Legal Assistant

Overview

This position is accountable for serving a wide range of stakeholders on matters relating to proceedings associated with the duties of the Office of the County Attorney. The position supports attorney staff through the management of all administrative functions associated with opening, processing and closing cases, preparing legal documents, communicating with victims, witnesses, and other stakeholders, coordinating scheduling, notifications and related administrative accountabilities as necessary to support attorney staff in the discharge of their duties.

The position requires technical proficiency in the drafting of legal documents, an understanding of the court procedures and requirements for both criminal and civil areas and an exceptional ability to interact with a broad range of stakeholders on matters that are complex, sensitive and confidential. Work will involve frequent contact with staff from internal and external agencies including law enforcement agencies, court administration, community corrections, community services, defense attorneys, defendants, and members of the public relating to criminal and civil matters.

The position requires an experienced and highly resourceful administrative professional with strong interpersonal/communication skills and in-depth knowledge of the specialized procedures, statutes, regulations and records relating to the Office of the County Attorney. The role requires staff to perform within several unique and specialized programs and providing assistance through the use of said programs in a professional and effective manner.

The position also is accountable for the performance of all administrative functions within the assigned work groups including those that are complex and require significant knowledge.

• Create, maintain and monitor physical and electronic files ensuring all actions proceed in a systematic and timely manner including: identifying and entering data, identifying and entering file events and court dates, and identifying and entering victim and witness information;
• Provide assistance to Assistant County Attorneys with case preparation including: identifying, locating, obtaining access to investigative reports, files, court records, photographs, audio and visual recordings and other documents;
• Assist in the preparation of investigative reports, files, court records, photographs, audio and visual recording and other documents for disclosure to defendants and other persons or entities;
• Prepare court documents and pleadings for civil and/or criminal cases including drafting of charging documents;
• Perform some light research, paralegal functions, and initial preparation of certain documents and exhibits for attorney(s) assigned to case;
• Offer assistance as necessary to the attorney(s) with the presentation of digital exhibits during court proceedings;
• Prepares for hearings including notifying victims, witnesses and other pertinent individuals of court date;
• Prepares subpoenas for all court dates;
• Respond to inquiries regarding cases in a professional and service oriented manner including communicating with victims, witnesses, law enforcement, county agencies and others when applicable;
• Sets, tracks and reschedules all court dates for assigned attorney and keeping attorney advised of court calendar on daily/weekly/monthly basis;
• Notifies victims, witnesses, law enforcement, county agencies and others of charging decision/proposed plea/negotiations and case disposition;
• Enters data on incoming police reports into legal file case management software;
• Performs a variety of general office services including mail processing, reception functions, ordering office supplies, scheduling, messaging and calendar management for department staff as assigned;
• Organize time and activities to effectively achieve completion of assigned work and performance objectives as established by the office and through the annual performance appraisal in compliance with all department procedures, guidelines and policies;
• Recognizes that although job classification is general in nature that individual may be assigned to specific attorney or area of law as a primary area of responsibility;
• Performs all other duties as assigned in a professional and effective manner.

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Four or more years work experience of a similar nature and scope of responsibility or equivalent knowledge gained from related experience and/or education
• Efficient and accurate keyboarding skills
• Advanced Proficiency in computer software applications

• Legal Secretary training and/or experience in a legal environment for a minimum of two years;
• Notary Public License;
• Accurate keyboarding skills of 50 words per minute or more;
• Knowledge of general legal research methods and procedural matters;
• Knowledge of criminal and civil law and rules of procedures and court practices;
• Knowledge of legal terminology and forms used in legal…