Self-Help Attorney
Apply NowCompany: Placer County Superior Court
Location: Roseville, CA 95747
Description:
Salary : $94,598.40 - $124,612.80 Annually
Location : Auburn/Roseville, CA
Job Type: Full-Time Regular
Department: Self-Help Center
Opening Date: 03/17/2025
Closing Date: 3/30/2025 11:59 PM Pacific
Recruitment Information: Candidates will be contacted once the job posting has closed regarding next steps.
Job Summary
The Self-Help Attorney assists self-represented litigants (SRLs) by explaining legal forms and procedures bridging the gap between justice and accessibility. Your primary responsibilities will include one-on-one appointments with SRLs, drafting legal documents, mediating settlement agreements, and educating SRLs to navigate the judicial system effectively. The Self-Help Center provides legal assistance in family law matters, civil restraining orders, unlawful detainers (evictions), small claims, and guardianships and conservatorships.
DEFINITION
Under the general direction of the Self-Help Director the incumbent will assist in the administration, development and day-to-day operation of the Court's Self Help Center; to provide legal services to litigants not represented by counsel; to facilitate and expedite civil, probate, and family law proceedings; to perform related duties as assigned. This position provides direct services to self-represented litigants.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
The Self-Help Attorney is responsible for providing support in the overall management and operation of the Self-Help Program. The incumbent in this class assists in the supervisory responsibilities for the paraprofessional staff, clerical support, and interns/volunteers with the Self-Help Center.
The Self-Help Attorney is distinguished from the Family Law Facilitator by the scope of overall responsibility for the Self-Help program mandated by Government Code and the court-wide litigant assistance programs.
Essential Functions
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Judgment and Responsibility
Incumbents work under direction to perform most duties independently based on general policies, procedures and standards. However, incumbents sometimes to frequently make decisions that may have multiple alternative solutions and may involve the occasional development of new techniques and procedures. Priorities are established by immediate user and department needs and can change frequently. Incumbents do not typically supervise other employees in the Self-Help Division but may have lead responsibility.
Knowledge Of:
Abilities To:
Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Graduation from an accredited law school and a member of the California State Bar in good standing;
AND
One (1) year in the practice of law, which shall include substantial family law, civil, or probate practice including litigation and/or mediation.
Note: One (1) year of experience performing legal work in a court based self-help center while attending law school may be considered as a substitution.
HIGHLY DESIRABLE BUT NOT REQUIRED: Bilingual Spanish
Supplemental Information
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Working Conditions:
Job duties are generally performed in an indoor office setting with environmental controls. Assigned work is performed in a standard court setting with open cubicles and/or offices. Assigned incumbents are expected to work inside buildings, alone, or closely with others. Routine noises and noise levels occur within the work environment. This classification may be required to drive to other Placer Superior Court locations.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Normal court business hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The Placer County Superior Court values its employees and offers the following benefits:
01
Certification Statement: By completing this application and supplemental questionnaire, I hereby attest that all information I have provided is true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I acknowledge that Human Resources staff may contact my employers to verify the information that I have provided. I understand I must complete the application fully and completely and I am not to state "see resume" or only attach a resume. I understand referring to my resume on either my application or supplemental questions, will deem my application incomplete and subject me to disqualification. Additionally, if submitting any writing exercise or response to a supplemental question, you hereby certify that you are the original author and that you understand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate your responses is prohibited. I understand that failure to comply, as well as any misrepresentations, falsifications, or omissions of material facts may subject me to actions including removal from this examination and dismissal during any period of Superior Court employment.Do you agree with this certification statement?
02
Describe your knowledge and experience, as it specifically relates to the position of Self-Help Attorney, in the following areas:a) Providing legal services to self-represented litigants.b) Mediation.Be sure to include each area of law used when providing legal services to self -represented litigants and during mediation.
03
Please describe your educational background (e.g. specific course work), experience, and/or training in the following areas of law (Note: if you do not have education, experience, and/or training in the listed areas, please indicate N/A or not applicable):a) Family Law to include determinations regarding parentage and child support and/or domestic violence.b) Probate to include wills, trust administration, guardianships, and/or conservatorships.c) Civil to include complaints/pleadings, demurrers, discovery, preliminary injunctions, and/or summary judgement motions.
