Deputy District Attorney I/II/III

WHAT WE OFFER
The County of Ventura offers an attractive compensation and benefits package. In addition to the base salary of approximately $98,596.05 to $196,156.29 annually an employee within this position will also be eligible for the following:

• General Salary Increases - 3.5% effective November 9, 2025.
• Educational Incentive - 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% based on the completion of an Associate, Bachelor's, or graduate degree (if educational attainments are not specifically required by the position).
• Annual Leave - A candidate selected for this position will earn up to 208 hours of Annual Leave per year, increasing to 288 hours after 5 years of service.
• Annual Leave Redemption - Upon using 80 hours of annual leave within the preceding 12-month period, an employee may request to receive pay in lieu of up to 100 hours of annual leave accrual at the current base rate of pay.
• Deferred Compensation - Eligible to participate in the County's 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. This position is eligible for up to a 3% match on your 401(k) contributions.
• Health Plans - Biweekly contribution towards a flexible benefits program (including medical, dental, and vision insurance options)
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Pre-tax benefit towards eligible medical, dental, and vision care expenses.
• Pension Plan - Participation in the County's defined pension plan. If eligible, you may establish reciprocity with other public retirement systems such as CalPERS.
• Bilingual Incentive - Proficiency levels by exam are $.69 per hour (Level I), $1.00 per hour (Level (II), or $1.32 per hour (Level III).
• Holidays - 12 paid days per year which includes a scheduled floating holiday.
• Textbook and Tuition - Up to a maximum of $2,000 per fiscal year in accordance with the memorandum of agreement. 

The County
Ventura County is a “general law” county, governed by a five-member, elected-by-district Board of Supervisors. The Supervisors appoint a County Executive Officer (CEO) to oversee the County budget, day-to-day operations, and to advise, assist, and act as an agent for the Board of Supervisors in all matters under the Board’s jurisdiction. It focuses on serving its residents by promoting engagement, strategy, execution and accountability to include diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to ensure that all employees are treated with respect and without discrimination, and to improve culturally appropriate outcomes for community members.

The District Attorney's Office 
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office is the public prosecutor for the county's 850,000 residents.  Our office employs approximately 310 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and other professional staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims to ensure we fulfill the mission of the District Attorney's Office to promote justice and protect the citizens of Ventura County.
 
Our duties directly involve the investigation and prosecution of felony and misdemeanor crimes, including homicides, serious and violent felonies, sexual assaults, narcotics offenses, gang crimes, domestic violence, juvenile crimes, and misdemeanors.  Our office is charged with investigating and prosecuting complex civil and criminal financial fraud, environmental crimes, and other specialized cases, including code compliance and asset forfeiture - check restitution program.
 
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office recognizes the importance of diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion in the office’s culture and climate, hiring, training, opportunities for advancement, and its relationship with the communities it serves.
 
The Position
Under administrative direction, performs prosecutorial legal services as assigned by the District Attorney (D.A.). Responsible for an ongoing caseload and other assignments which require constant interaction with the public, other agencies, and members of the legal profession.
 
The ideal candidate will have experience appearing in court on contested matters, making arguments to the judge, and eliciting evidence from witnesses.  The ideal candidate also has some experience in a prosecutor's office either as an attorney or law student, has prepared contested motions, and has argued motions on behalf of the prosecution.
 
Work is assigned based upon the experience and professional competence of the attorney. Candidates appointed at the lower levels of the class series may be promoted to higher levels within the series upon the assumption of progressively responsible job assignments, satisfactory performance of such assignments, and having the corresponding amount of professional experience.

No experience is required at the Attorney I level. The Attorney II level requires a minimum of two (2) years of legal experience and the Attorney III requires a minimum of four (4) years of legal experience. Advancement within the series is dependent upon sustained meritorious performance.
 
For those with long-term career aspirations as a prosecutor, there is also a Senior Attorney class which, under administrative direction, provides the most difficult professional prosecutorial services as assigned by the D.A. The Senior class is distinguished from subordinate classes by: (1) difficulty of work assignments; (2) incumbents' demonstrated excellence of professional performance; and (3) appointment to, and removal from, the classification at the discretion of the D.A.

Approximate Salaries:
Attorney I: $98,596.05 - $124,479.50 annually
Attorney II: $133,140.39 - $153,736.39 annually
Attorney III: $161,370.09 - $196,156.29 annually
 
Attorneys are represented by the Criminal Justice Attorneys Association of Ventura County (CJAAVC) and are exempt from overtime compensation.  CJAAVC MOA 2023 - 2026
 
The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-Term), Intermittent and Extra-Help vacancies within the District Attorney's Office (an Extra-Help position is without benefits).  There are currently seven (7) Regular vacancies and two (2) fixed-term vacancies.
 
