STATE OF CALIFORNIA Class Code: 2360
Judicial Branch January 1999
Courts of Appeal Revised: January 2020
JUDICIAL ASSISTANT
DEFINITION
Under general supervision, provides complex paralegal, legal secretarial, and office
administrative assistance for attorneys and appellate court justices; performs related work as
assigned.
CLASS CHARACTERISTICS
Incumbents regularly perform complex paralegal, legal secretarial, and office administrative
assistance for attorneys and appellate court justices. This class is distinguished from the
Supervising Judicial Assistant in that the latter is responsible for supervising assigned staff with
effective authority for their selection, retention, and training and development and with
responsibility for day-to-day supervision, evaluation, motivation, and discipline of employees.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES (illustrative only)
− Provides legal secretarial support to central staff or other court attorneys and/or other
professional staff.
− Performs complex administrative, paralegal, and legal secretarial support that may involve
substituting for judicial assistants to appellate court justices during absences or while
vacancies are being filled.
− Edits, proofreads, and reviews opinions and court orders and other related documents, using
the electronic case management and document management systems, for correctness and
accuracy with respect to grammar, spelling, punctuation, content, and organization; conforms
opinions to uniform style using the California Style Manual and other style manuals,
ensuring compliance with California Rules of Court.
− Maintains scheduling and tracks cases calendared for oral argument and submission.
− Prepares final opinions by checking cited facts for accuracy against all documents via
electronic case management and document management systems, from the lower tribunal
such as the clerk’s and reporter’s transcripts, administrative record, exhibits, and
correspondence; validates legal authorities cited using resources found in the electronic law
library and computer data bases such as state and federal reporters, state and federal statutes,
citators, textbooks, handbooks, restatements, and legislative intent materials.
− Communicates with the Reporter of Decisions regarding stylistic requirements and content of
opinions; proofreads and carefully inspects galley proofs of all published opinions for
complete accuracy; may transmit opinions and modifications to the Clerk’s Office for
submission to the Reporter of Decisions.
