Paralegal III

Paralegal III

An employee in this position provides legal and administrative support to attorneys in the Criminal Prosecutions Section and in the Appeals and Grand Jury Section of the Criminal Law Division of the Office of the Attorney General. Work involves filing legal documents (i.e. entries of appearance, bills of information, motions); case data entry and system management; assisting with expense and travel arrangements; discovery organization and dissemination; analyzing and evaluating a wide variety of case specific facts, claims, and issues; performing preliminary investigations and required due diligence; researching, interpreting, and determining the applicability of laws, regulations, rulings, and precedential opinions; and drafting documents such as investigatory reports, opinions, requests for and responses to discovery, or briefs under the direction of an attorney. Duties may include attending hearings or trials with an attorney, assisting with preparing documentary evidence, tracking and labeling exhibits, and assisting in the preparation of filings or pleadings. This position handles sensitive and confidential matters consistent with attorney-client privilege. Work is assigned by an attorney and is performed independently under the general supervision of an attorney. This position will report to the Chief Deputy Attorney General (Section Chief) of the Criminal Prosecutions Section and the Chief Deputy Attorney General (Section Chief) of the Appeals and Grand Jury Section.

Examples Of Duties

• Performs research and assists with the drafting of documents for criminal, litigation, appellate, trial, regulatory, and legislative matters
• Assists in drafting and filing motions, briefs, and other legal documents with the appropriate courts
• Assists with the drafting of complaints, pleadings, bill of particulars, motions, discovery requests, subpoenas, and case information statements
• Assists with the drafting of legal notices, statements of policy, and proposed regulations
• Reviews proposed administrative policies or regulations and conducts research to determine consistency with existing policies, laws, regulations, and rulings
• Utilizes electronic databases or library resources to obtain copies of cases, statutes, and regulations for attorneys
• Utilizes research tools such as Westlaw
• Compiles and reviews articles of incorporation, by-laws, ordinances, resolutions, insurance agreements, contracts, organizations and management plans, cost breakdowns, funding schedules, credit reports, mortgage documents, and similar information for consistency with terms and conditions of financial assistance
• Assists with the response to discovery requests by gathering information, documents, and materials; preparing and organizing the discoverable materials; and drafting responses for an attorney's review
• Prepares and submits electronic filings to courts, agencies, and hearing officers
• Enters expenses in the Case Expense Tracking system
• Prepares and submits the weekly calendars of the attorneys
• Makes travel arrangements, including overseeing the out-of-service training approval process
• Submits attorney training requests and assists with registration, travel, and lodging arrangements
• Screens visitors and phone calls, apprises the Section Chief of all relevant section activity in regard to visitors and callers, and answers inquiries or refers them to the appropriate person
• Sorts mail delivered to the section and routes it to the appropriate staff member
• Maintains control over incoming and outgoing correspondence, and prepares standard replies on subjects relating to the status or pertinent dates for work commitments
• Prepares and reviews correspondence prepared for the Section Chief's signature to ensure proper grammar, format, completeness, and timeliness
• Prepares and signs the Section Chief's name to form letters, interoffice forms, requisitions, and similar documents
• Assists counsel during hearings and trials as needed
• Assists with document and evidence review/organization as assigned by an attorney
• Performs related work as required
• Reviews and processes service notifications from the federal court and works with the Section Chief to ensure the county District Attorney (DA) receives proper service
• Tracks new appeals and assignments
• Contacts county DA's offices to facilitate file transfers

Minimum Experience and Training

• Five years of experience as a Legal Assistant 2 OR
• Four years of experience as a Legal Assistant 3 OR
• Certification as a Paralegal or Legal Assistant (CP/CLA) by The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), certification as a Registered Paralegal (RP) by The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), or advanced certification for legal professionals (PLS) by NALS-The Association for Legal Professionals; and four years performing legal support work OR
• Completion of an associate's degree or post baccalaureate certificate in legal, paralegal or legal assistant studies, or other related field; and four years performing legal support work OR
• An equivalent combination of education, experience, and training