What are the responsibilities and job description for the Secretary to Division Chief, Affirmative Litigation Division position at NYC Department of Social Services?
The Affirmative Litigation Division represents the City in a diverse and exceptionally interesting range of federal and state cases where the City appears as plaintiff to advance key policy interests, to protect the City fisc, and to represent the City in the array of claims that arise in its operations. Topics include inter-governmental disputes, municipal corruption, public health, insurance coverage, commercial disputes, tenant protection matters and property damage.
The Division Chief Secretary is responsible to the Chief of Affirmative Litigation for the satisfactory completion of the following tasks:
Minimum Qualifications
Ability to type at a minimum rate of 55 words per minute. For assignments requiring stenographic skills, candidates must also have the ability to take legal dictation. For certain assignments, individuals may be required to have higher typing and stenographic
skills.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/
Residency Requirement
New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.
Additional Information
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
The Division Chief Secretary is responsible to the Chief of Affirmative Litigation for the satisfactory completion of the following tasks:
- Provide administrative assistance to the Division Chief and other members of the Division, including maintaining Division Chief calendar and coordinating meetings for high level officials; maintaining shared Division calendars; answering Division Chief phone and dispensing information for agency officials; scheduling meetings, including weekly Division meetings, meetings for individual attorneys with various outside agencies and other Divisions in the Law Department, conference room reservations, evaluation, semi-annual, and case review meetings for all attorneys, and Zoom meetings.
- Maintain and update the Division’s roster for phone and home contact information; maintain and update the Division’s settlement and judgment files.
- Maintain and update the Division’s Law Manager time entry monthly; prepare semi-annual reporting on Division case status to client agencies.
- Assist with typing duties, including correspondence and legal writing, such as briefs and memoranda of law.
- Assist with litigation papers, including putting together exhibits; redacting and Bate stamping documents; arranging for service of papers.
- Perform general filing and photocopying; maintain Division supplies; coordinate with other Law Department service departments.
- Assist all Division personnel with Law Department software systems, including Microsoft Word, Adobe, Excel, Outlook.
- Prepare and maintain reports and files in connection with the Affirmative Litigation insurance project, including tracking sheets, electronic and hard-copy files for cases involving utilities, for agency contracts, for certificates of insurance and insurance policies, for Department of Education school bus cases, and for other related matters.
- Provide orientation and training to new hires on Law Department systems and Division practices.
Minimum Qualifications
- An associate degree from an accredited college including or supplemented by 12 semester credits in secretarial science, word processing, office automation and/or office technology; or
- An associate degree from an accredited college, and either one year of satisfactory full-time professional general secretarial experience or six months of satisfactory full-time professional legal secretarial experience; or
- A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization, and either two years of satisfactory full-time professional general secretarial experience or one year of satisfactory full-time professional legal secretarial experience; or
- Education and/or experience equivalent to "1", "2" or "3" above. Satisfactory completion of a one year specialized training program in secretarial science, word processing, office automation and/or office technology, or completion of 30 semester credits from an accredited college, including 12 semester credits in secretarial science, word processing, office automation and/or office technology may be substituted for one year of full-time general secretarial experience or six months of full-time legal secretarial experience. However, all candidates must possess a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent.
Ability to type at a minimum rate of 55 words per minute. For assignments requiring stenographic skills, candidates must also have the ability to take legal dictation. For certain assignments, individuals may be required to have higher typing and stenographic
skills.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/
Residency Requirement
New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.
Additional Information
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
