Court Legal Assistant

Position Summary

Under general supervision, this position assists self-represented litigants in assessing legal problems and identifying and explaining the correct legal procedure for the litigant's situation; performs a variety of paraprofessional legal duties; prepares legal forms and instructional materials; promotes self-help services through community outreach and creation of promotional materials and social media content; and performs other clerical and/or administrative duties as required.

Typical Duties

• Assist pro per litigants from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds with various legal matters in person and through the use of remote technology;
• Interview and triage pro per litigants, assess their legal problems and determine the appropriate next steps, and make appropriate referrals;
• Assist pro per litigants with correct preparation of legal forms prior to filing with the court;
• Answer questions about court filing processes and explain legal procedure to pro per litigants one-on-one and in group/workshop settings;
• Identify non-routine cases and ask for specific direction from the supervising attorney, assist the litigant in accordance with those directions;
• Review forms/documents submitted by pro per litigants for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with relevant statutes and rules;
• Design informational content for social media accounts;
• Create, maintain, and update written materials provided to the public;
• Maintain accurate logs, records, and statistical data for purposes of grant funding;
• Assist managing attorney other staff attorneys and court legal assistants as directed.

Qualifications

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Familiarity with principles of California law, statutes, codes, court processes, and rules of court, specifically those that govern practices involving pro per litigants;
• Ability to differentiate between legal information and legal advice and to establish and maintain boundaries with pro per litigants;
• Ability to understand and apply legal principles and practices;
• Ability to explain and clarify legal concepts in lay terms;
• Ability to identify and correct technical inaccuracies in documents;
• Familiarity with principles, methods, techniques, and materials of legal research, analysis, and writing;
• Knowledge of basic judicial structure;
• Knowledge of legal office terminology, processes and procedures, and the proper format for legal documents; familiarity with general office practices and procedures, including the operation of modern office equipment and use of software, such as Microsoft Office Suite, Essential Forms, Zoom, etc.;
• Familiarity with the structure and use of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both orally and in writing, including proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation;
• Ability to work effectively with people experiencing personal crises or when relations are strained, including the use of trauma-informed interviewing techniques;
• Ability to work effectively as an individual and as part of a team of staff and volunteers in a fast-paced, emotionally charged, customer service environment;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, such as court employees in other departments and employees of community agencies and organizations;
• Ability to use initiative and sound independent judgment within established guidelines;
• Skill to prioritize and manage multiple projects, meet deadlines and follow up on assignments.

• Ability to speak, read, and write in Spanish;
• Familiarity with the substantive law, practices and procedures relating to civil subject matters, such as civil harassment restraining orders, elder abuse restraining orders, small claims, unlawful detainers, debt collections, name and/or gender changes;
• Familiarity with the services offered by community agencies and organizations that assist self-represented litigants and underrepresented populations in Sonoma County.

Process to Apply

PROCESS TO APPLY:

Please apply online at: http://sonoma.courts.ca.gov/info/jobs

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.The selection procedure will consist of an application with supplemental questionnaire screening and a panel interview process.

Please list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of the application and be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions. You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position. Please include a cover letter and resume.

Each application and supplemental questionnaire will be thoroughly evaluated for satisfaction of minimum qualifications and relevance of educational coursework, training, experience, and knowledge and abilities; which relate to the position. Candidates possessing the most appropriate job-related qualifications will be invited to an interview.

The Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma is committed to creating a diverse environment and an open, inclusive culture free from bias. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Accommodation:

Applicants with a disability who may require special assistance in any step of the selection process should advise Human Resources by emailing humanresources@sonomacourt.org upon submittal of application.

Please note, all benefits for Part-Time employment are pro-rated

Retirement Plan:
Participation in the Sonoma County Employee’s Retirement Association (SCERA), a 1937 Act Retirement Plan based on PEPRA. The 2025/26 mandatory contribution is 7.7% for employees and 29.9% for the Court. This is a defined benefit plan fully integrated with Social Security.

Vacation Leave:
Regular, full-time employees in benefit unit 02 on paid status accrue vacation at a rate of 3.5 hours per pay period for the first two years (a little over 2 weeks and 1 day each year), with incremental increases to the accrual rate each year through year 5 and additional increases every 5 years thereafter, to year 20. Maximum accrual balance is 376 hours.

Sick Leave:
12 days per year with no limit on accumulation.

Holidays:
14 paid fixed holidays per year, plus 24 miscellaneous floating holiday hours, granted via compensatory time off.

Insurance:
Family vision care, family Dental care as well as employee short and long term disability plans, are fully paid by the Court. Choice of three health plans: Health Net PPO, Health Net HMO, and a Kaiser Permanente HMO plan. The Court's contribution is currently 92% of the premium for the health plan selected.

Life Insurance
$50,000 Term Life Insurance is provided by the Court; additional life insurance may be purchased by the employee.


Deferred Compensation:
Employees may contribute a portion of their salary into a 457 Deferred Compensation account (up to the IRS annual maximum).

Dependent and Medical Care Assistance Programs:
Employees may participate in these tax exempt programs which allow certain personal expenses to be paid from pre-tax salary.

Employee Assistance Program