The Legal Services office of the Judicial Council of California provides quality, timely, and ethical legal advice and services to the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, and trial courts, and to the Judicial Council, and its advisory bodies and staff.
Legal Services is currently searching for an experienced transactional attorney to join its dynamic legal services office made up of a highly skilled workforce that provides effective legal support to judicial branch clients on challenging, varied, and significant legal issues. This attorney will support the two primary functions of the office, house counsel and rules and projects, by providing primary support to the Transactions and Business Operations Unit. The Transactions and Business Operations Unit attorney supports the Judicial Council and the trial and appellate courts on a full range of contract and business transactional issues, as well as providing legal advice on court and judicial branch business operations. This includes advice regarding the procurement of goods and services (including for information technology goods and services), facilities maintenance contracts, intergovernmental agreements, and the purchase, use and licensing of various forms of intellectual property. The attorney will independently manage a workload in a collegial and collaborative environment.
The Judicial Council
The Judicial Council of California is the policy setting body for the state court system and has constitutionally conferred statewide rule-making authority. This authority includes developing, advocating for, and allocating the judicial branch budget. A majority of Council members are California state justices and judges; however, the Council also includes lawyers, legislators, and court administrators.
By enhancing its role as a leadership, knowledge, and service resource for the judicial branch, the Judicial Council’s staff organization seeks to continue to evolve as one of California’s most dynamic public service entities, focused on improving access to justice for all Californians by innovating and responding to the changing needs of the courts and the public. As a government body charged with improving the statewide administration of justice, the Judicial Council has multiple offices with diverse responsibilities relating to court policy and operations. As employees of the council, every member of staff should view and approach their work as one Judicial Council with a public service mission that is greater than the sum of its parts.
The Judicial Council strives for work-life balance, including substantial vacation and holiday time. In addition, we offer an excellent benefits package, including pension, medical, dental, and vision coverage, flexible spending, 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 San Francisco office is only a 7-minute walk from the downtown Civic Center BART station. In Sacramento, the office is located minutes from downtown, just north of Discovery Park.
The Judicial Council offers hybrid work arrangements for many positions. The successful candidate will be expected to work in person at the Judicial Council’s San Francisco or Sacramento office at least two days per week, based on their office leader’s direction, and reside in the areas surrounding these locations. 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.
