Principal Legal Secretary

Full Job Description

• This vacancy may be responsible for assisting both the Assistant City Attorney and the Chief of Prosecution Operations. This recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies.

• Eligible benefited employees originally hired on or after July 10, 2021, will be automatically enrolled in the San Diego City Employees Retirement System (SDCERS).

Requirements

You must meet the following requirements on the date you apply unless otherwise indicated.

1. One year of full-time experience as a Senior Legal Secretary with the City of San Diego.

Four years of full-time experience as a Legal Secretary in a law firm, corporate legal office, or public entity legal office.

Legal Secretary experience must include one year of experience performing supervisory responsibilities equivalent to the City of San Diego classification of Senior Legal Secretary, a position that performs the full range of duties of a Legal Secretary: acts as a liaison between the City Attorney's office and court personnel; trains, supervises, and reviews the work of subordinate Legal Secretaries and other clerical personnel within a work unit; and evaluates the work performance of subordinates and initiates disciplinary action as required.

Qualifying experience must include supervision of legal support staff and the full range of supervisory duties (i.e., employee selection, training, evaluation, commendations, and discipline).


NOTE:


City of San Diego employees using Out-of-Class Assignment (OCA) experience to qualify must submit written documentation signed by their appointing authority or payroll specialist, detailing the work performed, dates, and total number of qualifying OCA hours.

OCA experience without the required documentation will NOT be considered.

HIGHLY DESIRABLE(S):

• Lead and/or supervisory experience.
• Possess strong writing skills and exceptional organizational skills.
• Be a practical problem-solver and team player; have good time management skills; and demonstrate effective communication and conflict resolution skills.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS (MUST SUBMIT WITH APPLICATION):

• For City of San Diego employees, proof of Out-of-Class Assignment (OCA), if utilized to meet the minimum requirements.
Required documents should be attached to your application electronically. If you are unable to attach at the time of application submission, you must submit them as soon as possible via fax at (619) 533-3337 or to the Employment Information Center: City of San Diego Personnel Department, 1200 Third Avenue - Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92101. Include your name and the title of the position for which you are applying.

Qualifications

Please ensure all information is complete and accurate as the responses you provide on the supplemental questions will be reviewed using an automated evaluation system. If you are successful in this initial screening process, your application will be reviewed for applicable education, experience, and/or training to ensure all minimum requirements have been met. Successful candidates will be placed on a list which will be used to fill position vacancies during the next six months (180 days). For each vacancy, only those candidates with the most appropriate qualifications will be contacted by the hiring department for an interview.

Additional Information

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS: Employment offers are conditional pending the results of all screening processes applicable to this position, which may include the following: confirmation of citizenship or legal right to work in the United States; completion of a pre-employment medical review and exam (which may include drug and alcohol testing); reference checks; and fingerprinting. Fingerprints will be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice for a conviction record report. Certain positions may require additional screening processes, including a polygraph examination and/or background investigation. All screening processes must be successfully completed before employment begins. A positive test result for alcohol, cannabis/marijuana, illegal drugs, or inadequately explained prescription drugs, or misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of pertinent facts in any step of the screening or selection process, may be cause for disqualification or termination of employment. Nothing in this job posting constitutes an express or implied contract for employment with the City of San Diego. Candidates must notify the Personnel Department of any change to their name, mailing address, email address, or phone number; otherwise, they may miss employment opportunities.


Rev. 1 - March 6, 2026 (New Recruitment Date)