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Posted April 10, 2024

Research Attorney - Civil Litigation

Superior Court of Orange County
Orange County, CA Full Time
Reference: SuperiorCourtofOrangeCounty4299689
The Superior Court of California, County of Orange is currently accepting applications for


RESEARCH ATTORNEY - CIVIL LITIGATION
PRIMARILY REMOTE OPPORTUNITY


Salary range: $116,854.40 - $149,156.80 annually*


(Note: Research Attorneys may be able to promote to Senior Research Attorney upon meeting established criteria. The salary for Senior Research Attorney is up to $169,728.00 annually*.)

*Effective 12/15/23


Benefit Highlights
Choice of five medical plans
$3,500 Optional Benefit Plan (OBP)
Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)
Vacation and sick leave packages
14 paid holidays per year
Defined Benefit Retirement Plan
Optional deferred compensation program (457 plan)

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Deadline
This recruitment will be open on a continuous basis; however, please note that this recruitment will remain open until the needs of the Court have been met and may close at any time.

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ENJOY THE FLEXIBILITY TO TELECOMMUTE

This position is eligible for a combination of telework and on-site work assignment. Telework must be completed from a pre-designated home-based location within the State of California and employees may be required to report on-site to address business needs.

Telework is at the sole discretion of the Court and may be rescinded with 48 hours' notice, based on the needs of the Court.

JOB DUTIES

Research Attorneys work under the direction of the Judges and the General Counsel. They are required to carefully review pleadings, petitions, and law and motion papers and thoroughly research and analyze the law. They also prepare concise and organized memoranda with recommendations to the Court. These positions are responsible for a high volume of work with short deadlines.

A research attorney assigned to Civil Litigation will work directly with one or more Judicial Officers assigned to the Civil Panel. The work will primarily involve drafting recommended rulings on all law and motion matters that come before the Court in civil matters, such as demurrers, motions to strike, summary judgment/adjudication motions, anti-SLAPP motions, administrative writs, and a wide range of discovery motions.

The ideal candidate has exceptional analytical ability and extensive research and writing experience, preferably in a large law firm environment.

Note: Attorneys may be reassigned at any time to General Civil, Complex Civil, Criminal, Family Law, Juvenile, Probate or Appellate Departments, depending on the needs of the Court.

To learn more about the duties of this position, click HERE to view the job description.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Bar Membership
Active membership in good standing with the California State Bar.

Experience
At least three (3) years of post-California Bar civil litigation experience is required.

Writing Sample
Applicants must submit a self-edited writing sample with their application.

Desirable Qualifications
At least five (5) years of experience practicing in one or more of the following areas:
  • Civil litigation with an emphasis in law and motion
  • Civil legal research

Skills
Be proficient in online and Windows-based legal research applications, MS Word and Adobe. Excellent research and writing skills are essential, along with the ability to work independently on a wide variety of legal issues of varied complexity, to effectively manage one's time in order to meet stringent time constraints, and to interact professionally with Judicial Officers, colleagues and court staff.

Application Process
Applicants are required to submit a completed online employment application, supplemental questionnaire and a self-edited writing sample.

To learn more about the application process, including tips on completing/updating your application, refer to our "Application Process at a Glance" guide by clicking HERE.


Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of the required application, supplemental questionnaire and writing sample.

Human Resources will review applications to identify candidates who meet the minimum qualifications; therefore, it is to your benefit to include all current and previous related work experience.

Selection Process
Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be referred to additional steps in the selection process, which may include a supplemental application review and a reference check. For current Court employees, click HERE.

Step 1: Applications will be reviewed to identify candidates who meet the minimum qualifications. Those qualified candidates will be referred to the next step in the recruitment process.

Step 2: Candidates' supplemental question responses will be evaluated for job knowledge and experience and utilized to establish the most qualified candidates for additional department review. Additional supplemental application rating AND additional testing or screening interviews may apply. Applications may also be screened for desirable qualifications. If any part of the assessment process consists of proctored, in-person tests, candidates will be required to appear in person regardless of where they reside. Note: Though candidates may live outside of the State of California while participating in a recruitment process, individuals must reside within the State to be eligible for Court employment.

Step 3: The most qualified candidates will be scheduled for a panel interview.

Reasonable Accommodations
Orange County Superior Court provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities, upon request. Please contact the Human Resources Department at [email protected] if you feel that you will need a reasonable accommodation for any aspect of the selection process.

Eligible List
This recruitment will be used to establish an eligible list for current and future vacancies. The eligible list will remain active until the list is exhausted or a new recruitment opens.

Status Notifications
You will be notified by email during the process of this recruitment through governmentjobs.com. Please check your email spam/junk folders and accept emails ending with governmentjobs.com and occourts.org. If your information changes, please update your profile at www.governmentjobs.com.

eVerify
Superior Court of California, County of Orange participates in the eVerify program.

Questions?
For questions on this recruitment, please contact Monica Budd at [email protected]. For general employment information, please click HERE.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

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