Public Defender Legal Processor I - Bilingual (English/Spanish)

Start your career with the County of Sonoma as a bilingual Legal Processor I with the Public Defender's Office!

Starting salary up to $30.11/hour ($62,843/year)* plus a bilingual premium of an additional $1.50/hour on top of the hourly pay rate.

Please note this position requires fluent bilingual skills in English and Spanish, including the ability to speak, read, and write in both languages.

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to excellent benefits* including:

• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Career Advancement - With time and good performance, the opportunity for advancement to Legal Processor II (up to $70,502.91/annually
• Bilingual Premium Pay* - An additional $1.50/hour on top of the hourly pay rate for fluent bilingual positions
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee family health plan options
• Staff Development/Wellness Pay - Annual benefit allowances of up to $500 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

A Public Defender Legal Processor I works closely supporting the mission of the Public Defender's Office and interacts with English and non-English speaking clients. Typical duties include assisting clients at the front counter, answering incoming phone calls to the department's main phone line, scheduling client appointments for attorneys, and entering documents into a case management system.

As a Legal Processor you will work with the public, attorneys, law enforcement officials, and court personnel answering a variety of questions regarding departmental services and operations. This position assists the Public Defender's Office with various clerical duties such as typing, preparing, confirming, copying, distributing, and filing a variety of material. This work may include answering questions, assisting clients with completing financial applications, distributing bus passes to clients, and entering data into various database systems.

Legal Processors work in an office environment and are required to wear business appropriate attire. Work hours are typically Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm, with a one-hour lunch. Telework is not available for this position.

The Legal Processors are part of a larger team including legal secretaries, attorneys, investigators, and administrative personnel that work towards the collective benefit of Public Defender clients.

The ideal candidate will possess a strong customer focus and many of the following:

• High level of English/Spanish bilingual skills (speaking, reading, and writing at a fluent level)
• Experience working in an office providing customer service
• The ability to manage interactions in a front desk environment
• Excellent communication skills in person and over the phone
• The ability to remain patient and calm when assisting challenging clients both in person and over the phone.
• The ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other Public Defender staff, department representatives, court officials, and the public
• General clerical and/or legal support experience
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel)

About Sonoma County

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

Considerable knowledge of: basic arithmetic, English grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and composition.

Working knowledge of: general clerical and office practices and procedures; word processing and other data processing programs used in business offices.

Ability to: understand, explain, and apply specific statutes, codes, laws, regulations, and procedures; maintain complex legal records, assemble materials and prepare reports; locate, identify and correct technical inaccuracies; work independently in performing assignment and in resolving problems and deviations; use independent initiative and discretion in organizing work and carrying out instructions within a structured environment; establish and maintain cooperative and harmonious relationships with judges, attorneys, litigants, law enforcement officials, other employees, and the general public; make accurate arithmetic calculations; operate a variety of office equipment.

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

Responses to supplemental questions will or may be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org. Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: DP

HR Technician: EV