Legal Secretary Senior Civil

Are you looking for a meaningful career that has a positive impact on the community? If you answered YES, come join the City of Sparks! Aside from working for an organization that is dedicated to the community, you will also receive a generous and competitive salary and benefit package. Some benefits may include tuition reimbursement, bilingual pay (when applicable) and retirement plans. People who come to Sparks, stay in Sparks.

The Ideal Candidate: While not required, the ideal candidate will have previous work experience in a public agency setting and will have taken some college courses that would amplify their knowledge, in addition to the required education and experience listed under the qualifications section below.  
 
Are you the ideal candidate? If so, apply now!

Application Tips:

• COMPLETELY fill out and update your general online application before attaching it to any new job posting. HR reviews information listed on the application submitted to the specific job posting. HR does NOT use personnel files in the screening process. 
• Contact information: use an email address you can easily access at any time.
• The Qualifications section below is your guide to understand what the City is looking for on your application, use this to your advantage. It is up to the candidate seeking employment/promotion to include all relevant information for qualification purposes, on the application the candidate submits to be considered for the job.
• DO attach: licenses/transcripts/certificates that will demonstrate you meet the education or certification requirements (see qualifications section to determine what documents to attach) or preferred experience/education.
• DO NOT attach resumes or cover letters. The City of Sparks does not review these items with the application. 

This posting will close on Monday, October 6, 2025 at 4:00 PM PST.

Minimum Qualification Typing Requirement: This position requires the ability to type 45 net words per minute. Applicants must attach a valid typing certificate to their application  upon submission. Certifications must have been obtained within the last 12 months, and be for a typing test measuring a minimum typing duration of three (3) minutes. The certificate must possess a signature from the certifying agency. On-line certifications will NOT be accepted. 

• Typing certifications may be obtained from a public/private employment agency or school. If you haven't completed a typing test and obtained certification, contact Employ NV Career Hubs. 

• To find a location visit: https://www.employnv.gov/vosnet/default.aspx Scroll to the bottom of the page and select “Contact Us” on the right side. Then select the “Location Search” tab to search for locations.

Civil Service Examination: After submitting an application, candidates who meet minimum qualifications will be invited via e-mail  to participate in an in-person written exam that will serve as the Civil Service Exam for this position. Exams are tentatively scheduled for October 8th and October 14th, exact times TBA. Please save both dates if you would like to participate upon qualification as other dates will not be available. Tentative dates are subject to change. Instructions will be emailed to qualified candidates. 

If you have any questions, please email hrstaff@cityofsparks.us. The City of Sparks is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

DESCRIPTION

Perform varied, complex and difficult secretarial, civil litigation, office administrative, press-related and records processing assistance. 

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

This is the lead level in the Legal Secretary series, expected to independently perform a range of legal secretarial support work. 

Qualifications:

Applicants must possess the following minimum qualifications to continue in the recruitment process:

Type accurately at the rate of forty-five (45) net words per minute.

Education and Experience:

High School Diploma or equivalent and three (3) years of experience in providing technical civil legal secretarial services, including the preparation of motions for civil matters and office administrative support for multiple attorneys or their staff. 

Licenses and Certificates:

Must possess within thirty (30) days of hire and maintain throughout employment, a State of Nevada Notary Public Certificate.

Specified positions may require possession and maintenance of the equivalent to a valid Nevada Class C driver's license within thirty (30) days of hire.

Examples of Essential Duties:

Provide lead direction, mentoring, technical assistance, training, and work review for legal office support staff. Organize and assign work, set priorities and follow-up to ensure coordination and completion of assigned work. Prepare and review timecards. Provide input into selection, evaluation, disciplinary and other personnel matters.

Draft pleadings, subpoenas, contracts, ordinances, court orders, notices of conviction and other legal documents, correspondence, memoranda, reports, brief instructions, dictated tapes or printed materials. Type drafts and a variety of finished documents, including both general and legal-related correspondence, office press releases, office social media posts, reports and documents.

Provide clerical support work for city’s collective bargaining for negotiations, grievances and arbitrations, prepare and mail subpoenas, motions and correspondence, and calendar and schedule court dates, appeals, meetings and appointments for City Attorney and associate staff. Research and provided potential calendar items to the City Attorney. Maintain and manage the City Attorney’s calendar.

File or arrange for the filing of legal briefs and other necessary paperwork with the court, notify witnesses, and obtain required documents and certifications.

