Legal Secretary

Garden Grove Unified School District

About The Job

OPEN RECRUITMENT

OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND DISTRICT EMPLOYEES

THIS ELIGIBILITY LIST WILL BE GOOD FOR SIX (6) MONTHS

WE ARE ONLY ACCEPTING ONLINE APPLICATIONS FOR THIS RECRUITMENT

SALARY

All new hires will be placed at the starting salary step of this classification ($6,701). Employees are eligible for a step increase on their anniversary date each year, up to the maximum step 5 of this salary range ($8,164).

Job Summary

The person in this position will work 8 hours per day, 12 months per year. Under general direction of General Counsel, works independently to provide legal administrative and secretarial support by performing a variety of confidential, complex, and technical legal assignments that require a high degree of initiative and judgment in applying policies and procedures to a variety of situations affecting district-wide functions and operations; assists General Counsel with administrative details; and performs related work as assigned.

Essential Duties

Relieves General Counsel of administrative detail and responds to common inquiries on behalf of General Counsel as appropriate; reminds General Counsel of deadlines for preparing litigation documents, opinions, and other such documents.
Transcribes and types legal pleadings, requests for production of legal documents, contracts, leases, agreements, resolutions, licenses, and a wide variety of other legal forms, correspondence, reports, and documents from dictation, rough copy or notes, with minimum supervision.
Prepares and assembles information into proper legal form following established procedures or general instructions.
Proofreads and corrects various forms, documents, and pleadings in order to ensure accuracy of records and entry of information.
Assists in composing and typing routine memoranda for signature by an attorney.
Copies, mails, faxes, and makes arrangements for filing litigation documents and exhibits in appropriate courts or administrative agencies and for obtaining court transcripts.
Keeps current on filing and service time limits and deadlines; files, indexes, cross-indexes, and locates correspondence, legal opinion, court decisions, and other legal documents as requested.
Assists and arranges for the reproduction and distribution of correspondence and legal opinions, and maintains the office library of legal publications, legal subject files, and confidential files.
Calendars appointments, meetings, hearings, depositions, court appearances, and document and filing deadlines district counsel; makes travel and hotel arrangements.
Performs routine research and assembles data to support the resolution of questions and issues, referring more complex matters to appropriate staff.
Utilizes a variety of computer software programs to perform critical functions such as creating and editing documents, maintaining spreadsheets and databases, and extracting data to prepare reports and monitor budgets.
Prepares and assembles Board of Education agenda items.
Compiles complex information to prepare statistical, financial, and administrative reports.
Provides information to employees, students, parents, and the public as appropriate.
Handles a variety of sensitive, difficult, and complex public relations matters.
Operates a variety of office machines and equipment.
Provides technical guidance and direction to other secretarial or clerical staff as directed.
May take minutes at meetings as necessary and prepare transcripts of the meetings.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

Education and Experience : Graduation from high school or equivalent; and three years of increasingly responsible secretarial experience within a law office setting. An associate’s degree or higher with college-level coursework in paralegal, legal assistant, legal professional preparation or other directly related field is desirable. Part-time experience will be considered and adjusted appropriately. Any other combination of training and experience which would likely provide the required skills, knowledge and abilities may be considered.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: May be asked to obtain and maintain a Notary Public Commission.

Knowledge Of

Legal terminology, forms, documents, and court/administrative agency rules, filing requirements and timeframes used in legal practice and proceedings.
Legal references, materials, and their contents.
Statutory deadlines for responding to and/or filing pleading documents.
Proper preparation of pleadings, briefs and legal forms.
Current office practices, procedures, equipment, and office-related software
Principles of office management.
Applicable laws, procedures, rules, and regulations.
Effective techniques for collecting and organizing data and information.
Telephone techniques and etiquette.
Principles of writing professional correspondence, agendas, and reports, including English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Ability To

Compose correspondence and prepare standard legal documents from brief instructions with a high attention to detail and accuracy.
Use legal terminology and follow legal procedures.
Organize, set-up, and use legal opinions and subject files and a library of legal publications.
Perform complex work independently and with minimal supervision.
Read, interpret, apply, and explain laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
Learn the various legal services provided by governmental jurisdictions and private agencies.
Analyze situations accurately and adopt an effective course of action using independent judgment and knowledge of district policies.
Establish and maintain effective relationships using tact and diplomacy with board members, the superintendent, administrators, employees, and community members.
Work confidentially and with discretion.
Use computers effectively and learn related software programs to enter, extract, compile, and arrange complex data.
Organize and maintain office files and calendars with a high degree of accuracy.
Organize complex material and summarize discussions and actions in written form.
Analyze information and data and compile into comprehensive reports.
Maintain highly sensitive and confidential information.

SELECTION PROCEDURES

Applications will be accepted from the general public and district employees who possess the above qualifications. The district reserves the right to invite applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the requirements needed for the position to continue in the examination process. The examination may consist of an evaluation of training and experience, multiple choice, performance, and oral/technical exams. Persons needing reasonable accommodation must notify the Office of Personnel Services by the last day to file. A qualifying score must be achieved on all portions of the examination in order to be placed on the open eligibility list. Outside and district candidates will be placed on one ranked list, with eligible permanent district employees receiving five seniority points which will be added to their final scores.

Non-Discrimination Statement

Garden Grove Unified School District prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying in educational programs, activities, or employment on the basis of actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, parental, pregnancy, family or marital status, immigration and citizenship status, military status or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

Copies of GGUSD's policies including Uniform Complaint Procedures, Sexual Harassment Nondiscrimination, Title IX Rights and Protection, and Statewide Resources are available upon request.

