Deputy Attorney IV

Deputy Attorney IV

Salary may be negotiable within the above range, based on position requirements and the successful candidate's qualifications, subject to appropriate authorization.

THIS RECRUITMENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC This recruitment will be open for a minimum of five (5) business days and will remain open until 11:59 p.m. (PST) on Mon
day, March 16, 2026
. Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. This recruitment will establish an open eligible list to fill current and future Deputy Attorney IV vacancies within Child Support Services.

CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES
Child Support Services (CSS) is an award-winning, forward-thinking agency of over 312 professionals, dedicated to helping parents financially support their children. The core mission is assisting parents in establishing paternity, establishing financial and medical child support orders, and facilitating the payment of that support through various means, including court action. Under the direction of the Department Director, CSS delivers human services to the community based on a balanced approach emphasizing customers, staff, business efficiencies, and performance.

CSS also works in close partnership with the Orange County Superior Court, California Department of Child Support Services, and other local child support agencies throughout California.  for more information of Child Support Services.

for more information on the County of Orange.

ARE YOU AN ATTORNEY WHO IS:

• Is flexible and able to embrace change?
• Thinks strategically?
• Has a desire to lead CSS projects, plans, and/or initiatives?
• Strives for personal and professional growth of self and others?
• Has a demonstrated commitment to the community we serve?

THE OPPORTUNITY:
Under direction, performs the more difficult child support enforcement legal and trial work; supervises or assists in supervision of staff attorneys; trains and advises staff attorneys regarding changes in legal concepts, trial techniques and procedures; and/or perform other difficult and complex professional legal work as required.

The Deputy Attorney IV role is to provide support to all activities of the Department including, but not limited to the following expectations:

• Conducts and assists with civil child support enforcement hearings, including civil contempt in Superior Court; files or responds to child support actions and/or matters, including appropriate legal motions; evaluates evidence and determines the nature of the child support matter; justification for bringing or defending a child support action; confers with judges/commissioners, both parties, and/or opposing attorneys; evaluates and undertakes appropriate case settlements and/or stipulations;
  
  prepares briefs and other legal documentation; confers with various agencies, the public, and/or witnesses; undertakes all needed legal and policy related tasks that are not solely court and/or courtroom related to effectively support the mission and vision of the department.
• Serves as a technical expert in child support establishment and enforcement law, advises other deputies on precedent decisions and new developments in the laws; advises deputies on rules of evidence and points of law, which may be used in arguing cases.
• Plans, develops and conducts departmental in-service training in the techniques and procedures of trial work; searches for material that has been successfully used in other jurisdictions in this type of training; identifies problems that are particularly critical among the staff attorneys and develops departmental training programs in these areas.
• Assists the deputy in charge of a branch court in assigning and reviewing work of staff attorneys.
• Prepares pleadings and other papers in connection with lawsuits, hearings, child support enforcement actions and other legal proceedings.
• Performs a wide variety of legal research and prepares briefs.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & CORE COMPETENCIES
The ideal candidate will possess five years’ experience as an attorney in the practice of criminal law, governmental civil law, or child support enforcement law or comparable experience that would demonstrate the application of the required knowledge…