Salary : $86,403.20 - $107,952.00 Annually
Location : County of San Mateo, CA
Job Type: Regular
Job Number: E379J
Department: District Attorney's Office
Opening Date: 08/20/2026
Closing Date: 9/3/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Bargaining Unit: 37

Description
The District Attorney's Office is looking for a dynamic leader to fill the Lead Legal Secretary position!
Under general supervision, the incumbent will provide lead direction in assigning, directing and reviewing the work of legal secretarial and general office support staff; provide difficult or specialized legal secretarial support to two or more attorneys.

The successful candidate will possess leadership and team building skills with the ability to create an environment that unites people and motivates them to work collaboratively and effectively.

Note: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.
Examples Of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide lead direction, training and work review to office support staff; organize and assign work, set priorities and follow up to ensure coordination and completion of assigned work.
• Provide input into selection decisions, performance evaluations and corrective action matters.
• Draft pleadings, subpoenas, contracts, ordinances and other legal documents and correspondence, memoranda and reports from stenographic notes, brief instructions, or prior materials.
• Calendar and schedule court dates, meetings and appointments for attorneys; file or arrange for the filing of legal briefs and other necessary paperwork with the court.
• Receive and screen visitors and telephone calls, providing information regarding the particular area of assignment, which may require the use of judgment and interpretation of policies and procedures or taking messages or referring the caller to the proper attorney.
• Process a variety of legal agreements, contracts, etc., following attorney's instructions.
• Research and compile a variety of informational materials.
• Type drafts and a wide variety of finished documents, including both general and legal-related correspondence and documents; may use word processing equipment and input or retrieve data and prepare reports using an online computer system.
• Independently initiate specified correspondence such as transmittal letters for signature by appropriate staff; review finished materials for completeness, accuracy, format, compliance with policies and procedures, and appropriate English usage.
• Organize and maintain chronological and other files.
• Relieve attorneys of certain administrative matters by following up on projects, transmitting information, keeping informed of pertinent activities, and scheduling and arranging for meetings.
• Organize own work, set priorities and meet critical deadlines.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

County Status:Only current County of San Mateo employees in the District Attorney's Office with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date may apply.

Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

One (1) year of journey-level legal secretarial and office administrative experience.

Knowledge of:

• Basic supervisory principles and practices.
• Office administrative and secretarial practices and procedures, including filing and business letter writing.
• Legal office terminology, processes, procedures, and the format for legal documents.
• The operation of common office equipment, including a word processor and personal or online computer.
• Record keeping, report preparation and filing methods.
• Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.
• Business arithmetic, including percentages and decimals.

Skill/Ability to:

• Plan, assign, direct and review the work of others.
• Train others in work procedures.
• Draft pleadings and other legal documents from notes, brief instructions or printed information.
• Provide varied and responsible secretarial and office administrative assistance to one or more attorneys and/or associated staff.
• Use initiative and independent judgment within established guidelines.
• Research and compile a variety of informational materials.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.
• Organize and maintain accurate records and files.
• Organize work, set priorities, meet critical deadlines, and follow up on assignments.
• Type accurately at a rate of 50 net words per minute from printed copy.

Application/Examination

Departmental Promotional Only. Only current County of San Mateo employees in the District Attorney's Office with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date may apply.

The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click on the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to to apply. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.

Tentative Recruitment Schedule:
Final Filing Date: Thursday, September 3, 2026, by 11:59 PM PST
Application Screening: Week of September 7, 2026
Panel/Department Interview: Week of September 7 or September 14, 2026

HR Analyst: Lealoa Numera (08202026) (Lead Legal Secretary - E379)
We invite you to explore our page for a snapshot of the comprehensive and competitive benefits available to eligible employees of the County of San Mateo. From health and wellness to financial security, our benefits are designed to support you at every stage of your career. (Please note that benefits are subject to change.)

In addition to core benefits, the County is proud to offer a variety of wellness and professional development programs to help you grow both personally and professionally. Most of these enriching opportunities are available during work hours and come at no cost to you.

As a County employee, you'll also be covered by the federal Social Security system, earning valuable retirement benefits based on your salary and years of service.
01

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants for this position are required to submit responses to the supplemental questions below. Your responses will provide additional information about your background and experience related to this position. This information will weigh heavily in the application screening by the subject matter experts and will also be used in the selection process. Based on the application screening evaluation, an eligible list will be established. The top level candidates will be the first group offered an opportunity to interview with the hiring department.This is a competitive process so please answer the questions completely, paying attention to all parts of the multi-part questions. While being thorough and detailed, also be concise. Your strategic use of language will be considered. Neatness, clarity of expression, attention to detail, proper use of grammar and the ability to follow instructions will also be considered in the evaluation process. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for your responses to these questions.

• I have read and understand these instructions.

02

This is a Departmental Promotional Only recruitment. Only current County of San Mateo employees in the District Attorney's Office with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date may apply. Do you meet this requirement? (A "No" answer will disqualify you from this recruitment.)

• Yes
• No

03

What leadership or supervisory skills do you possess? Please provide a detailed example where you applied these skills.
04

Describe the strategies you would use to foster and maintain positive working relationships your peers, managers, other county employees and outside agencies. Please be specific.
05

How did you learn about this position?

• County of San Mateo Website
• County of San Mateo Job Interest Card Notification
• County Hosted Virtual Event
• County Hosted Job Fair
• CalOpps.org
• Civic Match
• College/University Career Center
• Community-based Organization Posting
• Facebook/Instagram
• Friend or Relative
• GovernmentJobs.com
• Indeed
• Job Fair
• LinkedIn
• Professional Publication/Website (Please specify in next question)
• X (formerly called Twitter)
• Zip Recruiter
• Other (Please specify in next question)

06

If you answered, "Professional Publication/Website" or "Other" to the above question, please indicate below how you learned about this position. Your response to this question will help us in better marketing County jobs. Type NA if not applicable.
Required Question