04
Our customers often have non-legal issues intertwined with their legal issues. For instance, a divorce case may involve issues of child development and behavior, real estate value and sales, business management or bookkeeping, concealing income, drug and alcohol addiction, trauma, mental illness, learning disabilities, and many other issues. What experience or training in these or other areas could you bring to the self-help program?
05
Have you previously worked in a position where you could give legal information, but not legal advice? If yes, describe how you distinguish between "information" and "advice." If you have never worked in such a position, describe what you think will be the challenges for you in changing from "advice" to "information" in litigant interactions.
06
If you speak Spanish, or any other language(s) other than English, please list those languages and rate your fluency level in each using the levels below (Note: If you do not speak any other language(s), please indicate N/A or not applicable):Level 1 - Elementary: Can fulfill basic needs in a language, such as ordering meals, asking time and asking for directions.Level 2 - Limited Working Proficiency: Can fulfill routine social demand, such as small talk about one's self, one's family, and current events.Level 3 - Professional Working Proficiency: Can discuss a variety of topics with ease and almost completely understand what others are saying.Level 4 - Full Professional Proficiency: Can participate in all manners of conversations with ease and only rarely makes grammatical mistakes.Level 5 - Native or Bilingual Proficiency: Can use the language, both oral and written, the way an educated native speaker of the language would.
Required Question
Location : Auburn/Roseville, CA
Job Type: Full-Time Regular
Department: Self-Help Center
Opening Date: 03/17/2025
Closing Date: 3/30/2025 11:59 PM Pacific
Recruitment Information: Candidates will be contacted once the job posting has closed regarding next steps.
Job Summary
The Self-Help Attorney assists self-represented litigants (SRLs) by explaining legal forms and procedures bridging the gap between justice and accessibility. Your primary responsibilities will include one-on-one appointments with SRLs, drafting legal documents, mediating settlement agreements, and educating SRLs to navigate the judicial system effectively. The Self-Help Center provides legal assistance in family law matters, civil restraining orders, unlawful detainers (evictions), small claims, and guardianships and conservatorships.
DEFINITION
Under the general direction of the Self-Help Director the incumbent will assist in the administration, development and day-to-day operation of the Court's Self Help Center; to provide legal services to litigants not represented by counsel; to facilitate and expedite civil, probate, and family law proceedings; to perform related duties as assigned. This position provides direct services to self-represented litigants.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
The Self-Help Attorney is responsible for providing support in the overall management and operation of the Self-Help Program. The incumbent in this class assists in the supervisory responsibilities for the paraprofessional staff, clerical support, and interns/volunteers with the Self-Help Center.
The Self-Help Attorney is distinguished from the Family Law Facilitator by the scope of overall responsibility for the Self-Help program mandated by Government Code and the court-wide litigant assistance programs.
Essential Functions
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Assist in monitoring and evaluating the work of subordinate staff; coach paralegal and clerical staff in providing and limiting legal information; research and address legal questions posed by other court staff and supervisors
- Mediate complex family matters such as parentage, child support, temporary or permanent spousal support and divorce issues including property division; and draft clear and legally adequate written agreements.
- Develop and provide direct services to litigants referred by the Court or seeking assistance, including:
- Meet with litigants to mediate issues of child support, spousal support, property control and division, and maintenance of health insurance.
- Prepare support calculations using commonly used software and online resources.
- Prepare formal orders and judgments consistent with the Court's announced order in cases where both parties are unrepresented.
- Provide educational materials to parents concerning the process of authenticating parentage and establishing, modifying, and enforcing child and spousal support in the courts.
- Conducts workshops for unrepresented litigants.
- Provides direct one-on-one legal assistance to self-represented litigants in family law, civil, and probate cases.
- Distribute necessary court forms and voluntary declarations of paternity; provide assistance in completing forms.
- Prepare correct and accurate child and spousal support calculations using commonly available software programs and online resources.
- Assists in the development and implementation of operational policies and procedures.
- Assists in the planning, implementation, and administration of program activities and evaluates effectiveness of services.
- Participates in court and community activities and committees.
- Identifies community resources helpful to the administration of the self-help center and resources that will meet the legal and non-legal needs of self-represented litigants.
- Provide referrals to the Department of Child Support Services and other community agencies and resources that provide services for parents and children.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Judgment and Responsibility
Incumbents work under direction to perform most duties independently based on general policies, procedures and standards. However, incumbents sometimes to frequently make decisions that may have multiple alternative solutions and may involve the occasional development of new techniques and procedures. Priorities are established by immediate user and department needs and can change frequently. Incumbents do not typically supervise other employees in the Self-Help Division but may have lead responsibility.