Proficiency, knowledge, and ability to file all court documents in court managements systems such as Odyssey, E-Flex and PACER.

Compile case documentation for attorney use and maintain files in civil matters, organize and maintain chronological files, and update reference materials for attorneys.

Organize own work, set priorities, meet critical deadlines, and prepare budget in area of assignment for approval.   

Receive and screen visitors and telephone calls, provide information which requires the use of judgment and interpretation of policies and procedures, or take messages or refer the caller to the proper attorney.

Initiate specified correspondence such as transmittal letters independently for signature by appropriate staff and review finished materials for completeness, accuracy, format, and compliance with policies and procedures using appropriate English.

Relieve attorneys of certain administrative matters by following up on projects, transmitting information, keeping informed of pertinent activities and scheduling and arranging for meetings. 

Audit reports for outside agencies. Provide technical and service agreements to outside agencies. Attend some special events to assist the City Attorney or Chief Assistant City Attorney.  

Organize own work, set priorities and meet critical deadlines. Train other in work procedures and work performed.

Perform other duties which may be assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of city ordinances, state laws and a variety of court rules and requirements
• Knowledge of effective communication principles and practices of conflict management
• Knowledge of records management policies, principles and practices 
• Knowledge of public agency structure including the role of a Mayor, City Council and appointed boards and commissions 
• Knowledge of budgetary principles and practices and business arithmetic  
• Ability to analyze and resolve office administrative situations and problems 
• Ability to explain criminal justice and civil litigation operational structure and answer questions 
• Ability to organize work, set priorities and meet critical deadlines
• Ability to use correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary   
• Ability to type accurately and efficiently
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with those contacted during work
• Ability to use initiative and independent judgment within established guidelines  
• Ability to use computer applications, social media applications, and software related to the work including, but not limited to, Microsoft Office
• Ability to train others in work procedures

Physical Demands:

Must be able to walk, stand or sit for prolonged periods of time and involves frequent bending, twisting, and may involve  reaching below shoulder level. Requires the ability to occasionally lift and move boxes. Aside from working in a general office environment, in which the majority of the work is sedentary in nature with major exposure to a computer and/or many computer screens, the person in this position will be expected to be effective in the face of workplace stressors such as, but not limited to, exposure to information that may be sensitive and graphic and may be emotionally difficult to process, customer service complaints, maintaining the security of information, people and property, competing priorities of reasonable or high significance to the successful function of the department, etc.

SUPPLEMENTAL JOB POSTING INFORMATION

• This is a Civil Service position and is Non-Exempt under FLSA guidelines 
• This position reports to the City Attorney 
• Supervision exercised: Provide lead direction and work review for legal support staff
• May be called back, held over, work off-hours, nights, weekends and holiday shifts as required   
• May be required to work during emergency circumstances or inclement weather conditions
• Must submit a fingerprint card and meet NCIC/CJIS requirements
• May be required to pass a pre-placement drug screen and background investigation

Application and Recruitment Information:

Human Resources will require prior to the first examination for the position, necessary documentary evidence be submitted for fitness of any qualification. Any requirement not met for the advertised position prior to the first examination for that position, will be cause for Human Resources to decline to examine, certify or hire the applicant.

Recruitment Communication:

Human Resources will be contacting you at various stages of the recruitment process via email only, even if you have chosen U.S. mail for prior application processes or for applications with other agencies. Please make sure your email address is accurate.

Reasonable Accommodation:

Human Resources will make efforts to provide reasonable accommodations to disabled candidates in the selection process. If you have special needs, please notify the Human Resources office when you turn in your application or at least three (3) business days prior to the examination/interview by calling (775) 353-2345.

Disclaimer:

The City of Sparks hires and promotes candidates based on a competitive merit selection process, which may include any or all of the following: screening for minimum qualifications, written examinations, supplemental training and experience questionnaires, assessment centers, interviews (oral or written), physical tests or any combination which the Sparks Civil Service Commission may order.
 
Scoring in the top five (5) for promotion or top ten (10) for entry level in any part of the selection process merely advances the applicant to a higher round of examination, which may consist of additional interviews and other evaluations. Scoring in the top five (5) or ten (10) gives no right to be selected for the position. The City of Sparks reserves the right to select applicants who demonstrate the best combination of qualifications for the position.

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