NOTE: An individual appointed to extra-help by virtue of this recruitment may, dependent upon his/her performance as an extra-help attorney, and the needs of the District Attorney's Office, be appointed to the permanent classification of Attorney.
 
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
OPENING DATE: June 24, 2024
CLOSING DATE:  Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive a sufficient number of qualified applications to meet business needs.
FIRST APPLICATION REVIEW: Week of July 8, 2024Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Interviews witnesses and analyzes/evaluates evidence while preparing cases for trial under criminal law.
• Appears on behalf of the People of the State of California at court hearings, makes appropriate motions and pleas, and takes other appropriate legal action.
• Conducts trial prosecution by preparing strategies, ordering investigations and subpoenas, resolving legal issues through research, participating in jury selection, and presenting evidence and argument.
• Negotiates disposition and modification of cases according to office policy.
• Prepares reports, appeals, writs, and other legal documents.
• Assigned complex cases which may include misdemeanors, felonies, environmental or consumer fraud, special investigations and/or pursuit of appellate issues.
• May also be assigned other tasks that require superior knowledge and skills at the department head's discretion.
• May be assigned various supervisory and/or training responsibilities.
• May make presentations to the public and community organizations.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

These are entrance requirements to the exam process, possession of which assures neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.
 
EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE: 
Attorney I: Applicants must be law school graduates who have been licensed by the California Bar Association. No experience is required at the Attorney I level. Advancement in the series is dependent upon sustained meritorious performance.
 
Attorney II: Applicants must be law school graduates who have been licensed by the California Bar Association. The Attorney II level requires a minimum of two (2) years of legal experience. Experience may include related Law Clerk experience. Advancement within the series is dependent upon sustained meritorious performance.
 
Attorney III: Applicants must be law school graduates who have been licensed by the California Bar Association. Attorney III requires a minimum of four (4) years of legal experience. Experience may include related Law Clerk experience. Advancement within the series is dependent upon sustained meritorious performance.

HIGHLY DESIRED:
Substantial experience conducting bench trials, jury trials, writs and appeals, or preliminary examinations as an attorney and/or a law clerk.
 
NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Must be an active member of the California State Bar and possess a valid California driver's license.  Required:  A legible copy of your active State Bar of California card must be uploaded with your application.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Working (I) to comprehensive (II/III) knowledge of: rules of evidence, legal principles, criminal law and trial procedures; State and Federal law pertaining to specific trial assignments; legal research methods; ethical responsibilities outlined by the American Bar Association and California Bar Association.
 
Working (I) to comprehensive (II/III) ability to: perform legal research, investigate and analyze evidence and complex legal problems; communicate effectively orally and in writing; prepare cases and provide legal counsel; prepare reports and legal documents; supervise and train staff as required; and deal effectively with clients, members of the legal profession, public officials, and the general public.
 
Note: County Ordinance provides that County Attorneys may not engage in the private practice of law.FINAL FILING DATE:  This is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive a sufficient number of qualified applications to meet business needs. 
 
To apply on-line refer to our web site at www.ventura.org/jobs. If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.
 
Note to Applicants: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, it/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application.

NOTE:  If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil services" style examination, then appointment by "lateral transfer" may be possible.  If interested, please click here for additional information.
 
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this exam at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the exam process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in the application being removed from further consideration.
 
APPLICATION EVALUATION – qualifying: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the examination process.
 
TRAINING & EXPERIENCE (T & E) EVALUATION – 100%: A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by an applicant, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the applicant meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Applicants are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of applicants is exceptionally strong, many qualified applicants may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low.
 
NOTE:  In a typical T&E, your training and experience are evaluated in relation to the background, experience and factors identified for successful job performance during a job analysis. For this reason, it is recommended that your application materials clearly show your relevant background and specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is also highly recommended that the supplemental questions within the application are completed with care and diligence.  Applicants must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.
 
If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, a Training and Experience Evaluation will not be conducted. Instead, a score of seventy percent (70%) will be assigned to each application, and each applicant will be placed on the eligible list.
 
ELIGIBLE LIST: Candidates successfully completing the TRAINING & EXPERIENCE (T & E) EVALUATION may be placed on an eligible list for a period of six (6) months.  The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill present and future regular, temporary, fixed-term, intermittent and extra-help vacancies.  

SELECTION INTERVIEW: When a position becomes available, applicants are referred to the employing department for interviews beginning with the highest-scoring applicants, moving down the list from the top until the available positions are filled.  A hypothetical opening statement will be required as part of the selection interview.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Candidates under consideration for appointment will be required to successfully pass a thorough post-offer, pre-employment background investigation which will include inquiry into past employment, education, credit history, criminal background information, and driving record.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Terri Anderson via email at terri.anderson@ventura.org or by phone at (805) 477-1680.
 
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Salary : $98,596 - $196,156