Legal Office Services Supervisor (Open and Promotional)

The Position: 
Legal Office Services Supervisors oversee legal support functions in a wide range of areas including but not limited to Pretrial, Court Services, Records Unit, stats desk, AB 109 support, ID Desk, special projects, reception, and internal and external customer service support. The selected candidate will supervise and direct a team of approximately 10 staff members performing legal support functions.
 
The ideal candidate will have four years of experience providing office support in a legal or court setting and working knowledge of court documents and legal terminology; possess demonstrated leadership and team building skills; create an environment that unites people and motivates them to work collaboratively and effectively toward agreed upon objectives; understand and maintain necessary confidentiality; maintain a positive public image, often times under stressful situations; be able to resolve issues of conflict and manage personnel matters; effectively guide and train staff on court process and procedures; and have excellent oral and written communication skills. Bilingual skills in Spanish are desired but not required.
 
Rewarding Aspects of the Job:  As a Legal Office Services Supervisor, you will have the opportunity to collaborate and work with various county justice partners to ensure community safety. You will be working in a supportive and team-oriented environment that values diversity and collaboration, fostering a workplace where all team member's unique perspectives contribute to our shared commitment to community well-being.  You will also have direct involvement in mentoring and providing professional development of staff.
 
Challenging Aspects of the Job:  A Legal Office Services Supervisor will encounter various unique challenges integral to their role. Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail are needed to support direct reports and assist in resolving complex challenges involving strict deadlines.    Additionally, if assigned to the Pretrial Services Unit, the Legal Office Services Supervisor will support staff that are assigned to work in locked facilities. 
 
As the Legal Office Services Supervisor, you will oversee and manage various operational and administrative functions. Your key responsibilities will include:

• Supervising and directing legal office support staff and their activities.
• Planning, scheduling, assigning, reviewing, and performing legal office support tasks.
• Training staff in general and legal office procedures, along with specific departmental and unit policies.
• Supporting the San Mateo County Card Key System operations.
• Evaluating employee performance and handling personnel actions such as hiring, initial corrective measures, and other related decisions.
• Managing facility-related duties and assignments.
• Determining work schedules, authorizing leave, and processing timecards to ensure all work is completed on time.
• Handling inquiries, providing information, and resolving complaints from clients, the public, or employees regarding the activities of the work unit.
• Developing, recommending, and implementing improved work systems, processes, and procedures.
• Compiling operational and statistical data, maintaining records, and preparing special and periodic reports.
• Performing complex legal office support tasks and assisting with special projects; processing various legal documents including court calendars, orders, probation reports, referrals, and other related documents.
• Reviewing legal documents, files, and cases to identify inaccuracies or inconsistencies and ensuring data clarity.
• Verifying court and legal documents for proper authorization and obtaining missing signatures as needed.
• Compiling data from multiple sources to complete and process legal forms, documents, and reports in accordance with established procedures.
• Establishing and maintaining office and case files; researching and compiling information from these files.
• Closing and purging files according to established guidelines.
• Providing project support to departmental management.
• Performing other related duties as assigned.

 
The Agency
The current vacancy is in the Juvenile Services Division at the Youth Services Center in San Mateo. However, the eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies within another division and the incumbent hired may also be reassigned to any other division depending on operational needs. The other offices are located in San Mateo and South San Francisco. To learn more about the department, visit: https://www.smcgov.org/probation 
 
The Probation Department is generally open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Pretrial Services Unit currently operates Sunday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.  

Note: The hiring list created from this recruitment may be used to fill several extra-help vacancies and could be used to fill future full-time, part-time, limited-term, and extra-help positions.Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying.

A typical way to qualify is: four years of experience providing office support in a legal or court setting.

Knowledge of:
Supervisory principles and practices including work planning, scheduling, review and evaluation, and employee training and corrective action; office management practices and procedures including records management and the operation of standard office equipment; legal documents, forms, terminology and procedures; policies and procedures related to the department to which assigned; standard office equipment; business arithmetic and letter writing; and correct English usage including spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Skill/Ability to:
Plan, assign, supervise, review and evaluate the work of others; train others in work procedures; read and interpret rules, policies, procedures and legal and court documents; organize, research and maintain office files; compose correspondence independently from brief instructions; use initiative and sound independent judgment within established guidelines; deal tactfully and effectively with a variety of individuals, some of whom may be hostile or irate; organize and prioritize work, meeting critical deadlines and following up on assignments with minimum supervision; and analyze and resolve varied office administrative problems.
Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score.

The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%) which may include a writing and/or performance exercise(s). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations, or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California, and applicants must participate at their own expense.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. A supplemental application form must be submitted in addition to the standard County employment application form.  Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.

About The County
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.

The County of San Mateo is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work. County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels.

Salary : $88,338 - $110,365