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THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAM

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:

+ Application Opening: Thursday, June 5, 2025

+ Application Deadline: Thursday, June 12 , 2025. The job ad will unpublish at 12:00 AM PT on June 13, 2025.

+ Salary Range:  $92,508 to $112,424 (Click here for salary information: https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/)

+ Recruitment ID:   CBT-1458-C00355

JOB DESCRIPTION

Under supervision, the 1458 Legal Secretary I class provides legal secretarial and clerical services of a difficult, responsible and confidential nature for an attorney's office; and performs related duties as required.

Supervision exercised: May supervise clerical support staff.

1458 Legal Secretary Essential Duties

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Word Processes and edits a wide variety of legal documents in proper format including pleadings, briefs, correspondence, subpoenas, contracts, jury instructions, complaints, resolutions and ordinances utilizing multiple word processing systems, to prepare a variety of legal documents.

2. Abstracts information from various sources to put general information into proper legal form.

3. Transcribes legal dictation from dicta-phone or longhand notes, minutes, interviews and telephone messages; or takes and transcribes dictation from shorthand notes at a rate of 110 wpm, to prepare legal documents and correspondence.

4. Opens, maintains, monitors and closes legal case files and maintains correspondence and record files.

5. Maintains attorney appointment calendars; keeps abreast of important court dates and files legal documents with courts as mandated; assures complaints are responded to in a timely manner.

6. Provides information when possible by personally assisting callers, and exercises considerable judgment and discretion in dealing with confidential matters.

7. Prioritize duties and deadlines to accommodate work schedules of a large number of attorneys.

8. Performs related duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

+ Experience:  Two (2) years of verifiable experience as a legal secretary transcribing dictation and typing legal documents including petitions, motions, briefs, complaints and other legal forms

AND

+ The ability to type 55 net WPM

NOTE: The ability to transcribe legal matters accurately from a transcribing machine with no more than a 2% error rate may be required by some departments as a special condition.

Substitution: A certificate of completion in legal secretarial skills from a recognized college, university, or training program, which involved learning legal terminology and legal formats and forms, may substitute for six (6) months of the required legal secretarial experience. Proof of satisfactory completion must be submitted at the time of filing.

Every application is reviewed to ensure that applicants meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#qualifications) and Verification of Experience and/or Education (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#verification) for considerations taken when reviewing applications.

VERIFICATION:

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at:  https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to a lower score.

SELECTION PROCEDURES:

+ Application and Preliminary Questionnaire - Complete the application and preliminary questionnaire thoroughly to avoid disqualification. After you complete the application, you will be prompted to complete the preliminary questionnaire.

+ Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (SQ): Candidates whose applications are determined to meet the minimum qualifications, may be required to complete a SQ. This SQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position.

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Exam Components:

+ Multiple Choice Legal Secretary I Exam (weight - 100%) - Candidates whose applications are determined to meet the minimum qualifications will participate in a multiple-choice written exam. The exam will assess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

Knowledge of: legal office practices, procedures, terminology and business English; knowledge of filing systems.

Ability and Skill to: operate modern office equipment; ability to take transcription; ability to independently compose correspondence; ability to understand and follow directions; ability to proofread and solve problems including mathematical computations; type to complete 55 net words per minute; communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

Exam Banked Score: The score you achieve on this examination shall be valid and "banked" for three years, starting from the date of the examination. This means that, during this three-year time period, you will not be required to take this test again should you apply and be found eligible for a future announcement for which this particular test is used. If the test for this future announcement is held within one year of the date of this examination, your score will be automatically applied to that announcement. However, after one year, you have the option to either (a) apply your banked test score to the other recruitments that you qualify for or (b) re-take the test. Re-testing is permitted no sooner than one year from the date of the examination and only in association with your eligibility for another announcement for which this test is used. Please note that, should you re-test, your re-test score would become your official score and new banked score.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Eligible List/Score Report: A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be 12 months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Certification Rule – Rule of List: This means that all candidates who are placed on the eligible list for this recruitment may be considered for a job opening, not just those at the top of the list. Hiring managers can choose from any of the qualified candidates on the list, regardless of ranking.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2023-24.pdf

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights: Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations.  [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.] The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4.  Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement.  Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

HOW TO APPLY

All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process. No other methods of application will be accepted.

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name on your application must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues. Use the same email for all your applications on our job website.

Note:

1. Please ensure the information on your application is accurate. It may not be possible to change after you’ve applied.

2. Your first and last name should match your legal ID for verification purposes. A preferred first name may be included in parentheses. Here is an example: Samuel (Sam) Jackson

3. Your email address should be consistent across all jobs applied to on our website.

4. Use a personal and not a shared email address. Doing so may prevent your application from submitting properly.

Upon successful submission, applicants will receive a confirmation email from [email protected]. Keep this email for your records. If you do not receive the confirmation email, your application was not submitted successfully.

Important Email Contact Information: Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that your registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that emails from CCSF is not blocked on your computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

If you do not have access to a computer, there are computers available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110. There may also be computers for use to the public at the San Francisco Public Library for library members. You can call your local branch to inquire.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

+ Information About the Hiring Process (https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/)

+ Conviction History

+ Employee Benefits Overview  (https://careers.sf.gov/benefits/)

+ Equal Employment Opportunity (https://www.sf.gov/what-equal-employment-opportunity-and-how-file-claim)

+ Disaster Service Worker (https://sfdhr.org/disaster-service-workers)

+ ADA Accommodation

+ Veterans Preference (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#veteranspreference)

+ Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams [required for Combined, Promotive, Entrance (CPE) Exams only]

+ Right to Work (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#identification)

+ Copies of Application Documents

+ Diversity Statement (https://sfdhr.org/recruitment-details#diversitystatement)

Recruitment Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst Hana Mendoza, via email at [email protected].

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.