred your juris doctor and the date the degree was conferred.
03
Do you hold an active license from the State Bar of California?

• Yes
• No

04
Please provide date of admission to the State Bar of California and State Bar number:
05
List the dates that you have been practicing law. Include the state(s), specific time frame(s), location(s), and hours worked per week.
06
Describe your experience in the areas of decedent's estates, conservatorships, guardianships and trust proceedings. Summarize, with as much detail as possible, your experience with each case type, including: a) The approximate number of cases in each category you handled over the last five years, types of petitions, sizes of estates, and significant challenges encountered. b) The percentage of your work (or hours per week) consisting of cases heard in Probate Court. c) The other areas of law does your work encompasses. Approximately what percentage of your time is devoted to each case type?
07
Describe in detail three of the most significant Probate matters you handled during the past five years (include decedents' estate, trust, guardianship, or conservatorship cases). For each matter include an explanation of the nature of the proceeding, your role in the proceeding, a description of the parties, issues involved in resolving the matter, and the resolution.
08
List the continuing education classes for Probate (decedents' estates, trusts, conservatorships, or guardianships) or Tax you have taken within the last five years. For each course, list the title of the presentation, date attended, MCLE provider, and hours of MCLE credit.
09
List all bar associations and professional societies of which you are a member and provide the titles and dates of any offices you have held in such groups. In addition, list any committees you have chaired in bar associations and professional societies, and describe memberships on any committees you believe to be significant.
10
Have you served as court appointed counsel for a proposed conservator, conservatee, proposed ward or ward? If yes, describe your experience(s).
11
List legal books or articles you have authored by publishing date, title, and publisher/publication.
12
If you served in the armed forces of the United States and received less than an honorable discharge, explain.
13
Have you ever been sued by a client? If yes, give complete details.
14
Have you ever been cited for contempt of any court or body having the power of contempt? If yes, give complete details.
15
Have any sanctions of $1,000 or more been imposed against you in any single case in the last 5 years, excluding discovery sanctions? If yes, explain fully.
16
As a...