Post Bar Law Clerk

About the Ventura County District Attorney's Office

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office is the public prosecutor for the county's nearly 840,000 residents. The office employs approximately 310 employees including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and professional staff who strive to seek justice, ensure public safety, and protect the rights of crime victims. The Ventura County District Attorney recognizes the importance of Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion ("DEBI") in the office's culture and climate, hiring, training and education, opportunities for advancement, and the relationship with the communities it serves. The District Attorney has created this committee to promote these stated values for the benefit of the Office and to achieve the Office's mission.

Mission Statement

We are committed to public safety, the pursuit of truth and justice, to ensuring victims are protected, and our communities are served with fairness and integrity.

Position Overview

Under immediate supervision of a Deputy District Attorney, assists in case preparation by doing research, interviewing clients and witnesses, and making routine court appearances. The ideal candidates are in their final year of law school and planning to take the California Bar Examination in 2027, with legal experience in a prosecutor's office, and looking for a career as a prosecutor with the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

Payroll Title/Status: Law Clerk/Extra Help

Tentative Schedule: Spring and Fall of 2027

Application Opening Date: August 17, 2026

Application Closing Date: September 4, 2026 at 11:59 PM (date may change depending on number of qualified applicants)

First Application Review: Week of September 7, 2026

Examples of Duties

• Interviews witnesses and evaluates evidence.
• Negotiates disposition and modification of cases according to office policy.
• May make routine court appearances and presentations.
• Prepares and files complaints, pleadings, memoranda, briefs, appeals, and other legal documents.
• Conducts trial prosecution by preparing strategies, ordering investigations and subpoenas, resolving legal issues through research, participating in jury selection, and presenting evidence and arguments.
• Identifies and resolves legal issues through legal research.
• Works closely with assigned Counsel on pertinent legal issues and challenges and assists in preparing legal positions for defense or argument in court.
• Researches and writes responses to writ applications after review and files them with the court.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Qualifications

Education, Training and Experience: Any combination of education, training and/or experience that demonstrates possession of the required knowledge skills and abilities. Possession of the requisite KSAs can typically be demonstrated by successful completion of a paralegal certificate program or completion of two (2) years of law school.

Highly Desired

• Completing final year of law school and planning to take the California Bar Exam in 2027.
• Legal experience in a prosecutor's office.
• Demonstrated commitment to serving the diverse Ventura County community.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of: rules of evidence, legal principles, criminal law, and trial procedures; State and Federal law pertaining to specific trial assignments; legal research; ethical responsibilities enunciated by the American Bar Association and California Bar Association.

Ability to: perform legal research; investigate and analyze evidence and legal problems; prepare cases; prepare reports and legal documents; communicate effectively orally and in writing; deal effectively with victims, members of the legal profession, public officials, and the general public.

Career Progression

Upon graduation from law school and admission to the California Bar, an individual appointed to extra-help law clerk by virtue of this recruitment may, dependent upon both time and his/her performance as a law clerk, other qualifying legal-related experience, and the needs of the District Attorney's Office, be appointed to the higher level, permanent or extra help classification of Attorney.

Recruitment Process

Application Filing: Applications must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California no later than 11:59 PM on September 4, 2026. To apply online, refer to www.ventura.org/jobs. Paper applications may be obtained by calling (805) 654-5129 and submitted to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

Supplemental Questionnaire: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in removal of the application from further consideration. Responses such as "See Resume" or "Refer to Resume" are not acceptable and may disqualify an applicant from further evaluation.

Application Evaluation: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the examination process.

Training & Experience Evaluation: A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.

Oral/Practical Examination (100%): A job-related examination will be conducted to evaluate and compare participating applicants' knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Applicants must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list. All exams and interviews will be conducted in person at the District Attorney's Office. There will be no telephonic exams or interviews.

Note: If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, an oral/practical examination will not be conducted. Instead, a score of seventy percent (70%) will be assigned to each application, and each applicant will be placed on the eligible list.

Eligible List: The eligible list established for this position may be used to fill present and future extra-help vacancies within the District Attorney's Office. Candidates successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of nine (9) months. The eligible list established by this recruitment will be used to fill extra help law clerk positions anticipated to begin work in September 2027. There are currently up to three (3) extra-help Post Bar Law Clerk vacancies.

Background Investigation: A thorough post-offer, pre-employment background investigation will be conducted which will include inquiry into past employment, education, credit history, criminal background information, and driving record.

For further information about this recruitment, contact Jayna Landeros by email at Jayna.Landeros@venturacounty.gov or by phone at (805) 477-1609.

This response is AI-generated, for reference only.