attorney

financial analyst

administrative assistant

reporter

human resources specialist

Los-Angeles-Superior-Court

As Secretary to the Presiding Judge, flexibility was the key.  It was the ability to multitask which made my job successful.  The duties entailed keeping the Presiding Judge organized, maintaining a daily calendar and reviewing said calendar with the judge prior to our day ending.  It was conversing with unhappy litigants as well as helping the judge to resolve internal administrative employee and judicial problems.  The Presiding Judge secretary is relied upon to draft daily correspondence such as litigant complaint memos, court orders, taking the initiative to locate various files which the judge needed to refer to prior to signing the drafted documents.  The most challenging was working with the Managing Judge of the Juvenile Court and maintaining this huge database entitled, "THINK TANK."  The judge would be totally lost without the secretary keeping the database updated.  Throughout my career with the Los Angeles Municipal and Superior Court, I can say I gained so much legal knowledge, how to be loyal, how to maintain confidentiality, the importance of keeping organized and the importance of maintaining a rapport with the various judicial personalities.

In general, a research attorney (RA) drafts tentative rulings to resolve motions brought by the parties.  An RA engages in research and writing all day.  

As an attorney fresh out of law school, this job taught me a heck of a lot about California law and the litigation process.  I feel like I have become a much better researcher and legal writer.

Management is generally nice, though a bit too bureaucratic.  Supervisors are generally hands-off so long as the RA's assigned judge is happy.

The workplace culture is generally pleasant.  RAs / law clerks are friendly people and go to weekly lunches.  Many RAs are approachable if one has questions.

The hardest part of the job is balancing the workload.  RAs / law clerks are expected to power through several motions a day.  I work slowly so I usually have to work some weekends.  Also, an RA's job experience will hinge largely on the judge to which the RA is assigned.  Judges vary widely in temperament and demands.  If the judge is friendly and accommodating, the job is far more enjoyable.

What I love most about my current job is the amount of responsibility and ability to produce a product with the knowledge that I can be trusted to perform without supervision and get the work completed timely. If I ever need assistance or have a question there is a supervisor to call. My co-workers are great and mostly work as a team. The hardest part of my job is preparing in the morning so my Judge can take the bench. It is challenging because I have lines of people checking in, phones ringing for questions and late calls and preparing the calendar in proper order processing documents submitted prior to a customers hearing. It is stressful to complete this task with the amount of time I have, but when its over it's great. I keep a good pace and even though sometimes I need to work through most of my lunch it still feels like I have accomplished something great. Helping those persons who need information or just want someone to listen and give a sympathetic ear. I have learned the work that I enjoy best is the kind that allows a lot of responsibility and I love to learn new ideas on how to improve and stream line my work.

A typical days work consisted of working and managing sometimes 2 to 3 Courtrooms due to Court layoffs. I learned and acquired the knowledge that made it possible for me to run and manage Courtrooms all over the Los Angeles County. I had the opportunity to work as Supervising Management in the Civil Division at the Long Beach Superior Courthouse. Being knowledgeable in the area of management helped me to work with the management team that Supervised the Judicial Assistants/Personal Assistants. I remained knowledgeable and friendly with fellow co-workers always willing to lend a hand and offer advice when needed. The hardest part of my job was having to work through breaks and lunch to prepare necessary verdicts and exhibits for various jury trials. The most enjoyable thing about my job was the knowledge that was attained on a daily basis, and being able to work with different kinds of people from all walks of life.

Everything is about who you know, no matter how much of a good worker you are (even if you would think that good workers are noticed, they are not). Management treats you like a child, and does not care about employees. Will straight out take what you say and then not care. Don't expect to have a good work life balance because while you get time off on holidays and weekends, during the week they might make you drive anywhere in LA County for some positions and only give you money for gas. If you car breaks, good luck with the pay they give you to fix it, and they don't care what time you get home because of traffic or distance because you have to wake up and do it again. Regular (non-managment) employees are the only upside, they are extremely friendly and most of the time understand management is crazy and help each other to just stay out of their way. On top of that, you might be sent to training classes randomly. Direct supervisors just play puppets for managers all day long.

Working at the court has been both a gift and a curse. A gift because you deal with people from all walks of life and helping someone with a difficult situation can make you feel good! On the other hand, when customers don’t get their way, they become rude and disrespectful which makes you second guess working there. This happens often if you’re at the public service counter. In addition, the management doesn’t take employee concerns into consideration and rather belittle the employee if something goes wrong rather than admitting that the courts have an inadequate case management system that often makes your job more difficult. Supervisors gossip about employees and management believes they are untouchable. Employees stick around for the benefits. Great experience working with attorneys and interacting with judges and learning different areas of law, but management could use a lot better f work to boost employee morale.

I worked for the courts for 30 years, I retired last year as  supervisor of the Traffic Department.  The mission of the court is to provide professional and courteous customer service to not only the public but to staff members, judges, attorneys and management in a respective manner.   Yes there were stressful days especially when your have difficult  customers and handling a staff of 13 with different personalities.  

It was my job to take attendance, make sure we have coverage in case someone was on vacation or out sick.  Do payroll for the department, handle complaints from customers either in person or by phone, write reports, handle disciplinary actions if needed on problem employees.

I did not want to retire but due to my husband and father's health issues I decided to retire to become their full time caretaker.

Working at the courts you are exposed to several different litigation and learn a lot about the process, procedures and how it all comes together. You are exposed to many different cultures, language barriers, and social and economical backgrounds. Every day brings new challenges, but everyday can be a learning opportunity. If you are lucky you will have some great supervisors that can guide and direct you in the correct path, as well as awesome administrators that enjoy seeing you grow and advance. There is room for advancement if you meet the qualifications and pass the exams. Each advancement brings an added responsibility and at times more stress. At times can be competitive, petty, and gossiping going on. But for the most part everyone there is working on the same goal and that is to assist the public and meet there work goals.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Supporting one of the three branches of government. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Dealing with shifty leadership. Projects and priorities that go nowhere. No real direction, just a bunch of gotcha meetings. Busy work.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Was toxic under old CEO. Court invested money in “leadership” conferences. It was ok to apply leadership concepts in academia but executives quickly forgot once back at worksite. CFO in particular afraid of his own shadow.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Pretty much a lot of much ado about nothing. Lots of busy work. Spend hours putting together material only to have it picked apart and reworded just so someone else can put there stamp on it. Lots of nepotism.

My time at the court was very enjoyable. Career progression depends upon testing and interviewing well. Very fair. There are opportunities to work in various fields of the law. Working with different judicial officers, clerks, court reporters, and court assistants was a pleasure. I learned quite a bit from all of my coworkers. Working in a courtroom, supporting the judge and clerk, and working with the public was incredibly fulfilling. The benefits and pay were up to my expectations. I would work there again were I to move back to Los Angeles.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Attorney 9 salaries reported	$13,916 per month
Financial analyst 3 salaries reported	$112,557 per year
Administrative assistant 1 salary reported	$5,070 per month
Reporter 2 salaries reported	$32.50 per hour
Human resources specialist 3 salaries reported	$92,131 per year

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