LEGAL ASSISTANT II

Legal Assistant II PositionThe Legal Assistant II position of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has different and various duties related to the Felony Division, Misdemeanor Division and the Juvenile Division performed under the direction, supervision, and technical review of an attorney and the Legal Office Manager. This classification requires experience and a thorough knowledge and understanding of legal procedures related to the processing of legal documents. The Legal Assistant II, performs a wider range of the major functions of the office evoking initiative with more technical specialization and complexity of various assignments with minimal supervision.The Assistant in the Legal II role requires thorough knowledge of legal concepts, principles, terminology, procedures, and the use of legal reference materials. As proficiency increases, they advance to execute in their position greater levels of responsibility, accountability, intricacy of duties, utilization of independent judgment on actions taken, and efficiency of time spent performing these duties. Sound judgment and organization skills are crucial for operations. The preservation and cataloging of case files are vital in making vast amounts of data quickly accessible and digestible for the attorneys. The housing and preservation of all tangible, audio, and visual items are in the care and responsibility of the assistant who will evolve in learning how to direct preparations and eventually determine how to anticipate the needs of the attorney and frame of the case, and properly organize and index all items through the life of a case. The growing complexity of criminal cases and legal work continues to bring about new discoveries in duties in order to build a thorough case file to efficiently assist 2 or more attorneys, each with separate caseloads in the anatomy of prosecution.The daily function of office practices requires a minimum of the following:Effectively communicate with a variety of individuals representing diverse cultures and backgrounds and function calmly in stressful situations, which will require a high degree of sensitivity, tact, and diplomacy.Ability to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination including use of a computer keyboard.Ability to independently digest and analyze data, and to reach objective conclusions.Ability to work under stressful conditions, deadlines, and competing priorities.Ability to work with other individuals successfully and collaboratively.Exercise appropriate judgment in answering questions and releasing information.Principles, concepts and methodology of legal research, discovery, and fact investigationThe assistant will process a variety of legal actions not limited to but including: use standardized formats, mechanisms, and procedures to assist attorneys in the preparation of cases for trial and hearing matters; prepare exhibits and witnesses for trial; analyze existing information regarding the case at hand; research and interpret pertinent legal terminology; and develop the content of legal documents.The legal assistant role requires a high level of trust and confidentiality. Assistants will read and view content of a highly explicit, sensitive, and troubling nature in order to prepare, organize, build, discover, and complete a criminal case file. They may often have extensive contact with victims, witnesses, potential witnesses, and the public in emotional and occasionally hostile situations.Due to the sensitive nature of cases, an individual must possess a high level of discretion and professionalism while managing an estimate of 600-900 cases.Essential duties and responsibilities include the following:Handle all information received by this office in a highly confidential manner.Review and process highly explicit, sensitive, upsetting, disturbing, and confidential data to log and determine if all has been received or if further requests need to be made.Extract pertinent data from files and other records to verify all items not only have been received but have come through in their entirety in order to complete the case file.Read and review all documents to determine any necessary redaction.Responsible for a large amount of high profile and media recognized cases, as well as being assigned and managing a regular caseload of lower lever crimes.Efficiently utilize internal and external systems such as PBK (Prosecutor by Karpel), Internal Court Connect, CIS Inquiry, iResults, Arkansas State Crime Lab’s LASSO, Zuercher, InVize, JMS, RMS, ACIC / NCIC, Correction Solutions (Jail Calls), SmartEcosystems (Jail Mail), Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) Electronic Filing Systems, Microsoft Office Programs, Adobe Pro, Express Scribe, Serv-U, Polaris, VidaNyx, Scence2go, L3 Converter, Avigilion, Shared Drives, and Westlaw in order to:Review warrants and other court and legal documents to verify accuracy and then notify appropriate agencies and repositories of updates or corrections necessary.To ensure arrest and booking information is accurate and tracking is in accordance with applicable regulations, laws and procedures; alerting law enforcement and judicial staff of identified updates and changes and filing corrections based on findings.To maintain case management consisting of court calendar dates and hearings; locate off-site case files; generate reports, victim letters, NFC letters; and verify fines, fees, and arrearage.Review previous orders and notes and assist in preparing legal documents for submittal to court and ensuring filing deadlines are met.Research records in other offices to ensure all evidence is obtained and hearings met to prepare the case for prosecution and comply with discovery procedures.Update agencies, law offices, and other parties to case.Prepare for trial and court proceedings; transcribe interviews, calls, recordings and any digital or audio video as requested by attorney.Operate as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney’s (DPA) discovery coordinator by:Work closely with outside agencies such as the Office of Child Support, Sex Offender Registry Records, Arkansas (or other state’s) Driver Control Records, Certified Priors Convictions, local Law Enforcement Agencies, etc. to obtain vital evidence/discovery.Serve as liaison between the trial team and third parties: including witnesses, potential witnesses, victims, advocates, colleagues, experts, judicial staff, and courtroom personnel.Quickly analyze Law Enforcement reports to determine various discovery items the DPA should receive to complete the case file.Once a police report is received, the assistant thoroughly reviews all information, requesting and inputting information in order to continue to build a case file in PBK before it is passed on to the attorney.Download discovery items via various systems and platforms such as WatchGuard, Evidence.com, Zuercher, Y:// drive uploads, discs, Serv-U, Polaris, Avigilon, Scence2go, AXON, INTRENSIC, etc. utilized by different Law Enforcement Agencies. (Multiple platforms for various uses from each agency).Periodically check on the case file to ensure additional discovery items have been received as the case develops.Develop and maintain a discovery log – documenting and check-listing for all items in case.Process, examine, and upload digital evidence for review as well as hard docs, sending back to agencies for scrubbing and redaction when necessary, and re-receiving for any additional redactions and organizing.Track all items in casefile by bates numbering, indexing, tabbing, stickering, categorizing, metadata, hyperlinks, and filing.Generate Motion for Discovery and e-file the Motion upon sending out discovery to the defense attorney as well as:Generate various legal forms for fingerprinting, priors, victim letters, NFC letters, Discovery letters, transcript headers, Vital Records Request, Non-Disclosures, CAC, templates for hearings, witness lists, Subpoenas Duces Tecum, Affidavits of Authenticity, and any other necessary court documents relevant to the case or hearing by appropriate time frame.Submit approved documents for filing with the courts for process of criminal information, revocations, affidavits, enclosures, responses, motions, petitions, cover sheets, notices, orders, and case dispositions.Run weekly calendars for assigned DPA to review upcoming cases on the docket and work the calendars according to the hearing type.Track for sixty (60) day rule, gather all evidence/discovery, and organize the case file accordingly on cases set for Arraignment so the Prosecutor can make a filing decision. Deadline for 60 days rule is crucial since the miscalculation of time could result in the unintended release of a defendant from jail pursuant to Ark. R. Cr. P. Rule 8.Document and update the attorney through various means such as Outlook calendaring, email reminders, and verbal communications to remind of deadlines for filing.Responsible for creating a “checks and balances” system to manage tracking that works with their case load to track in additional systems the live changes of defendants’ whereabouts, release information, and other changes in order to inform the attorney and appropriate authorities.