Legal Support Specialist

Position Summary and Job Duties

In this public service position, Legal Support Specialists provide skilled paralegal/legal administrative support work to one or more attorneys in the District Attorney's Office in the prosecution of criminal, traffic, civil forfeitures and juvenile court proceedings. They independently manage prosecution files, maintain confidentiality and sustain communication to other parties for efficient handling of cases. Legal Support Specialists work under limited supervision in an often high-pressure, fast paced work environment and are required to be courteous, cooperative and respectful at all times.

50% Perform Paralegal/Legal Secretary Work

• Receive and review arrest reports from law enforcement agencies for accuracy and completeness for prosecutors to make charging decisions.

• Enter arrest, person and case information into a case management database (PROTECT).

• Request additional information from law enforcement agencies when needed.

• Assist attorneys in preparing and organizing various correspondence, court documents, pleadings and other materials from verbal and/or written instructions utilizing PROTECT templates within statutory time limits.

• Prepare discovery and billing for defense.

• Answer questions received from defense attorneys, law enforcement agencies, other offices and the general public and refer them to the attorney if necessary.

• Testify in court regarding contacts with victims, witnesses and/or discovery issues when necessary.

• Provide overall responsibility of case management for the assigned staff attorneys to ensure the attorneys' cases are managed accurately and timely.

• Provide back up for other support specialists and administrative professionals as needed.

• Perform other general typing and legal office work as needed.

45% Case Management

• As stated above, precisely enter arrest, person and case information into a case management database (PROTECT).

• Review, update and maintain prosecution electronic files in PROTECT.

• Maintain calendar for upcoming appointments and court hearings.

• Coordinate the scheduling and rescheduling of court hearings through the Clerk of Courts office, with defense attorneys and other case parties.

• Review and attach pertinent electronic documents received in the eFiling Queue to their respective cases daily.

• Forward any important documents received to the assigned attorney.

• Interact with defense attorneys, law enforcement agencies, other offices and the general public face-to-face, over the telephone, by email or postal mail.

• Review and correct eFiling Queue error notifications timely.

• Timely close electronic files upon conclusion of a case.

5% Other duties as assigned.

Success Factors (KSA's)

Have considerable knowledge of:

• legal procedures and terminology;
• modern office methods and practices; and
• departmental programs, operation and policy.

• cooperative working relationships with attorneys, courts, other professional offices and the public in a professional manner; and
• appropriate safeguards for privileged, confidential and sensitive information.

• perform repetitive and moderately complex legal secretarial work by following clear directions and procedures;
• understand and follow statutes, state and federal laws/regulations, written policies and procedures;
• utilize Word, Excel, Outlook, other applications (Adobe Pro, Spillman, Evidence.com, etc.) and various standard office equipment;
• plan, prioritize and manage time and workload in order to accomplish tasks and meet deadlines;
• type neatly and correctly from plain copy, corrected manuscripts, rough draft, dictation and tabular material;
• maintain the case calendar and ensure that important dates and deadlines do not get missed;
• remain professional in dealing with individuals who may be angry and upset;
• maintain prompt and consistent attendance; and
• perform other various clerical tasks as assigned.

Job Requirements, Education, Training & Experience

• Associate degree as Legal Secretary/Paralegal, Administrative Professional, Office Support Specialist or other related degree
• Three (3) or more years of office/clerical experience in the legal field
• Any equivalent combination of training and experience
• The offer of employment may be contingent on satisfactory completion of a criminal background check conducted by the State Department of Justice (DOJ), including FBI fingerprinting. Cost of the background check and fingerprinting will be covered by Rock County.

Essential Job Functions (physical elements, equipment and working conditions)

Physical Elements:

• Ability to sit, stand and walk for periods of time; and

• Ability to exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally or negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.

Use of Equipment:

• copiers, printers, scanners, shredders and telephone system;
  laptops, internet and computer applications and software, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook; and
  various other standard office equipment, such as computer accessories, desks, chairs, stationary, storage equipment.

Working Conditions:

• • Work is usually inside office work with some work in our on and off site storage rooms.