Paralegal

Overview

The Division of Administration/ Office of General Counsel has a vacancy. The Office of General Counsel provides professional legal services to the various offices within the Division of Administration. OGC’s trained team of attorneys, paralegals and support personnel also collaborate with legal representatives of other agencies, particularly in service areas provided by and through DOA. The Division of Administration is the state government’s management arm and the hub of its financial operations.

Division offices perform a wide variety of activities including the following:

• Overseeing the state’s capital construction program
• Working to provide state and federal grants for community development
• Development of the state budget
• Providing technology services
• Giving agencies guidance in the state purchasing and contracting process as they seek goods and services
• Administering a program that provides federal funds to help Louisiana residents recover from a series of devastating hurricanes

Completion of an approved Paralegal or Legal Assistant program approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), or at an accredited college or university; OR
Possession of a Certified Paralegal (CP) certification issued by the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc.; OR
A Juris Doctorate.

Note: Disbarred attorneys and those who have permanently resigned from the practice of law in lieu of discipline may not be hired in any position in connection with the practice of law. Suspended attorneys or an attorney transferred to disability inactive status during the period of suspension may not be hired in any position in connection with the practice of law unless such hiring is first preceded by the submission of a fully executed registration statement to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, on a registration form provided by the Louisiana Disciplinary Board and approved by the Louisiana Supreme Court.

See Rule 5.5(e)(1) of the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct;
In Re Davenport,  (La. 11/3/21) and 326 So.3d 882;
In re Sharp, 2012- 2463 (La. 1/11/13), 106 So.3d 105. The hiring agency is responsible for conducting the necessary background checks prior to appointment. The official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here.

COMPLEX LITIGATION SUPPORT:
The position is responsible for summarizing legal documents and requires meaningful legal knowledge in the areas of complex litigation management; administrative appeals; litigation, mediation, and arbitration involving Construction Law, Public Bid Law, and the Public Works Act;
Cooperative Endeavor Agreements; group health claims administration, including federal and state HIPAA laws; public records law; and the legislative process. The incumbent is responsible for reviewing and drafting of legal documents, e-filing, performing various case management duties, and trial preparation. The position performs legal research using various tools, including, but not limited to, the Louisiana Legislature’s website and the OGC-purchased legal research tool, such as Westlaw or Lexis Nexis.

PUBLIC RECORDS REVIEW SUPPORT:
Under the direction of an assigned attorney responsible for responding to the Public Records Request (PRR), the position reviews public records forwarded to OGC from DOA offices, ensuring the forwarded records are responsive to the request and applying red actions to any responsive documents to protect any exempt, privileged, or confidential information contained therein.

PAYROLL/PERSONNEL LIAISON FUNCTION:
Incumbent is responsible for collecting and reporting OGC staff attendance and for reconciling all generated reports. Incumbent assists OGC staff as regarding all employment matters including payroll and leave.

SAFETY/SECURITY FUNCTION:
The position is responsible for conducting required safety meetings and for complying with all safety reporting requirements. Position is responsible for seeing that DOA security policies are carried out in the OGC. This position is also the assigned Floor Warden, requiring familiarity with all emergency protocols, and is responsible to account for all…