Paralegal

Job Description:

Paralegal

Description

THE POSITION

With supervisor approval, incumbents may be eligible for intermittent remote work; however, they must physically reside within the Sacramento region or have the ability to regularly report to a City of Sacramento physical worksite with little notice.


DEFINITION

Under general direction, the Paralegal assists and provides support services for attorneys in the City Attorney's office in conducting litigation and performing various phases of legal work; provides research for the preparation of cases and documents; drafts documents and correspondence; represents the City in small claims actions; prepares cases for trial; and administers ordinance enforcement as directed.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

This is a paraprofessional classification populated with multiple incumbents. The Paralegal performs technical paralegal work in the City Attorney's Office. This classification is distinguished from journey-level clerical classification or the Legal Secretary classification in that the latter performs complex clerical or legal secretarial work, but does not perform extensive technical or paraprofessional legal work while the former is defined by its responsibility for performing paraprofessional legal work, by the difficulty and complexity of work performed, and the requirement for precision and accuracy identified with legal matters and proceedings.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Direct supervision is provided by staff attorneys or similar management level classification in the City Attorney's office. There are no supervisory responsibilities for the Paralegal class.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all the listed duties and/or may be required to perform related duties as needed:

• Draft and respond to discovery and prepare deposition and medical records summaries.
• Research, study, and summarize laws, court decisions, and other legal authorities for use in the preparation of cases, opinions, pleadings, briefs, and other documents.
• Compile, organize and analyze various data for use in reports or other documents.
• Locate and interviews clients and witnesses in preparation for litigation; drafts declarations and /or statements.
• Confer with attorneys, investigators, and other individuals regarding legal matters; attend court or other tribunal with attorneys, as required, or other legal proceedings. Communicates with City departments, agencies, courts and law offices in the performance of duties.
• Prepare responses to public record act requests.
• Perform other or related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of:

• Administrative, criminal, state and federal court rules, discovery procedures, trial procedures, and court time lines.
• Law office procedures, legal research, trial procedures, municipality law, civil, and criminal procedures.
• Legal principles and application.
• Methods of legal research.
• Rules of evidence.
• Trial procedures.
• English grammar, spelling, punctuation, and language mechanics.
• Research and analytical methods.

Skill in:

• Use of computers, computer applications, and software.
• Use of automated research tools.

Ability to:

• Draft pleadings and correspondence.
• Work independently with minimal supervision.
• Perform basic mathematical computations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing.
• Research and disseminate pertinent data from a variety of sources in preparation of legal documents.
• Assemble a trial notebook; summarize and/or index pleadings, medical records, and employment records.
• Summarize laws and legal authorities. Present statements of fact, law, and argument clearly and logically. Use judgment in making decisions within scope of authority, analyze problems, evaluate alternatives and make appropriate recommendations.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

A combination of education and experience as follows:

Possession of a certificate of completion of a paralegal program approved by the American Bar Association;

OR

A certificate of completion from a paralegal program or degree from an accredited post-secondary institution requiring a minimum of 24 semester units, or equivalent, units in law related courses;

OR

An Associate's degree in any subject from an accredited college or university;

OR

One year of law related experience under the supervision of an attorney who has been an active member of the State Bar of California or who has practice in California federal court for at least the preceding three years, along with a written declaration from the attorney stating the person is qualified to perform paralegal tasks,

AND

Two years' experience in a law office performing the duties set forth in the Essential Duties and Responsibilities of this job description.

PROOF OF EDUCATION

Should education be used to qualify for this position, then proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment . Unofficial documents and/or copies are acceptable.

An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States must have education records evaluated by a credentials evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due at time of appointment.

PROOF OF CERTIFICATION

Should certification and/or license be used to qualify for this position, then proof of said certification and /or license should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment .

THE SELECTION PROCEDURE

Please note, the City of Sacramento's preferred method of communication with applicants is via e-mail. As such, please ensure you verify the e-mail address on your application, and check your e-mail frequently , including your spam and junk folders. All e-mail notifications can also be accessed through the governmentjobs.com applicant inbox.

1. Application: (Pass/Fail) - All applicants must complete and submit online a City of Sacramento employment application by the final filing deadline ;

• Employment applications must be submitted online; paper applications will not be accepted.
  

• Employment applications will be considered incomplete and will be disqualified:
  

• If applicants do not list current and past job-related experience in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section. Note: Qualifying experience is based on full-time experience (40 hours per week). Qualifying experience is calculated to the full-time equivalent (pro-rated if less than 40 hours/week ).
  

• If "see resume" is noted in the "Work Experience" section; a resume will not substitute for the information required in the "Work Experience" section.
  

• Position/job titles will not be considered in determining eligibility for meeting the minimum qualifications for this position.
  

• Proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted online with your application. Proof of education will be required at time of appointment.
  

• Proof of certification and/or license should be submitted online with your application. Proof of certification and/or license will be required at time of appointment.
  

2. Supplemental Questionnaire: (Pass/Fail) - In addition to the City of Sacramento employment application, all applicants must complete and submit online responses to the supplemental questionnaire to the City of Sacramento Employment Office by the final filing deadline ;

• Responses to the supplemental questionnaire must be submitted online; paper questionnaire will not be accepted.
  

• Incomplete supplemental questionnaire will not pass the review process; omitted information cannot be considered or assumed.
  

• A resume will not substitute for the information required in the supplemental questionnaire.
  

• Possession of the minimum qualifications is not necessarily a guarantee for further advancement in the selection process.
  

3. Screening Committee: (Pass/Fail) - All applications received by the final filing deadline will be forwarded to the hiring department for review. The hiring department will select the most competitive applications for further consideration. Human Resources will only evaluate employment applications for the minimum qualifications, as stated on the job announcement, for applications selected by the hiring department.

4. Interview Process: Human Resources will forward applications to the hiring department. Those determined to be the most qualified candidates will be invited to participate in an interview process.

5. Conditional Hire: Upon receipt of a conditional offer, the selected candidate must complete and pass Live Scan/fingerprinting . If applicable, candidates may also need to pass a pre-employment medical exam, controlled substance and/or alcohol test, and possess any required licensure or certification prior to receiving a start date from the Department. Failure to meet these prerequisites will be grounds for withdrawal of your conditional offer of employment.

QUESTIONS:
For questions concerning this job announcement and the application process:

• Please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/Home/ApplicationGuide for a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to the application process.
  

• For technical support between 6 AM - 5 PM PT, contact Live Application Support at 855-524-5627.
  

• Visit the City of Sacramento Human Resourc es Department website at https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/employment ;
  

• Send an email to employment@cityofsacramento.org ; or
  

• Call the Human Resources Department at (916) 808-572 6
  

Bilingual Pay
Did you know that the City offers bilingual pay? That's right, most labor agreements offer the option of providing employees with bilingual pay if the department deems it to be operationally necessary.

Pension Reform Act
The City of Sacramento is covered by the California Public Employees' Retirement System, and as such, must adhere to the California Public Employee's Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) of 2013. Please note that the provisions within this act may affect or impact an applicant's eligibility and/or selection for open vacancies at the City of Sacramento.

Equal Opportunity Employer
The City of Sacramento 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.

Additional Information
Civil Service Rules: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/content/dam/portal/hr/documentlibrary/CivilServiceBoardRules62012.pdf

Union Contracts: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/HR/labor-agreements.html

Salary Schedule: https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/content/dam/portal/hr/documentlibrary/SalarySchedule.pdf

Closing Date/Time: 10/15/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$67,942.78 - $95,602.31 Annually