Closing Date: 13th November, 2025

Description:

The Position:
There is an additional 3.35% Management Differential which is added to the posted salary for this class.

This is a continuous filing exam. Next filing cut-offs are at 5:00 pm on: 10/30/25, 11/13/25 (final)

Under general direction, the Principal Attorney - Child Support Services, plans, directs, and/or supervises the activities and personnel performing professional legal work in the Department of Child Support Services involving prosecution of civil actions to establish, modify, and enforce family support obligations, and/or provides legal representation for the most complex and sensitive cases requiring the highest level of expertise for the County of Sacramento and State Department of Child Support Services.
Examples of Knowledge and Abilities

Knowledge of:

Civil law and procedure especially as it relates to family law and debt collection practice
Civil discovery practice
Federal and State regulations affecting child support collection and compliance issues
Procedures of practice in bankruptcy, worker's compensation, and unemployment insurance courts/hearings
Legal research resources
Principles of organization, management and supervision of staff and activities

Ability to:

Demonstrate expertise in legal research, writing, analysis, case preparation, trial conduct, and related areas
Demonstrate effective legal representation in highly complex, sensitive, publicized cases and/or legal projects
Establish and maintain the confidence and cooperation of the clients, staff members, public officials, and the general public

Employment Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications:
A member in good standing of the California State Bar.
AND
Four years of experience practicing law in California, one year of which must be as an Attorney-Criminal Level IV (or higher) or Attorney-Child Support Services IV (or higher) in Sacramento County service. Acceptable areas of law practice include, but are not limited to, family law, criminal law, administrative law, bankruptcy, debt collection practice, or worker's compensation.

Note: If the word “experience” is referenced in the minimum qualifications, it means full-time paid experience unless the minimum qualification states that volunteer experience is acceptable. Part-time paid experience may be accumulated and pro-rated to meet the total experience requirements.

General Qualifications:
Criminal History and Background Check: Candidates will need to pass a security clearance investigation conducted by the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office or other designated agency.

Probationary Period:
The probationary period for this classification is twelve (12) months.

Application and Testing Information
Application:
Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. All applicants must complete and submit an online County of Sacramento employment application by 5:00 PM on the posted cut-off date. Click here to apply.

County of Sacramento
Department of Personnel Services
Employment Services Division
700 H Street, Room 4667
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone (916) 874-5593; 7-1-1 California Relay Service
Email EmployOffice@Saccounty.net
Inter-Office Mail Code: 09-4667
www.SacCountyJobs.net

Employment applications and all documentation requested in this announcement must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
Your application should highlight all relevant education, training, and experience, and clearly indicate how you meet the minimum qualifications for the position as of the cut-off date.
Application information must be current, concise and related to the requirements in this job announcement. You may only apply for this recruitment once. Duplicate and incomplete applications will be disqualified.
A resume may be included with your application, however it will not substitute for the information requested on the application.

Supplemental Questionnaire
Applicants are required to provide a full and complete response to each supplemental question. The Supplemental Questionnaire is located in the tab marked "Supplemental Questions". Please be descriptive in your response.

Note: Responses of "See Resume" or "See Application", or copy and paste of work experience are not qualifying responses and will not be considered.

Supplemental Questionnaires must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date. Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
The supplemental questions are designed to elicit specific information regarding a candidate's experience, education, and training. Responses should be consistent with the information on your application and are subject to verification.
Please provide place of employment, pertinent dates, and concise, descriptive and detailed information for each question.
If a job included responsibilities applicable to several questions, separate the different functions of the job to answer all the questions completely.
Resumes or referral to the application or other questionnaire responses will not be accepted in lieu of completing each question.
If you have no experience, write "no experience" for the appropriate question.
For many individuals, it is more efficient to develop responses to the supplemental questions in a word processing document and then paste them into the final document to be submitted. Changes or corrections to your Supplemental Questionnaire cannot be made once your application packet has been submitted.
If the Supplemental Questionnaire is used in the Formula Rate exam, failure to complete all of the questions or incomplete responses will result in a lower score. While scoring the Supplemental Questionnaire, the candidate's application and/or attachments will not be reviewed, therefore, a candidate's responses to the questions should be accurate, thorough, detailed, and complete.

Formula Rate Examination (Weighted 100%)
All candidates meeting the minimum qualifications by the cut-off date will have their Supplemental Questionnaire scored in the Formula Rate Examination.

This examination will evaluate the relevance, level, recency, progression and quality of candidate's education, training and experience. The candidate's application or other materials will not be included in this examination. Therefore, the candidate's responses to the supplemental questionnaire should be thorough, detailed and complete. The score from the Formula Rate Examination will determine the ranking on the eligible/employment list for this job.

All candidates competing in the testing process will receive written notice of their examination results by email. Notices can also be accessed in their governmentjobs.com inbox. Applicants achieving a passing score will be placed on the eligible list in rank order. The rank is determined by the test score attained from the examination.

Frequently Asked Questions
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

For information regarding County jobs: www.saccountyjobs.net

Sacramento County is about enriching communities to thrive. We strive to create inclusive workplaces that reflect the communities we serve. We value and celebrate the unique perspectives, backgrounds, abilities, and diverse dimensions of our employees and residents. Through transparency, courage, innovation, and trust we are committed to advance equity and transformational change.

We are a proud equal opportunity employer. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability for any phase of the hiring process, please contact our Disability Compliance Office at dco@saccounty.gov or 916-874-7642, CA Relay 711. For more information, visit: Reasonable Accommodation Requests - Job Applicant Instructions