LEGAL STENOGRAPHER
In New Jersey, Legal Stenographer is filled through the competitive process: candidates take a civil service exam and are hired off a ranked list, not picked at will.
Qualifying turns on 1 year of relevant experience.
How to apply
This title is filled by competitive examination.
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Legal Stenographer is a local service title. It is filled by the counties, municipalities, authorities and other employers that have adopted civil service under Title 11A, not by State departments. Those employers set pay by ordinance or contract rather than from a State salary schedule, which is why most local titles carry no salary range here.
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Official job specification
The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator. Source: the official specification page at NJ CSC.
Definition
Under direction, performs specialized legal stenographic work involved in taking and transcribing legal dictation and other varied clerical work; does other related duties as required.
Examples of work
- Organizes assigned stenographic, secretarial, and other related work and develops effective work methods.
- Reviews and checks reports, applications, and other documents for accuracy.
- Takes and transcribes legal dictation.
- Types and edits ordinances, resolutions, abstracts, and other legal documents.
- Acts as a receptionist and provides information about legal documents.
- Performs a variety of clerical and stenographic tasks.
- Interviews and transacts business with visitors who call at the office.
- Assembles information and types contracts.
- Prepares requisitions.
- Answers inquiries.
- Compiles data for budgets and reports.
- Handles correspondence and prepares reports.
- Establishes and maintains essential records and files.
- Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
Experience
Two (2) years of clerical experience, one (1) year of which shall have included experience as a legal stenographer.
License
Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
- Knowledge of modern office methods, practices, and equipment.
- Knowledge of legal stenography and typing.
- Knowledge of approved English usage, correct spelling, sentence structure, and paragraphing.
- Ability to organize assigned stenographic and other related clerical work and develop effective work methods.
- Ability to take technical and rapid dictation and to transcribe material which is difficult to arrange and tabulate.
- Ability to do typing work from varied types of copy and/or recording equipment accurately, neatly, quickly, and in accord with the requirements of the department.
- Ability to use approved English, spell correctly, and use correct sentence and paragraph structure.
- Ability to compose business letters.
- Ability to process requests for information in accord with established procedures.
- Ability to prepare reports.
- Ability to maintain essential records and files.
- Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
- Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
- Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform the essential functions of the job after reasonable accommodation is made to their known limitations. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
Note
The definition and examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.
Successful completion of a clerical training program with a minimum of 700 classroom training hours or thirty (30) semester hour credits in secretarial science from an accredited college or university may be substituted for one (1) year of the experience indicated above. Course work must include typing skills, methods, and procedures; other courses may include, but not be limited to, office procedures, word processing, and business English.