Knowledge Of:
- Family Law matters including mediation techniques and approaches, and domestic violence;
- General civil procedure and the mechanics and dynamics of civil litigation, including but not limited to: rules of jurisdiction and venue, pre-filing requirements, statues of limitation, pleading and demurrers, service of process and defaults, discovery methods and discovery disputes, summary judgment, trial and pretrial procedures, and provisional remedies such as preliminary injunctions;
- Small Claims Court rules and procedures;
- Unlawful Detainer rules and procedures;
- Probate rules and procedures, including estates, trusts, guardianships and conservatorships;
- Litigant assistance program requirements and policies, including legal aid and legal assistance service requirements;
- Provisions of civil, probate and family law, legal processes and rules of court;
- Family Law resources, referral services and support software programs;
- Principles, practices, methods and materials of legal research and analysis;
- Legal terms, procedures, forms and documents;
- Government Code and other statues related to Court process and rules of Court;
- Relevant federal and state laws and regulations related to assigned case types;
- Trial and hearing procedures, and rules of evidence;
- Relevant State and local court forms;
- Child support law and the operations of the uniform state child support guidelines; child support establishment and enforcement process under Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act;
- Program and policy development and implementation;
- Basic understanding of law and psychological issues related to domestic violence, addiction, trauma, and mental illness; and
- Principles and practices of employee supervision, including staff training and development.
Abilities To:
- Read and understand complex legal information, procedures and forms;
- Analyze a variety of information, relate it to the law and reach decisions;
- Effectively explain complex legal issues and procedures to self-represented litigants who may have little or no knowledge of the law;
- Prepare concise, 'Plain English' written instructions and materials for litigants;
- Effectively assist self-represented parties to reach agreements in contested matters;
- Effectively use relevant computer applications and word processing software;
- Interpret and apply statistical information related to the program;
- Set priorities and complete projects in a timely manner;
- Communicate effectively both orally and in written form;
- Remain patient, calm and professional while working with individuals who are in highly stressful situations;
- Adapt quickly to changes in policies, procedures, assignments and work locations;
- Work independently and use independent judgment;
- Analyze situations and resolve problems;
- Efficiently use relevant computer programs and word processing software;
- Make oral presentations to groups; develop, coordinate and conduct workshops;
- Maintain confidential information when required by legal or ethical standards;
- Provide for intern and/or staff training and development; communicate effectively orally and in writing;
- Read, write, and speak standard English and use correct English grammar, spelling; and
- Identify the need for and recommend changes to work operations.
Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Graduation from an accredited law school and a member of the California State Bar in good standing;
AND
One (1) year in the practice of law, which shall include substantial family law, civil, or probate practice including litigation and/or mediation.
Note: One (1) year of experience performing legal work in a court based self-help center while attending law school may be considered as a substitution.
HIGHLY DESIRABLE BUT NOT REQUIRED: Bilingual Spanish
Supplemental Information
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Occasional lifting and moving of objects weighting up to 25 pounds;
- Ability to sit, stand, and/or walk for extended periods of time from place to place within the facility;
- Regularly moving from place to place within an office;
- Some reaching for items above and below desk level;
- Talk and hear;
- Use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate objects, tools or controls;
- Perform repetitive movements of hands or wrists;
- Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus;
- The employee may be assigned to various court locations in the county; and
- The incumbent may be required to work additional hours.
Working Conditions:
Job duties are generally performed in an indoor office setting with environmental controls. Assigned work is performed in a standard court setting with open cubicles and/or offices. Assigned incumbents are expected to work inside buildings, alone, or closely with others. Routine noises and noise levels occur within the work environment. This classification may be required to drive to other Placer Superior Court locations.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Normal court business hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The Placer County Superior Court values its employees and offers the following benefits:
- Vacation Leave: Accruals start at ten (10) days per year (accrual rate and vacation cap increases with years of service.)
- Sick Leave: Twelve (12) days per year.
- Holidays: Fourteen paid holidays per year. (Every other year, the Court conducts an All-Staff Training Day on the Cesar Chavez holiday, and employees receive thirteen (13) paid holidays and one (1) floating holiday)
- Affordable Medical Benefits: The Court offers two (2) Blue Shield PPO medical plans, one (1) Blue Shield EPO medical plan and one (1) Kaiser medical plan. The Court pays 100% of the premium for one Blue Shield PPO plan and the Kaiser plan, regardless of coverage level.
