PRINCIPAL LEGAL STENOGRAPHER
Because Principal Legal Stenographer is non-competitive, hiring leans on your background rather than a test score: meet the requirements and apply to the agency directly.
Eligibility comes down to 4 years of relevant experience.
How to apply
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Principal 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 highly responsible and varied clerical work involving in-taking and transcribing legal dictation and other varied clerical tasks and/or supervises the work of a small legal clerical unit; does related work.
Examples of work
- Takes and transcribes complex legal dictation.
- Performs highly responsible work involved in taking and transcribing dictation of legal briefs.
- Locates relevant laws, statutes, rules, quotes and cases cited in legal briefs.
- Takes and transcribes statements from witnesses, defendants and complainants.
- Answers the more difficult inquiries regarding assigned legal clerical work.
- Composes and replies to correspondence requiring the exercise of independent judgement.
- Trains new clerical employees.
- May assign and supervise the work of a small legal clerical unit.
- Maintains a legal diary containing information relative to matters in litigation.
- As directed, compiles information used to prepare reports.
- Previews, checks and certifies reports, applications and other documents for correctness where difficult determinations are concerned.
- Under direction, drafts proposed ordinances and/or resolutions.
- Maintains, classifies, indexes and cross references 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
Four (4) years of experience in legal stenographic and clerical work.
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 legal stenographic and clerical procedures.
- Knowledge of office methods, practices and equipment.
- Ability to read, interpret and apply departmental regulations.
- Ability to take and transcribe dictation.
- Ability to organize assigned work and develop effective work methods.
- Ability to compose correspondence.
- Ability to work harmoniously with attorneys and other concerned persons.
- Ability to maintain suitable records and files.
- Ability 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 an acceptable form 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.
- CODES: LG - MCK 7/21/99
- This job specification is for local government use only.
Note
The 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 indicated experience. 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.