Research Attorney

Position Description

The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the largest unified trial court in the United States. Its 580 judges and commissioners work in one of the 36 facilities within the Court's 12 judicial districts and are supported by 5,000 full-time Court employees. The Court has an annual budget of more than $1 billion. Located in Southern California, Los Angeles County is geographically one of the nation's largest counties, covering 4,752 square miles and, with over 10,400,000 residents, is also one of its most populous counties.

ABOUT THE POSITION:

Research Attorneys, under general judicial direction, perform legal research, prepare written analyses of motions and matters on calendar for assigned judicial officers, and perform related duties as assigned.

For a detailed job description, please click here. Please note the requirements in the job description may vary from the requirements in the bulletin. Applicants must meet the requirements stated in this bulletin.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

• Resume
• Three (3) writing samples (e.g., bench memorandum, drafted pleading, legal publication, etc.)
• A copy of the applicant's last performance evaluation issued by the Court
• Judicial and/or other professional reference letters

Please attach all documents to your online application following the guidelines below. Failure to submit the required documents at the time of filing will result in your application being disqualified.

• Attachments must be in Microsoft Word or PDF format and should not exceed 10 MB per application.
• Documents must be attached prior to submitting the application. Once the application is submitted, you will not be able to edit or add documents.

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS:
To qualify, you must meet the following minimum requirements at the time of application:

Option I: Graduation from an accredited school of law - AND - An active member of the California State Bar in good standing - AND - Currently employed as a Los Angeles Superior Court Law Clerk - AND - Received two positive performance evaluations - AND - Notified in writing by a Managing Research Attorney of eligibility.

Option II: Graduation from an accredited school of law - AND - An active member of the California State Bar in good standing - AND - Must have served a minimum of two years as a Los Angeles Superior Court Law Clerk - AND - Received two positive performance evaluations.

Licenses; Certificates; Special Requirements:

A valid California Class C driver license or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

Research Attorneys are prohibited by Court policy from practicing law, receiving fees, and/or appearing in court representing another party as counsel during their employment as a Research Attorney.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal candidate will be independent, reliable, adaptable, and possess the following desirable qualifications:

• Strong research capability
• Effective oral and written communication skills
• Outstanding organization and time management skills
• Knowledge of Court organization, rules, policies, and procedures
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple priorities
• Ability to work effectively with others
• Familiarity with federal and state laws, regulations, and case law applicable to areas of assigned responsibility

RECRUITMENT INFORMATION:
Qualifying evaluation of education, training and experience based upon submitted application materials. The applicants with the highest qualifications as determined by this evaluation will be selected.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

The Managing Research Attorneys and the Research Attorney Selection Committee will review completed applications. Selections will be made by the Research Attorney Selection Committee. Placement will be determined based upon the needs of the Court.

Applications may only be filed online. To learn how to apply online, please access the Online Employment Application Guide. The Court reserves the right to verify all submitted documentation prior to appointment. The Court will only consider completed applications submitted, along with the required documents, and will reject incomplete applications. A resume will not substitute for a fully completed employment application. To facilitate the full and proper consideration of your work experience, clearly specify what professional experience meets the required job qualifications. When listing your work experience, please specify the beginning and end dates for each job you held and describe your experience for each position.

Please provide a current and accurate e-mail address for the Court to communicate with you about this job opportunity. Human Resources staff will notify all applicants of their application status via e-mail. We recommend that you add info@governmentjobs.com to your SAFE SENDERS list to avoid the notification being filtered as spam mail.

The Court is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants with disabilities who require reasonable accommodation to participate in the recruitment process can contact the email address provided below. For additional employment information, please click here (Download PDF reader) (Download PDF reader).

Questions regarding this posting may be e-mailed to abetancourth@lacourt.org.

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed.