Legal Assistant

Job Description

Job Title: Legal Assistant

Department : Legal Department

Reports to : General Counsel

FLSA Status : Exempt

JOB SUMMARY : 

The duties of the Legal Assistant primarily involve office work in the legal department. Performs administrative work that is directly related to the Housing Authority’s management operations with respect to the residents’ compliance/noncompliance with applicable HUD regulations, Housing Authority rules, policies, and lease requirements. Coordinate with the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Low-Income Public Housing (LIPH) Department’s decision to terminate benefits of the residents and/or program participants due to program violations. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

The duties listed below illustrate the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements regarding the duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment with this position. Undertakes and performs the following and all other work-related duties as assigned. 

1. Provide assistance to the General Counsel. 
2. Research laws and regulations pertaining to the ever-changing landscape of housing from federal, state, and local viewpoint.
3. Provide written or verbal summations of new regulations, laws or procedures.
4. Maintain all Legal Department files that pertain to residents that are involved with the housing authority grievance hearing process and the eviction process. Responsible for the preparation of the grievance hearing docket and the landlord-tenant court docket which include:

Generating and mailing hearing notifications to participants and/or owners and document in Elite system of each scheduled hearing. Prepare summaries for hearings; assist General Counsel in hearings, generate hearing decision letters for hearing officer to use at hearings. Maintain and retain hearing recordings of each hearing and document hearing decisions in Elite.

1. Lead the grievance hearing docket. 
2. Responsible for the data and recordkeeping of all eviction set outs.
3. Responsible for sending eviction cases to outside counsel and calendaring court date communication between General Counsel and Housing Operations (property manager and assistant manager) and public safety when necessary.
4. Responsible for the assignment and the coordination of the collection of judgments that are assigned to outside legal counsel.
5. Assist General Counsel with litigation and coordination with outside legal counsel including for matters such as tort, employment, and other claims.
6. Meet with debtors for both HCV and LIPH and enter into repayment agreements, collect HCV and LIPH debts, process payments, issue receipts via mail (if applicable) and mail late notices.
7. Constructs debt collection file and completes data entry pertaining to debt and payments in Elite.
8. Keeps and maintains Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) and Debt Offset Program (DOP) records for all Authority debts. Reports debts and payments to DOR and DOP and completes invoicing.
9. Responsible for notifying debtors of DOR refund intercept.
10. Communicates with debtors who are appealing the interception of the tax refund.
11. Keeps and maintains excel spreadsheet of all payments received by the participant, DOP, or other organizations on behalf of participant.
12. Communicates with utility companies to verify utility service.
13. Coordinates all aspects of file review request from legal aid. 
14. Reports complaints/investigations to Public Safety regarding lease and program violations of HCV and LIPH participants.
15. Performs other related duties, responsibilities, and tasks as assigned or required to meet the needs of the department and organization.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES :

None

QUALIFICATIONS :

To perform the duties of this job successfully, and individual must be able to perform the duties using independent judgment and discretion using prescribed procedures and standards. In addition, each essential duty must be performed in a satisfactory manner. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Job Knowledge: Exhibits requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the position effectively. Demonstrates knowledge of policies, procedures, goals, objectives, operational entities, requirements, and activities as they apply to the assigned organizational entity of the Authority. Uses appropriate judgment & decision making in accordance with level of responsibility.

Commitment: Sets high standards of performance; pursues aggressive goals and works hard/smart to achieve them; strives for results and success; conveys a sense of urgency and brings issues to closure; persists despite obstacles and opposition.

Customer Service: Meets/exceeds the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; identifies, understands, monitors, and measures the needs of both internal and external customers; talks and acts with customers in mind. Recognizes work colleagues as customers.

Effective Communication: Ensures important information is passed to those who need to know; conveys necessary information clearly and effectively orally or in writing. Demonstrates attention to, and conveys understanding of, the comments and questions of others; listens effectively. Communicate effectively face-to-face, via telephone and email. Additionally, this should be someone that can identify and either resolve or escalate issues in a timely manner.

Initiative Proactively: seeks solutions to resolve unexpected challenges. Actively assists others without formal/informal direction. Possesses the capacity to learn and actively seeks developmental feedback. Applies feedback for continued growth by mastering concepts needed to perform work.

Responsiveness and Accountability: Demonstrates a high level of conscientiousness; holds oneself personally responsible for one's own work; does fair share of work.

Teamwork: Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts success of team above own interests; supports everyone’s efforts to succeed.

Strong research and writing skills: These skills are necessary for drafting responses, researching memorandums, correspondences, and other documents.

An ability to multitask: This is a deadline-heavy profession, and multiple cases can be demand action within the same limited time periods. You might have to perform various tasks on more than one case file almost simultaneously, taking a phone call on one matter while sorting through hearing evidence on another. 

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE :

Some college supplemented with an administrative certification or one (1) year of relevant experience in a legal setting or equivalent combination of education and experience. College Degree preferred. 

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS :

Valid State issued driver’s license. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS :

Incumbent(s) must be able to meet the physical requirements of the classification and have mobility, balance, coordination, vision, hearing, and dexterity levels appropriate to the functions performed.

Work is performed primarily in an office environment with occasional travel to meetings and hearings. The incumbent frequently uses standard office equipment including personal computers, telephone, and related equipment. Office environment. The noise level in the work environment is moderate.

CONTACTS :

The employee's personal contacts are primarily with residents, nonresidents, program participants, suspicious persons, and other public safety personnel. Contacts with residents and/or program participants are particularly important to establish a professional presence and ensure resident confidence in discussing or reporting issues of concern. The purpose of contacts is to give and obtain information necessary to successful performance and fulfillment of related job duties. 

Contact often requires negotiation and/or handling of controversial matters, and may include dealing with skeptical, uncooperative, unreceptive, and hostile individuals, and potentially volatile situations.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS :

1. May be required to work an unusual work schedule.

2. Must work with the highest degree of confidentiality.

3. Must pass employment drug screening & criminal background check.

The Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This job description is subject to change and in no manner states or implies that these are the only duties and responsibilities to be performed. The duties herein are representative of the essential functions of this job. This job description reflects management's assignment of functions; however, it does not prescribe or restrict tasks that may be assigned. Nothing in this document restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities at any time. The qualifications listed above are guidelines, other combinations of education and experience that could provide the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job may be considered at the discretion of the Executive Director.

Employment with the Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri is on an "at-will" basis. Nothing in this document is intended to create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, and does not constitute a promise of continued employment. 

Disclaimer: The above statements describe the general nature, level, and type of work performed by the incumbent(s) assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, demands, and skills required of personnel so classified. Job descriptions are not intended to and do not imply or create any employment, compensation, or contract rights to any person or persons. Management reserves the right to add, delete, or modify and/or all provisions of this description at any time as needed without notice. This job description supersedes earlier versions.

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