Legal Assistant - Criminal Appeals

Full Job Description

The Office of the Attorney General seeks a motivated, meticulous, and collaborative candidate to support attorneys and other staff as a Legal Assistant in the Criminal Appeals Division. Incumbents in this job perform a variety of legal secretarial duties such as preparing legal documents, scheduling trial calendars, collecting and organizing data and exhibits in connection with litigation and providing other related support to attorneys and/or legal assistants as needed to expedite legal services in a state agency.

This position may be filled as a Legal Assistant I (0-2 years of related legal experience) or Legal Assistant II (3+ years of related legal experience).

Requirements

• Types and prepares reports or other written materials from source documents, transcription, etc.
• Prepare and/or process documents electronically, including hyperlinking, marking and generating Table of Contents and Table of Authorities; review for accuracy and completeness; update information and/or evaluate against policy; compare elements for consistency or logical relationships, etc.
• Edits written material for accuracy, format, and arrangement of material.
• Electronically files documents with courts and assists in trial preparation.
• Collects data and reviews research materials, determines accuracy and validity of sources and appropriateness for use.
• Maintains calendars; schedules and coordinates appointments.
• Writes or drafts correspondence, reports, documents and/or other written materials.
• Receives calls and/or greets visitors, takes and relays messages, responds to requests for information; provides information or directs caller/visitor to appropriate individual.
• Maintains and/or creates files or record keeping systems. Sorts, labels, files and retrieves documents, or other materials.
• Prepares electronic pleadings and documents using Microsoft Word, PDF, Excel, and other software programs as needed.

Qualifications

(includes knowledge, skills, and abilities required upon entry into position and trainable after entry into position)

• The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Additional Information

• Risks found in the typical office setting, which is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated, e.g., safe use of office equipment, avoiding trips and falls, observing fire regulations, etc.
• Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to perform the work; however, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying light items; driving an automobile, etc. Special physical demands are not required to perform the work.