Questions or complaints of alleged discrimination, harassment, intimidation, bullying, and equity should be directed to the Assistant Superintendent of K-12 Educational Services, Dr. Lorena Sanchez, at ***email_hidden*** or (714) 663-6143. Title IX equity and compliance concerns should be directed to the Title IX Coordinator - Chris Francis, Director of Personnel Services, at [email protected] or (714) 663-6338. Complaints may be mailed to 10331 Stanford Avenue, Garden Grove, CA 92840.

Pupils have the right to a free public education, regardless of immigration status or religious beliefs. More information about these rights is available from the California Attorney General, Know Your Rights. Contact the district office to learn more about Title IX and Sex Discrimination/Harassment including how to file a complaint.

Information About Application Procedures And Employment

HOW TO APPLY: Applications must be completed on our website at www.ggusd.us. Please note that the district office will not be giving out or accepting hard copy applications for those recruitments that are online only. Please read each posting carefully or call our office if you have any questions. All applications should be received by the Personnel Commission Office by 5:00 p.m. on the last day to file.

VETERAN'S CREDIT: Veterans shall have an additional five (5) points added to their final percentage score on an open eligibility list as prescribed by Education Code, Section 45296. "Veteran" as used in this article means any person who has served in the United States armed forces in time of war, or national emergency declared by the President of the United States of America, and who has been discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. "Armed forces" means the United States Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. At least thirty (30) days of active service are required to obtain veteran preference points.

Disabled veterans shall have an additional ten (10) points added to their final percentage score on an open eligibility list as prescribed by Education Code, Section 45296. A "disabled veteran" as used in this article means any veteran who is currently declared by the United States Veterans Administration to be ten percent (10%) or more disabled as a result of service in the Armed Forces of the United States. Proof of disability shall be deemed conclusive if it is of record in the United States Veterans Administration.

Additional eligibility may be granted based on future changes to the law and verification from the Veteran's Administration or the United States Office of Personnel Management.

In order to obtain credit, the applicant shall furnish satisfactory proof of qualifying military service prior to establishment of the eligibility list. No adjustment of rank on the list shall be made when such proof is presented thereafter.

A veteran may be credited veterans' preference points only to obtain initial employment in the district. Thereafter, the only additional points for an open examination shall be seniority points granted in accord with section 4220.3(C)2.

HIRING PROCEDURES: Garden Grove is a merit system (civil service) school district. Employment and promotions are based upon merit, fitness and qualifications. The person selected to fill any regular position will be from among the top three ranks on the eligibility list approved by the Personnel Commission. All regular employees will serve a six (6) month probation.

EXAMINATION FOR TUBERCULOSIS : Proof of freedom from active tuberculosis must be furnished prior to employment and must be based upon an intradermal Mantoux tuberculin skin test completed within the last 60 days.

FINGERPRINTING: All new employees will be fingerprinted.

BENEFITS: All classified employees receive the following:

Up to 22 paid vacation days per year
Up to 14 paid holidays per year
Up to 12 sick leave days per year with unlimited accumulation
Social Security coverage

All regular classified employees who are employed 30 hours or more a week are eligible for the following additional benefits:

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance for the employee
Life Insurance for the employee
Generous Retirement Plan (CalPERS)

WE ARE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/MERIT SYSTEM EMPLOYER

9701.89 (Revised: 11/22)

Garden Grove Unified School District offers a tremendous benefit package that includes:

Up to 22 paid vacation days per year
Up to 14 paid holidays per year
Up to 12 sick leave days per year with unlimited accumulation
Social Security coverage

All regular employees who are employed 30 hours or more a week are eligible for the following additional benefits:

Medical, Dental and Vision insurance for the employee and family
Life Insurance for the employees
Generous Retirement Plan (CalPERS)

The information you provide on the general and supplemental applications will be used to evaluate whether you meet the minimum requirements for this position. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications for the position will be invited to participate further in the selection process. It is important that you fill out the application as complete and accurate as possible. Supplemental questions that are not answered fully and completely will be considered incomplete and will cause you to not be considered further in the recruitment process. All experience mentioned in the Supplemental Questions must also be included in the Work Experience section in order to be considered complete. A resume in lieu of a complete response on the application or the supplemental is not acceptable. Did you read and understand this information?

As of January 1, 2026, in accordance with Education Code section 44051 (as added by California SB 848), applicants for classified positions are required by law to provide a complete list of every school district, county office of education, charter school, private school, and/or state special school with which you have previously been employed, regardless of the length of service. Please be comprehensive in disclosing any part-time, full-time, and substitute employment. Failure to disclose any previous educational employment may result in the disqualification of your application.

Have you ever previously been employed by another school district, county office of education, charter school, private school, and/or state special school?

If you marked “Yes” to the previous question regarding Education Code section 44051, for each location you were previously employed at, please state:

District/County/Charter/Special/Private School Name: Job Title: Dates of Employment: Presently Employed: Yes or No

Type N/A if you have not previously been employed by a school district, county office of education, charter school, private school, and/or state special school.

Do you have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent certificate?

Do you have three (3) years of increasingly responsible secretarial experience within a law office setting?

NOTE: Two (2) years of part-time experience is equivalent to one (1) year of full-time experience.

Please be specific and describe how you meet the required three (3) years of increasingly responsible secretarial experience within a law office setting and explain why this experience should be considered increasingly responsible.

In your response, include the place where you worked, your job title, and the dates you worked for each position (month/year – month/year).

NOTE: The jobs you list in your answer must also be listed in the Work Experience section of your application.

Required Question