Salary : $77,953.93 - $94,755.25 Annually
Location : Santa Rosa, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 26/07-0052-DP
Department: Public Defender's Office (PDO)
Opening Date: 07/30/2026
Closing Date: 8/10/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Bargaining Unit: 95

Position Information
This recruitment is promotional only. You must presently be a full or part-time regular or probationary County of Sonoma, Community Development Commission, Sonoma County Fairgrounds, or Sonoma County Water Agency employee in order to apply for this position. The Sonoma County Public Defender's Office has requested a department promotional certification to fill a Legal Staff Supervisor position. Only qualified permanent and/or probationary Public Defender's Office employees on the eligible list may be eligible for referral to the department for the advertised position. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time or part-time positions as they occur during the active status of the list.

The Legal Staff Supervisor plans, directs, and supervises the work of a team of Legal Secretaries, Legal Processors, and Interpreter/Translators in the Public Defender's Office. The primary focus of this position is the supervision and coordination of day-to-day staff activities. The Legal Staff Supervisor collaboratives with supervisors and managers when making operational or personnel-related decisions and makes independent decisions related to daily workflow, staff guidance, and resolving routine procedural issues. Primary responsibilities also include:

• Training support staff and coordinating daily workflow
• Developing procedures and policies to support the office's operational needs
• Monitoring work performed by support staff to ensure compliance with established departmental procedures
• Handling complex procedural questions regarding work performed by support staff

The ideal candidate will possess many of the following:

• A practical approach to formulating procedures and policies affecting support staff operations
• The ability to apply sound judgment in resolving workflow challenges
• Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to coach staff one-on-one and as a group
• The ability to support staff with compassion and empathy while maintaining boundaries
• Experience coordinating the day-to-day activities of legal and office support staff
• The ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing
• Experience working with supervisors and managers to implement new processes
• The ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, Public Defender staff, departmental representatives, court officials, and the public

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the and our .

This recruitment is currently being conducted to fill a Legal Staff Supervisor position. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified candidates who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.
Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Any combination of education and training which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, some coursework in the areas of paralegal studies, legal secretarial such as legal documents, office practices and procedure, or other law related courses. A certificate of completion of paralegal studies from an accredited program or college is highly desirable for some assignments.

Experience: Any combination of education and work experience which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, three years of work experience in a law office, law enforcement office, or court environment processing legal documents at least one year of which has been in a supervisory or lead worker capacity would provide this opportunity.

Special Skill Requirement: The ability to type at a corrected speed of 45 words per minute may be required for some assignments.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.
The position advertised on this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver's License.

Background Requirements: Applicants for some assignments must successfully complete a thorough background investigation.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Thorough knowledge of: court related government or department codes, ordinances, laws, regulations, procedures and policy decisions necessary to accomplish objectives of the assigned division; the operations, procedures, timetables and jurisdictions of the court or department of assignment.

Considerable knowledge of: the organization, functions, and procedures of the California court system; the principles and practices of effective supervision, training and the basic procedures of sound personnel management; the computer and record systems of the court or the department of assignment; basic arithmetic, English grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and composition; the technical resource materials and information sources applicable to the area of assignment.

Working knowledge of: legal terminology, documents and responsibilities; functions and procedures of the county law offices and other law enforcement agencies as they pertain to the filing and processing of documents, complaints; the issuance and service of warrants and the recording of dispositions.

Ability to: plan and coordinate the work in the assigned unit; communicate in an appropriate manner with supervisors, peers, subordinates, judges, attorneys and the general public; evaluate and assess employee behavior and performance; communicate behavior and performance standards to subordinates; review and analyze problems; choose an effective solution and implement necessary changes to correct the problem; train new employees; understand, explain and apply specific statutes, codes, laws, regulations and procedures; develop, evaluate, research and implement policies and procedures related to the work of the assigned unit; maintain complex legal records, assemble materials and prepare reports; locate, identify and correct technical inaccuracies; establish and maintain cooperative and harmonious relationships with judges, attorneys, litigants, other employees and the general public; use independent initiative and discretion in organizing work and supervising the work of others.
Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions may be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate's personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant's name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information

A background investigation may be required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to candidates.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the to determine the requirements for this position.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job announcement must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

HR Analyst: DP

HR Technician: KK
Important Note: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.

County of Sonoma Benefits: General*

These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:

Paid Time Off: Competitive vacation accrual and sick leave accruals; additional management leave annually; 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year; and may be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment.

Health Plan: Choose from nine health plans (three HMOs, three deductible HMOs, and three HSA-qualifying plans) with a generous County contribution to the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit). For more information, please see the appropriate MOU.

Retirement: Fully integrated with Social Security. For more information regarding eligibility, retirement contributions, and reciprocity with prior public service, please visit

IRS 457 Plan: Pre-tax employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical: County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.

Student Loan Debt Relief: County employees may be eligible for through the U.S. Department of Education.

Plus, excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, professional development, and more.

For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process and more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331. Additional details about benefit and compensation packages can be found in the MOUs located at For specific information about health and welfare benefits, including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts, go to or contact the Human Resources' Risk Management-Benefits Office at or (707) 565-2900.

*Important Notes: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.
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This eligible list may be used for future bilingual (English/S