Legal Secretary

The Maricopa County Public Defender's Office is searching for a hard-working Legal Secretary with excellent communication and organizational skills to join our team. The Legal Secretary provides secretarial support services to our attorneys, which include the preparation of legal documents, handling of case files, performing reception tasks, transcription, and analysis of data.

If you are highly motivated and love to work in a fast-paced environment, you are just the candidate we are looking for!

About the Office of the Public Defender

With over 400 employees, the Office of the Public Defender is the largest of the five indigent defense offices in Maricopa County. We are also one of the largest public defender offices in the country. Our office provides innovative, client-centered legal representation in the full range of criminal matters to clients unable to afford legal counsel. Our attorneys and staff are dedicated to treating our clients with respect and dignity as we defend their constitutional rights in a court of law. This is a fast-paced department with an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve.

Proud to Offer

• Perform work with a greater purpose

• Tuition Reimbursement

• Growth and stability since 1871

• Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County

• Exceptional work-life balance

• Low-cost, high-value healthcare for you and your qualifying dependents

• Enrollment in Arizona State Retirement System

• Paid vacation, sick, and parental (birth/adoption) leaves

• Maricopa County participates in the Arizona State Retirement System. This defined retirement benefit requires a 12.29% monthly contribution rate and includes a 100% employer match on Day 1

• Extensive wellness program with $60 monthly medical premium discounts

• Employee discounts for goods and services

• Learn more at

We Require

• Two years of experience in a legal setting with knowledge in legal preparations and legal proceedings

• High school diploma

• Post-secondary education may substitute for the experience requirement on a year-for-year basis

• Valid Arizona driver's license upon hire

We Also Value

• Criminal law office, indigent defense, and legal secretary experience

• Secretarial experience, which includes dealing with law-related matters such as might be found in a law, insurance, or real estate office

• Bilingual (English/Spanish)

Job Contributions

• Type and prepare legal documents, briefs, petitions, and memoranda from written copy, oral, or mechanical dictation in a fast-paced environment

• Transcribe witness interviews from cassette tapes, CDs, anddigital recordings

• Perform as a receptionist for assigned unit or floor, answer a multi-line telephone, screen and transfer calls, direct visitors, sort and distribute mail

• Translate brief letters or documents into or from Spanish/English; compose brief Spanish letters; interpret for Spanish-speaking individuals;interpret for visitors who speak Spanish

• Coordinate case files and calendars; file documents in hard files; prepare court calendars; schedule meetings, interviews, and legal calls for attorneys

• Photocopy documents, correspondence, notebooks, books, motions, briefs, files, and other confidential materials

• Support attorneys who represent persons who have been charged with and/or been convicted of crimes, some of which may include traumatic subject matter

• Access information electronically from the Court and update internal case tracking systems; use internal case tracking systems and intra/internet to answer questions for attorneys, staff, and clients

• Hand-deliver and/or pick up documents/items onand off-site

• May supervise clerical staff in the absence of a supervisor

Working Conditions

• Emergency, exposure to traumatic subject matter (crime scenes, accidents, etc.), frequently changing tasks, decision-making, working in close physical proximity with others, public contact, and interaction with indigent defendants may be frequent occurrences

• Ability to lift 10 - 25 pounds floor to waist and waist to shoulder