Paralegal

THE SCHOOL BOARD OF MANATEE COUNTY

Local Title: PARALEGAL

State Title: Specialist/Manager Administration

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB GOAL

To provide legal assistance to the school district's legal department staff.

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Bachelor's degree from an Accredited College - Legal Studies or Criminal Justice preferred.
2. Minimum of 4 years' experience as a paralegal, performing duties similar to those listed below, including assessment of cases, interview of witnesses and participation in all phases of discovery, pleading and Court filings.
3. Paralegal Certification is preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Ability to perform preliminary witness interviews, legal research and draft legal documents. Ability to exercise a great deal of independent judgment and knowledge of laws, rules and regulations, policies and procedures. Ability to perform very demanding executive and paralegal work for the School Board Legal Department with little or no supervision. Ability to perform extremely technical work. Ability to perform with a high degree of accuracy within tight time frames. Ability to exercise considerable initiative and a great deal of tact in dealing with other employees and members of the public. Ability to be clear and concise both in oral and written communication. Knowledge of public records laws and workers' compensation preferred.

REPORTS TO:


General Counsel

SUPERVISES:


N/A

PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Responds accurately to inquiries by the School Board General Counsel concerning matters in the Florida Statutes, State Department of Education Regulations and Local School Board Rules.
2. Assists in the preparation of briefs and legal pleadings, researches legal information from statutes, legal opinions, court rulings, pleadings and case files as directed.
3. Prepares assessment of student disciplinary and employee disciplinary cases and other cases as needed to determine appropriateness of charge and sufficiency of evidence.
4. Conducts independent interviews of potential witnesses, makes recommendations for further interviews by the attorney and coordinates the presence of witnesses at hearings.
5. Assists the General Counsel with taking depositions, preparations of interrogatory responses and cases and otherwise assisting in discovery procedures for litigation matters.
6. Performs legal research and assists the General Counsel in preparing opinions of various legal problems for the Superintendent and the School Board.
7. Applies knowledge of the law and legal procedures in drafting legal documents and other pleadings and papers in certain fields of law subject to the School Board Attorney's or the General Counsel's review.
8. Exercises judgment and works independently with respect to assigned tasks, keeping and meeting deadlines.
9. Utilizes a personal computer and word processing equipment in the performance of duties including remote data base legal research. (Lexis)
10. Prepares or interprets legal documents for review by the General Counsel.
11. Analyzes procedural problems and recommends solutions in certain areas of the law.
12. Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned and directed by the Superintendent, or General Counsel.
13. Assists the General Counsel in fulfilling public records requests.
14. Assists the General Counsel in defending all Claims against the School District.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:


Light Work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently as needed to move objects.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:

Salary and benefits shall be paid consistent with the District's approved compensation plan.

Length of the work year and hours of employment shall be those established by the District.

EVALUATION:


Performance of this job will be evaluated in accordance with provisions of the Board's policy on evaluation of personnel.

Board approved:

Revised:

06/08/2021


SALARY SCHEDULE: SAMP

PAY GRADE: D05

SHORT TITLE: GNA048

STATE JOB CODE: 72010


Pay Scale



Approved Budget Annual Salary Range : : $46,312 - $50,152