PARALEGAL

Job Purpose:
Under direction of the Assistant City Attorney, performs a variety of professional duties involved in assisting attorneys in providing a full range of legal services related to municipal government operations; to draft and preliminarily review legal documents; to assist in budget preparation; to oversee general administrative operations and functions of the City Attorney’s Office including records retention and disposal; and to provide information, direction, and assistance to staff, other departments, outside agencies, and the general public. The position completes these responsibilities in support of the City Attorney’s Office in the delivery of legal services.

Essential Duties: These job functions are the essential duties of the position and are not all-inclusive of all the duties the incumbent may be assigned.

Duty 1: Legal Drafting and Review

50% Time
Essential
Tasks :

• Assist attorneys in the office by preparing and reviewing criminal and civil legal documents such as draft pleadings, briefs, motions, proposed court orders, deeds, easements, agreements, ordinances, and resolutions
• Assist city departments by reviewing and analyzing requests for ordinances, resolutions, agreements, and other legal documents; determine the type of document needed, obtain necessary information; and prepare the draft documents for attorney review
• Review agreements prepared by other departments for appropriateness, accuracy, and compliance with legal requirements
• Prepare and review documents effecting real property; conduct research and review property descriptions from previously recorded instruments, plats and certificates of survey.
• Understand the difference between types of deeds, easements and other transfer instruments; select and draft appropriate type of document; prepare closing documents for land transactions.

Duty 2: Administrative

30% Time
Essential Duties
Tasks :

• Perform responsible and difficult administrative work involving the use of independent judgment and personal initiative; perform varied and responsible administrative duties involved in the processing and completion of administrative operations for the office.
• Assist the Assistant City Attorney in assuring efficient office operations by helping establish and maintain office policies that facilitate such operations.
• Coordinate, monitor, and participate in meetings, special projects, assignments, and activities.
• Prepare and monitor the office budget including analyzing and determining annual budget needs, revenue requests for designated accounts, and monitoring expenditures to verify fund balances and proper accounts of the approved budget
• Participate in planning and policy development for office; collect, analyze, and compile material for review and analysis; provide recommendations for changes in office policy, or procedures to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness of operations.
• Serves as a primary resource and information source regarding office policies, procedures, objectives, and operational functions. This function includes receiving and interviewing office visitors and telephone callers; answering questions and providing information where judgment, knowledge, and interpretations are utilized; resolving complaints; referring callers and visitors to appropriate sources as necessary.
• Establish, maintain and foster positive and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work

Duty 3: Clerical
20% Time
Essential
Tasks :

• Establish and implement an effective records management and retention program, both physical and electronic, that allows for easy archival and retrieval of records and complies with all applicable record retention rules, laws, and regulations.
• Maintain calendars and appointments for the office and its staff; arrange meetings, conferences and other functions for the attorneys
• Coordinate activities with other departments, divisions, the public and outside agencies
• Prepare, review, and process claims; validate coding of claims; prepare purchase orders; contact vendors and suppliers as needed; maintain related records

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Related to this Position:
Knowledge of:

• Basic operational characteristics, services, and activities of a municipal law department.
• Principles and applications of civil, criminal and administrative law.
• Understanding of workings of courts and filing of court pleadings.
• Legal terminology, procedures, and technology.
• Modern office administrative management practices and methods.
• Modern office equipment including computer equipment and applicable software programs.
• English language usage, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation.
• Principles and procedures of record keeping and filing systems for both physical and electronic records.
• Record retention laws.
• Basic mathematical principles.
• Principles and practices used in dealing with the public.

Skill or ability to:

• Type and enter data at a speed necessary for successful job performance.
• Learn, interpret, and apply the policies, procedures, laws, codes, and regulations pertaining to assigned programs and functions.
• Prepare drafts of legally significant documents for attorney review, both from scratch and by using templates.
• Use independent judgment to respond to and assist with a wide variety of issues dealing with multiple subject matters and varying degree of complexity.
• Perform general clerical work involving the use of independent judgment and personal initiative.
• Respond to inquiries and requests for information regarding policies and procedures.
• Prepare and maintain accurate and complete records.
• Research, collect, compile, and analyze information and data.
• Prepare and administer budgets.
• Plan and organize work to meet schedules and deadlines.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Physical Demands:
Ability to work in a standard office environment. Mobility to work in a typical office setting and use standard office equipment, vision to read printed materials and a computer screen, and hearing and speech to communicate in person or over the telephone. Requires the ability to move or lift documents and materials weighing up to 30 pounds.
Safety
Performs all functions in the safest possible manner and according to policies and procedures. Participates fully with safety trainings. Reports unsafe work conditions and practices, work-related injuries, illnesses, and near-misses as soon as possible to assigned supervisor.
Minimum Qualifications (Education, Experience and Training):
This position requires either an associate’s degree in legal studies or related field or a minimum of five years of increasingly responsible paralegal, legal administrative, clerical, and drafting and review experience and a paralegal certificate within six months of hire. Relevant combinations of education and work experience may be considered on an individual basis.

License or Certificate:
Must possess a valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record at the time of hire and have the ability to obtain a valid MT driver’s license within six months of hire.

Supervision Received:
Supervised by the Assistant City Attorney and City Attorney.

Supervision Exercised:
Supervises legal administrative staff