Legal Assistant

General Statement of Duties

Provides paralegal, secretarial and related administrative support operations for assigned attorneys in the offices of the City-County Attorney; does related work as required.

Distinguishing Features of the Class

This is highly responsible paralegal, secretarial and related administrative support work involving performance of a wide variety of duties in support of the activities of one or more attorneys in the offices of the City-County Attorney. The work is performed under the general direction of the City-County Attorney and assigned deputy attorneys but considerable leeway is granted for the exercise of independent judgment and initiative. The nature of the work performed requires that an employee in this class establish and maintain close and cooperative working relationships with the City-County Attorney, assigned attorneys, other Legal Assistants, other employees in the County’s legal and court system, other office personnel, counsel for defendants and the general public, provide the full range of assigned paralegal duties and secretarial services for designated personnel and possess a thorough understanding of the full scope of office and court operations and activities appropriate to assigned duties. Because an employee in this class is located in a work environment associated with law enforcement, detention, court services, frequent public contact, high volume production and time-sensitive deadlines, the work may be performed under considerable stress.

Duties/Responsibilities:
Examples of Essential Work (Illustrative Only)

• Performs a variety of complex paralegal, secretarial and administrative support processes and procedures and analyzes a variety of subject matter required to determine appropriate actions to be implemented within the office; · Formats, prepares and proofs a wide variety of time-sensitive legal documents, including briefs, complaints, affidavits, warrants, summons, motions, notices, briefs, stipulations, findings of fact, judgments, dismissals and related papers in accordance with instructions or established customs and procedures;
• Establishes and maintains case files and ensures that such files are complete, up-to-date and in proper format and order;
• Finds and copies cases for research by assigned attorneys;
• Creates and/or reviews and maintains court calendars and provides complete and factual court calendars to appropriate parties;
• Participates in trial preparations by assembling trial notebooks, interview transcriptions, exhibits and jury questionnaires and jury lists for voir dire, and scheduling pre-trial conferences and meetings for the City-County Attorney and assigned deputy attorneys;
• Contacts witnesses and explains why they have been subpoenaed, why it is important that they appear as directed and persuades reluctant or unwilling witnesses to appear by explaining the consequences of failures to appear as instructed;
• Interviews persons who appear to file a request for the involuntary commitment of a person because of mental illness and prepares petitions and other related initial documents and follow-up actions for involuntary commitments to the state hospital or outpatient facilities;
• Prepares files and other court documents to assigned attorneys related to pending court cases;
• Attends pre-court and law and motion sessions to obtain information, record court activities and actions and update file docket sheets;
• Keeps the City-County Attorney and assigned deputy attorneys fully briefed on pertinent information relating to their particular case files;
• Provides the City-County Attorney and assigned deputy attorneys with needed information, files and documents during court testimony and arguments;
• Participates in the orientation of new attorneys in office procedures, activities and operations;
• Maintains computerized tickler for internal and external use, updating, adding and removing information and cases as appropriate;
• Prepares and distributes jury instructions as instructed;
• Takes verbatim dictation and transcribes letters, reports, statements, memoranda and other related legal materials, including confidential correspondence and reports;
• Responds to letters or memoranda within assigned areas of responsibility and drafts responses to other letters or memoranda for review and approval by assigned attorneys;
• Participates in the preparation of documents relating the Superfund actions, including formal legal pleadings, complex bond transactions and Superfund litigation (CERCLA, RECRA and CECRA);
• Participates in the preparation of the annual budget for the City-County Attorney’s Office, including maintenance of accurate balances in each line item, ordering and maintaining inventory supplies, preparing weekly bank deposits, obtaining purchase orders, maintaining trust account (including records of individual payments), disbursements to victims from all courts, and reconciliations and balances of trust accounts on a monthly basis;
• Interviews and secures information from numerous callers to the City-County Attorney’s Office, makes appointments, answers questions and waits on office visitors;
• Dockets all Police Court and Justice Court complaints;
• Researches statutes and drafts legal documents as directed and instructed by assigned deputy attorneys;
• Coordinates activities with the Office of the City-County Chief Executive and other City-County departments and divisions as necessary;
• Receives and screens visitors, telephone calls, faxes, mail and messages as required;
• Copies, packages and distributes a variety of written materials as requested by assigned attorneys;
• Attends meetings, conferences and workshops as requested and authorized;
• Performs related work as required.

Qualifications:
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Thorough knowledge of legal and court policies, procedures, practices, terminology and systems as applied to the work performed;
• Thorough knowledge of the responsibilities and authorities of the City-County Attorney and assigned deputy attorneys as prescribed in state law;
• Thorough knowledge of modern office clerical, secretarial and administrative support practices and procedures;
• Thorough knowledge of business arithmetic, statistics and English composition and spelling;
• Good knowledge of Montana State laws in the assigned areas of work;
• Good knowledge of the principles and practices of legal research;
• Ability to communicate well with others, both orally and in writing;
• Ability to understand and follow complex oral and written instructions;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with assigned attorneys, other Legal Assistants, other employee in the County legal and court systems, other office employees and the general public;
• Ability to operate a personal computer using standard word processing, spreadsheet and database applications appropriate to assigned duties;
• Ability to maintain clerical and legal records of considerable complexity and to prepare reports from such records;
• Ability to understand and make work decisions in accordance with office rules, regulations, policies and procedures;
• Ability to use logical and creative thought processes to develop solutions according to written and/or oral instructions;
• Ability to perform a wide variety of paralegal, clerical, secretarial and administrative support tasks with accuracy and speed under the pressure of time-sensitive deadlines;
• Ability to take and transcribe dictation at a reasonable rate of speed;
• Ability to quickly learn and put to use new skills and knowledge brought about by rapidly changing information and/or technology;
• Ingenuity and inventiveness in the performance of assigned tasks.

Acceptable Experience and Training

• Graduation from high school, supplemented by additional paralegal and/or legal secretarial training; and
• Considerable experience in the performance of paralegal and/or legal secretarial duties, including use of computer and preparation of reports; or
• Any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the work.

Required Special Qualifications

• Ability to take and transcribe dictation using shorthand or speed writing.

Must be a resident of Butte-Silver Bow during employment according to Butte-Silver Bow Ordinance. See below. ” 2.08.010 Residence during employment .

From and after October 1, 1979, all employees of the local government of Butte-Silver Bow shall be bona fide residents within the boundaries of Butte-Silver Bow during the period of their employment by the government of Butte-Silver Bow.

(Ord. 85 § 1, 1979) ”

Essential Physical Abilities

• Sufficient clarity of speech and hearing, with or without reasonable accommodation, which permits the employee to communicate effectively with others in person and over the telephone;
• Sufficient vision, with or without reasonable accommodation, which permits the employee to prepare, review and file a variety of written documents in both electronic and hard copy forms;
• Sufficient manual dexterity, with or without reasonable accommodation, which permits the employee to operate a personal computer and to transport files as requested;
• Sufficient personal mobility, with or without reasonable accommodation, which permits the employee to access and transport files as requested and to attend court and promptly assist assigned attorneys and other supervisory personnel as requested.

The job description is only a summary of the typical functions of the job, not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities. Tasks and duties of the employee may differ from those outlined above.