- Dental Insurance: The Court pays 100% of premium for employee and dependents.
- Vision Insurance: The Court pays 100% of premium for employee and dependents.
- CalPERS Retirement: Classic = 2% @ 55; PEPRA = 2% @ 62. Specific benefit formula will be determined per California Public Employees Retirement System regulations. Employees pay 100% employee contribution and the Court pays 100% of employer contribution.
- Life and AD&D Insurance: $50,000 of life insurance and accident insurance is paid by the Court. Voluntary plans are also available, for employees to purchase additional coverage for themselves and their dependents.
- Social Security and Medicare: The Court and the employee both contribute 7.65% of wages toward Social Security and Medicare.
- State Disability and Paid Family Leave Insurances: Partial wage-replacement insurance plans are funded through employee payroll deductions.
- Employee Assistance Program: The Court pays 100% of premium for employee and dependents.
- CalPERS 457 Deferred Compensation Plans: Employer contribution each pay period + both traditional and Roth plans are available for voluntary employee contributions.
- Long-term Disability Plan (Voluntary)
- Flexible Spending Accounts: Pre-tax benefits for qualifying medical and/or dependent expenses. (Voluntary)
- Online Privacy Protection (Voluntary & paid by employer)
- Free Parking (onsite parking in designated areas)
- Flexible Work Schedules (available dependent upon classification)
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF): Court employment qualifies for PSLF Program.
01
Certification Statement: By completing this application and supplemental questionnaire, I hereby attest that all information I have provided is true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I acknowledge that Human Resources staff may contact my employers to verify the information that I have provided. I understand I must complete the application fully and completely and I am not to state "see resume" or only attach a resume. I understand referring to my resume on either my application or supplemental questions, will deem my application incomplete and subject me to disqualification. Additionally, if submitting any writing exercise or response to a supplemental question, you hereby certify that you are the original author and that you understand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate your responses is prohibited. I understand that failure to comply, as well as any misrepresentations, falsifications, or omissions of material facts may subject me to actions including removal from this examination and dismissal during any period of Superior Court employment.Do you agree with this certification statement?
- Yes
- No
02
Describe your knowledge and experience, as it specifically relates to the position of Self-Help Attorney, in the following areas:a) Providing legal services to self-represented litigants.b) Mediation.Be sure to include each area of law used when providing legal services to self -represented litigants and during mediation.
03
Please describe your educational background (e.g. specific course work), experience, and/or training in the following areas of law (Note: if you do not have education, experience, and/or training in the listed areas, please indicate N/A or not applicable):a) Family Law to include determinations regarding parentage and child support and/or domestic violence.b) Probate to include wills, trust administration, guardianships, and/or conservatorships.c) Civil to include complaints/pleadings, demurrers, discovery, preliminary injunctions, and/or summary judgement motions.
04
Our customers often have non-legal issues intertwined with their legal issues. For instance, a divorce case may involve issues of child development and behavior, real estate value and sales, business management or bookkeeping, concealing income, drug and alcohol addiction, trauma, mental illness, learning disabilities, and many other issues. What experience or training in these or other areas could you bring to the self-help program?
05
Have you previously worked in a position where you could give legal information, but not legal advice? If yes, describe how you distinguish between "information" and "advice." If you have never worked in such a position, describe what you think will be the challenges for you in changing from "advice" to "information" in litigant interactions.
06
If you speak Spanish, or any other language(s) other than English, please list those languages and rate your fluency level in each using the levels below (Note: If you do not speak any other language(s), please indicate N/A or not applicable):Level 1 - Elementary: Can fulfill basic needs in a language, such as ordering meals, asking time and asking for directions.Level 2 - Limited Working Proficiency: Can fulfill routine social demand, such as small talk about one's self, one's family, and current events.Level 3 - Professional Working Proficiency: Can discuss a variety of topics with ease and almost completely understand what others are saying.Level 4 - Full Professional Proficiency: Can participate in all manners of conversations with ease and only rarely makes grammatical mistakes.Level 5 - Native or Bilingual Proficiency: Can use the language, both oral and written, the way an educated native speaker of the language would.
Required Question