Supervising Attorney

Overview

The Legal Services office of the Judicial Council of California provides quality, timely, and ethical legal advice and services to the state’s Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, trial courts, and Judicial Council and its advisory bodies and staff. Legal Services is currently searching for a Supervising Attorney of the Legal Opinion Unit (LOU) to join its vibrant and thriving law office that provides effective legal support to judicial branch clients on challenging, varied, and significant legal issues. LOU supports the trial and appellate courts, the Chief Justice, and the Judicial Council and its advisory bodies and staff by providing written and oral legal advice to these clients on a broad range of legal issues related to court and judicial branch administration and governance.  

The LOU Supervising Attorney oversees and guides LOU attorneys in providing written and oral advice on significant legal issues and matters of judicial administration. The LOU Supervisor sets the goals for the unit, develops and implements poicies and procedures, and assigns and reviews the work of the LOU staff. The LOU Supervisor serves as in-house counsel to judicial branch clients, providing oral and written legal advice, formal opinions, and legal services while serving as a subject matter expert on court administration, which requires analyzing highly complex and sensitive legal issues for the Judicial Council, appellate and trial court management, and presiding judges and justices. The LOU Supervisor also analyzes and drafts legislation and rules of court impacting the judicial branch and provides advice in the development and implementation of judicial branch legal policies and procedures.

Attorneys within the Legal Services office often support the work of other Legal Services units. Depending upon experience, the LOU Supervising Attorney may be called upon to work with other Legal Services units and to staff advisory bodies.

The Judicial Council strives for work-life balance and provides substantial vacation and holiday time. In addition, the Judicial Council offers an excellent benefits package, including a pension, medical, dental, and vision coverage, flexible spending plan, a public transit stipend up to $130 per month reimbursement for qualifying commuting costs, student loan forgiveness as part of Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), and retirement savings plans. The successful candidate will be expected to work in the Judicial Council’s San Francisco or Sacramento office. The Judicial Council offers hybrid work arrangements for many positions. Employees work in the office at least two days per week. To be eligible for Judicial Council employment and participation in the Judicial Council’s Hybrid Work Program, a prospective or current employee’s primary residence/remote work location must be in the State of California and within a 150-mile driving radius of their assigned reporting location.
 

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, assign, supervise, review, and evaluate the work of LOU attorneys.
• Coordinate the work of LOU with other units in Legal Services and other Judicial Council offices.
• Supervise the day-to-day activities of the LOU attorneys, including reviewing and editing legal memoranda and other legal documents.
• Consult with and advise Legal Services and Judicial Council senior management on significant legal issues involving court administration.
• Serve as in-house counsel and subject matter expert providing legal advice and opinions, and other legal services, to the Judicial Council, trial, and appellate courts, on issues of court administration and other matters as assigned.
• Monitor legislative, statutory, regulatory, and case law developments that impact court administration.
• Develop, recommend, and implement policies and practices, and set goals for LOU.
  Participate in the recruitment, hiring, and training of LOU staff, provide training and development, conduct evaluation and performance reviews, and administer discipline, as needed.
• Analyze and/or draft legislation impacting the judicial branch.
• Develop and maintain legislative histories on significant areas of the law, including laws that affect the judicial branch and/or court administration.
• Assist in developing and implementing judicial branch legal policies and procedures.
• Staff judicial branch advisory bodies and draft reports for advisory bodies, the Judicial Council, and the Legislature as assigned.
• Participate in the Legal Services management team and assist in implementing decisions.
• Assist on internal Legal Services’ projects and programs, such as education and/or planning.
• Make presentations and participate in trainings as directed.
• Conduct internal unit meetings and ensure compliance with Legal Services and LOU policies and procedures.
• Perform administrative and supervisory duties, such as attending management meetings, reviewing time sheets, approving requests for time off, conducting performance reviews, and ensuring adequate holiday coverage and education requirement compliance.
• Report directly to the Managing Attorney for Rules and Projects and Legal Opinions and report to the Chief Counsel and Deputy Chief Counsel as requested or required.
• Depending upon background and experience that may be of direct service to the courts and the Judicial Council, the Supervising Attorney may be called upon to perform additional duties or assist other Legal Services units in areas of rules, labor and employment law, litigation management, ethics, real estate, and business transactions.
   

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications
Juris doctor, and four (4) years of post-bar experience as a practicing attorney that includes one (1) year of supervisory experience.  After passing a state bar, work experience as a Law Clerk to a federal or state judge prior to formal bar admission will be considered qualifying experience.

OR

Two years as an Attorney, in the assigned area, with the Judicial Council of California or two years of experience performing the duties of a class comparable in the level of responsibility to that of an Attorney in a California Superior Court or California state-level government entity and a) completion of training courses on topics related to effective supervision within 6 months of promotion; or b) one year of previous supervisory experience.  
 

LICENSING AND CERTIFICATIONS 
Current membership with the State Bar of California prior to hire.
 

Desirable Qualifications

• Exceptional research, writing, and presentation skills.
• Experience providing legal advice to courts, judges, or both.
• Experience with legislative drafting and analysis.
• Experience in litigation.
• Skill in maintaining effective communication and working relationships with colleagues, clients, and the public.
• Ability to listen and consider different points of view while building consensus and resolving conflicts.
• Strong public speaking skills.

KNOWLEDGE OF
 

• Supervisory principles, practices, and techniques.
• Best practices in organizing, prioritizing, assigning, and monitoring multiple work activities to meet critical deadlines.
• Principles and methods of legal research, legal writing and analysis, and editing.
• Presenting statements of fact, law, and argument in the clearest, most concise, and logical manner.
• Principles and practice of court administration.
• California and federal legislative process.
   

Other Information

Please note, if you are selected for hire, verification of employment eligibility or authorization to work in the United States will be required.
 

How To Apply

To ensure consideration of your application for the earliest round of interviews, please apply by April 13, 2026. This position requires the submission of our official application, a resume, and a response to the supplemental questions.

To complete an online application, please click the Apply for Job button.

Please refer to “Supervising Attorney, Job Opening # 6638" on your application materials and all correspondence.

The Judicial Council provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities who request such accommodation.  Reasonable accommodation needs should be requested through Human Resources at (415) 865-4260.  Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) is available by dialing 711. Once connected, provide the relay operator with the number for Human Resources: 415-865-4260.
 

Pay and Benefits

Monthly Salary Range:
$14,421 - $17,306 per month

Please note due to statewide fiscal conditions, the posted salary range is subject to a temporary 3% reduction. In exchange for this reduction, judicial branch employees accrue an additional 5 hours of paid personal leave per month through June 30, 2027.

Some highlights of our benefits package include:

• Health/Dental/Vision benefits program
• 14 paid holidays per calendar year
• Choice of Annual Leave or Sick/Vacation Leave
• 1 personal holiday per year
• Up to $130 per month reimbursement for qualifying commuting costs
• CalPERS Retirement Plan
• 401(k) and 457 deferred compensation plans
• Employee Assistance Program
• Basic Life and AD&D Insurance
• Flex Elect Program
• Pretax Parking
• Long Term Disability Program (employee paid/optional)
• Group Legal Plan (employee paid/optional)
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligibility
   

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Judicial Council of California Is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Supplemental Questions

Supplemental Questionnaire For Supervising Attorney (Job Opening # 6638)

To better assess the qualifications of each applicant, we will review your responses to the following questions.  If applicable, please indicate for which employer(s) you performed these functions.  Your answers should not exceed a total of two pages.

1. Why are you interested in this position?
2. Please describe your experience with legal research and writing and what skills you have that qualify you for this position. Include a brief description of your supervisory experience.