Career Opportunity

Senior Legal Process Clerk (8108) – Citywide – (C00458)

Recruitment: REF60904N

Published: August 17, 2026

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

• Application Opening: August 17, 2026

• Application Deadline: August 30, 2026 at 11:59pm

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

Role description

Under supervision, the Senior Legal Process Clerk performs specialized clerical duties requiring thorough knowledge of procedures and requirements relating to the department concerned; processes legal actions for court disposition; examines documents submitted for filing and recording; and performs related duties as required. Examples of the essential functions of this class include but are not limited to:

1. Receives and screens all processes issued by court for action and collects fees for prescribed services; accepts bonds to release property levied upon the Sheriff; signs releases on real property and salary attachments; and accounts for monies received by Sheriff from defendants and attorneys.
2. Responds to inquires made in person or by phone from the public, attorneys, litigants, witnesses, victims and other law enforcement agencies regarding legal attachments, evictions, writs of execution and funds in process of transmission.
3. Assists Attorneys in the process of cases by interviewing witnesses and recording their statements; prepares formal complaints and related reports; maintains calendar and dockets of court hearing on criminal cases; and prepares writs or warrants of attachment and execution to ensure proper completion.
4. Processes lawsuits filed against the City; files legal papers in Superior and Municipal Courts; maintains daily and weekly diary and notifies City Attorney’s deputies of pleadings, appearances, depositions, and other pertinent legal actions.
5. Processes and reviews legal documents and records such as hold orders, indictments, writs, certifications, marriage licenses and fictitious name statements; retrieves legal documents using alphabetical, chronological, and numerical filing systems; indexes ordering of prior convictions for felonies using criminal identification and investigation records; performs data entry and checks files/computer records to locate requested information.
6. Examines and reviews a wide variety of legal documents, applying relevant laws, codes and procedures, to determine whether they meet the prerequisites for recording; calculates fees for recordable documents, accepts payment, writes receipts and makes change; balances daily total of monies received; and explains provisions and regulations regarding recording of documents to title company representatives, realtors, attorneys and the public.

How to qualify

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Experience and/or Education:

• Two (2) years (equivalent to 4,000 hours) of verifiable full-time experience processing and/or researching documents in accordance with laws, codes and/or regulations in a legal, governmental, real estate or financial services environment; OR
• 30 semester/ 45 quarter units of coursework from an accredited college or university with a minimum of 12 semester/18 quarter units in business and/or law; AND one (1) year (equivalent to 2,000 hours) of verifiable full-time experience processing and/or researching documents in accordance with laws, codes and/or regulations in a legal, governmental, real estate or financial services environment.

Verification:

Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications.  

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/. 

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

What else should I know?

Legal Process Clerk Series - Written Examination (Weight:100%): Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be provided the opportunity to participate in a written multiple-choice exam to determine their relative knowledge, skill and ability level in one or more of the following job-related areas. These areas may include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of state and local codes, statutes, ordinances; legal terminology; and technical knowledge necessary to examine a wide variety of legal documents; Ability to sort, file, retrieve, code and index documents using alphabetical, chronological and numerical filing system; perform record keeping; use a typewriter and/or a word processor; communicate clearly and tactfully with co-workers, clients, attorneys, litigants, and the general public; instruct subordinates on routine matters; read and comprehend legal terminology on various forms and letters; respond to customer inquires in writing and interact with the public in a tactful and courteous manner.

A passing score must be achieved on the examination in order to be placed/ranked on the Eligible List. The hiring department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures to make final hiring decisions.

This is a new standardized multiple-choice examination, and previous bank scores will not be used. In accordance with Civil Service Rule 111.11.4, inspection privileges do not apply to the questions and answers in these examinations.

DURATION OF ELIGILBLE LIST: The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be 24 months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Where to Apply 

All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process.  

Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110. 

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues. 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@smartrecruiters.com that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received. 

Important Email Contact Information: Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that your registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that emails from CCSF are not blocked on your computer by a spam filter. Applicants should add our emails to your contacts to avoid delays in updates: SFHR Email Extension 

Note: 

1. Please ensure the information on your application is accurate. It may not be possible to change after you’ve applied.

2. Your first and last name should match your legal ID for verification purposes. A preferred first name may be included in parentheses. Here is an example: Samuel (Sam) Jackson

3. Your email address should be consistent across all jobs applied to on our website.

4. Use a personal and not a shared email address. Doing so may prevent your application from submitting properly.

5. Upon successful submission of your application, applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@smartrecruiters.com. Keep this email for your records. If you do not receive the confirmation email, your application was not submitted successfully and you will need to resubmit.

 Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights: Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations.  [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.] The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4.  Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement.  Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process           
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Jennifer Bushman at Jennifer.Bushman@sfgov.org. Please include the recruitment ID, CBT-8108-C00458, in the subject line. Recruitment ID: C00458.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.