Legal Assistant

Overview

The Legal Assistant will assist employees, elected officials, and the general public by researching, developing legal work product, and providing complex administrative support for various purposes related to governmental or departmental activities, programs, functions, policies, or events. The essential duties include the following.

• Plan, coordinate, and perform complex administrative tasks in support of legal assistant functions and daily operations of the City Manager’s office.
• Assist with preparation, drafting, review, and proofreading of correspondence, contracts, memos, policies, legal opinions, ordinances, resolutions, contracts, petitions, briefs, court orders, and other documents.
• Review various documents, including criminal histories, law enforcement reports, case files, real estate records, minutes of the Board of Commissioners or other boards or authorities, maps, plats, building plans, ordinances, state law, state regulations, and other similar records and independently utilize the documents for related tasks.
• Collect, compile, analyze, and prepare data for special projects, reports, or objectives.
• Conduct legal research using Westlaw and/or similar research tools, compile information, and assist in developing legal solutions, strategies, and work product.
• Maintain a calendar of court appearances, vendor deadlines, filing deadlines, board and authority meetings, employee disciplinary hearings, administrative appeal hearings, and other events and assist in scheduling and daily operations.
• Monitor inventory of office supplies, including file folders, exhibit labels, and similar items and replace before supplies run out.
• Maintain a filing system and appropriately retain and destroy documents in accordance with record retention requirements.
• Assist with document review, research, and preparation for Code Enforcement and Nuisance Abatement cases.
• Support litigation processes by compiling legal documents and exhibits, filing, and serving in accordance with established procedures and legal requirements.
• Organize, manage, and maintain legal files and records in accordance with accepted legal practices.
• Perform general and legal clerical tasks which may include making copies, preparing service packages for court documents, processing outgoing mail, sending and receiving emails, answering the phone, coordinating meetings, and performing notarization of documents, as needed.
• Facilitate communication with the public, city staff, or others using appropriate phone etiquette and professional correspondence.
• Review bills and invoices and submit to Finance Department for payment in accordance with established procedures.
• Attend meetings of the Board of Commissioners, Planning & Zoning Board, and other various committees, councils, or boards, as required, and provide administrative support in preparation for matters on the agenda
• Communicate with City staff, vendors, and others, as needed, to coordinate work related activities, including processing contracts, policies, procurement requests, and other similar activities.
• Performs other duties, as required.