Senior Legal Processor - Promotional

Job Description

Position Information

This recruitment is promotional only. You must presently be a full or part-time regular or probationary County of Sonoma, Community Development Commission, Sonoma County Fairgrounds, or Sonoma County Water Agency employee in order to apply for this position.

The Human Services Department's (HSD) Family, Youth, and Children Division has requested a department promotional certification to fill a full-time Senior Legal Processor position. Only qualified permanent and/or probationary Human Services Department employees on the eligible list may be eligible for referral to the department for the advertised positions. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time positions as they occur during the active status of the list.

The Family, Youth, and Children Division Senior Legal Processor will perform highly specialized work related to the processing, filing, and distribution of a variety of legal documents (including court reports, court orders, and petitions) to courts, attorneys, and other parties. They will provide status updates regarding legal documents to department personnel, courts, and attorneys, as well as manage and maintain department case files and notice parties for upcoming hearings. This Senior Legal Processor will be tasked with managing multiple competing and fast-moving priorities while also adhering to strict deadlines. They will coordinate work with others in the legal system and answer a variety of questions regarding department services and operations. Additional responsibilities include:

• Utilizing independent judgment to select and apply specific processes and procedures, and time limitations to various work situations
• Formatting detailed forms and documents for court
• Distributing time sensitive documents and forms to all parties involved in a case
• Importing documents and entering data into a central database
• E-filing memos and orders, and distributing signed orders upon receipt
• Distributing and filing original petition and detention reports for next day hearings
• Noticing parties for hearings (including complicated adoption hearings)
• Answering questions regarding the work coming to/through the unit

The ideal candidate will possess many of the following:

• Knowledge of the child welfare system and case management system
• The ability to deal with sensitive materials and subject matter, including images of children who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned
• Flexibility, patience, and the ability to provide a high level of customer service
• The ability to engage others in working together towards a common goal
• Experience handling legal documents in the course of daily work
• Strong communication skills with the ability to build relationships and interact with a diverse customer base
• The ability to work independently as well as part of a team
• Strong attention to detail
• The ability to work in a fast-paced environment juggling various deadlines and priorities
• Experience using Word, Excel, Outlook, Adobe Acrobat, Google Sheets, and Teams

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience and Education: Any combination of education and work experience which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed herein. Normally, two years of work experience in a law office, law enforcement office, or court environment processing legal documents would provide this opportunity.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The position advertised in this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Special Skill Requirement: The ability to type at a corrected speed of 45 words per minute may be required for some assignments.

Background Requirements: Applicants for some assignments must successfully complete a thorough background investigation conducted by the Sheriff’s Office.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Considerable knowledge of: the purpose and processing of a diversity of court, law enforcement, and legal documents, forms, and records; the operations, procedures and jurisdictions of the court or department of assignment; the record and computer systems of the Courts and the department of assignment; basic arithmetic, English grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and composition; the technical resource materials and information sources applicable to the area of assignment; court related statutes, laws, ordinances and procedures and their applicability to the department of assignment.

Some knowledge of: effective supervision; techniques and methods of training employees in work procedures.

Ability to: prepare and process a variety of complex legal documents; 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; assist in the planning and coordination of the work in the assigned unit; understand, interpret, explain, and apply specific statues, codes, laws, regulations, and procedures train employees; 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, other employees, and the general public; independently research and prepare correspondence in answer to inquiries about department records, programs, services, procedures, and regulations; make accurate arithmetic calculations; operate a variety of office equipment.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• 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 to be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions maybe 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 and 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. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

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 and 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 and 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 candidates.

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: EP
HR Tech: VH

Important Note: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.

County of Sonoma Benefits: General*

These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:

Paid Time Off: Competitive vacation accrual and sick leave accruals; additional management leave annually; 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year; and may be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment.

Health Plan: Choose from nine health plans (three HMOs, three deductible HMOs, and three HSA-qualifying plans) with a generous County contribution to the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit). For more information, please see the appropriate MOU.

Retirement: Fully integrated with Social Security. For more information regarding eligibility, retirement contributions, and reciprocity with prior public service, please visit https://scretire.org/active-/-deferred/when-you-are-hired .

IRS 457 Plan: Pre-tax employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical: County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.

Student Loan Debt Relief: County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education.

Plus, excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, professional development, and more.

For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process and more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331. Additional details about benefit and compensation packages can be found in the MOUs located at Labor Agreements & Salary Resolution . For specific information about health and welfare benefits, including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts, go to Human Resources or contact the Human Resources' Risk Management-Benefits Office at benefits@sonomacounty.gov or (707) 565-2900.

*Important Notes: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Closing Date/Time: 11/16/2026 11:59 PM Pacific