Legal Assistant

This position provides legal administrative support to the Corporation Counsel Office, including preparing and processing legal documents and schedules; performing preparatory work for court hearings and administrative proceedings; and general word processing, transcription and telephone reception duties.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
The following duties are normal for this position. These are not to be construed as exclusive or all-inclusive. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily. Other duties may be required and assigned.

• Schedules and prepares cases for court hearings, ensuring timely notice and adherence to legal requirements for: Chapter 48 Children in Need of Protection or Services and Termination of Parental Rights; Chapter 51 mental commitments and recommitments; Chapters 54/55 guardianship/protective placements and annual protective placement reviews, small claims and collection proceedings; and Zoning and other Code enforcement.
• Establishes case files, creates files for trial, and contacts individuals for court appearances, schedules hearing, trial dates and times.
• Drafts and prepares legal documents for review by the office attorneys and filing with circuit courts, appellate courts and administrative tribunals, including, but not limited to: legal briefs, stipulations, orders, summonses, complaints, petitions, affidavits, notices, and subpoenas as set forth by state statutes, administrative code or Federal Rules.
• Performs basic legal research, reviewing specified laws and cases and prepares findings and recommendations in appropriate formats.
• Performs records management duties to ensure statutory timelines are met for all cases.
• Performs clerical support duties including word processing, data entry, composing and preparing correspondence, filing, photocopying, faxing, scanning, and emailing.
• Serves as a receptionist by answering telephone and greeting visitors; provides general information or directs to appropriate staff.
• Maintains scheduling calendars and reminder system for appointments, meetings, court proceedings and deadlines for department attorneys.
• Updates legal resources with supplements and replacement pages.
• Sorts, indexes and files correspondence, legal documents, memoranda, reports, minutes, etc.
• Maintains interoffice correspondence to and from various county departments.
• Opens and distributes incoming mail and prepares and delivers outgoing mail.
• Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Knowledge of legal terminology, legal formats, processes, and the administrative details of the legal assistant process, including the ability to accurately interpret statutory language.
• Knowledge of Wisconsin Statutes, including ongoing statutory, procedural, and form changes.
• Knowledge of County policies, procedures, practices, and local government organization and departmental operating requirements.
• Knowledge of current legal office practices, procedures, and equipment; general knowledge of standard office operations; and the ability to type accurately at a reasonable rate of speed and operate a multi-line telephone system and require required software.
• Ability to take and maintain legible notes and accurately incorporate essential details when preparing legal and court documents.
• Ability to prepare court documents in a timely and accurate manner.
• Ability to perform detailed work accurately and independently within strict time limits, while prioritizing a high volume of work and adapting to changing priorities with minimal supervision.
• Ability to analyze information and prepare organizational and functional reports from research data.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with local and statewide legal system agencies, law enforcement, interdepartmental personnel, attorneys, victims, witnesses, family members, media, and the general public.
• Ability to work the allocated hours of the position.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing, with a wide range of individuals, including the public, colleagues, and supervisors.
• Ability to read, interpret, and apply information from complex documents such as laws, regulations, policies, procedures and reports.
• Ability to prepare clear, concise, and accurate written communications, including reports, correspondence and documentation, tailored to the audience s needs.
• Ability to engage with the public, handle inquiries, resolve conflicts, and build positive relationships with a diverse population.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

• Ability to perform mathematical calculations.

REASONING ABILITY

• Ability to understand and carry out verbal and written instructions.
• Ability to interpret and implement local policies and procedures, written instructions, correspondence, and applicable Federal, State, and local regulations.
• Ability to define and solve problems, analyze facts, use sound judgment, and deal effectively with a variety of situations.
• Ability to think quickly, maintain self-control, and adapt to stressful or time-sensitive situations.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion when handling business-related files, reports, and conversations in compliance with open records laws and applicable State and Federal statutes and regulations.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to work accurately, maintain attention to detail, and meet deadlines.

PHYSICAL AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The physical and work environment characteristics described in this description are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions or as otherwise required by law. Employee needing reasonable accommodation should discuss the request with the employee's supervisor.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 10 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, frequently requires standing, using hands to handle, feel, and perform fine motor skills and repetitive motions, and occasionally requires walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling and reaching with hands and arms overhead or below the waist.
• Sufficient vision to perform tasks such as reading documents, operating vehicles, or working with detailed data.
• Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word.
• Ability to hear and understand speech at normal levels for tasks such as communicating with the public, colleagues, or over the phone.
• Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data and observing general surroundings and activities.
• Work has no exposure to environmental conditions.
• Work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Work is primarily in an office setting.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Associate degree in legal assistant, paralegal, business administration, or closely related field.
• Minimum of two (2) years work experience in a legal setting or law office.
• Five (5) years previous work experience in an office with an emphasis on civil law will be considered in lieu of the required Associate degree.
• Must obtain Notary Public certification upon hire.

St. Croix County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace free from harassment and discrimination. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to an individual’s race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, disability, marital status, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.