THIS POSITION IS OPEN UNTIL FILLED!
SALARY: 25.16 – 33.54 Hourly USD
This position provides assistance and support to the City Attorney’s Office, and specifically the Municipal Law Section. The preferred candidate will display strong attention to detail. Job duties include assisting with agenda items, including the finalization of minute orders, resolutions, and ordinances, and codifying adopted amendments to the Arlington City Code.
JOB SUMMARY:
Under general supervision, this position provides assistance and support to City’s attorneys in gathering information and organizing information, calculating deadlines and maintaining calendars, conducting legal research, preparing correspondence, opinions and legal documents.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
- The ability to locate and to communicate with witnesses to obtain statements, to ensure testimony is applicable and to advise witnesses of their role in future litigation; the ability to assist attorneys in hearing and trial preparation by gathering appropriate documents to be used as evidence during hearing and trial proceedings, labeling documents, ensuring witnesses are briefed and prepared for trial, etc.; and, the ability to prepare litigation and administrative hearing files by assembling and organizing all pertinent documents, gathering any missing information, ensuring appropriate pleadings, exhibits and case law are included, marked and organized in a comprehensible manner and preparing discovery requests and responses.
- The ability to monitor case status by contacting courts, administrative hearing officers, arbitrators, opposing parties, witnesses and clients; the ability to keep attorneys, witnesses, departments and parties apprised of court dates and/or changes and record such dates in file; and the ability to maintain litigation and claim report databases.
The ability to prepare resolutions and ordinances for placement on the council’s agenda; and the ability to codify ordinances to amend the Code of the City. - The ability to prepare, proofread, and/or cite check routine correspondence, litigation documents contracts, reports, memos, litigation documents (i.e. answers and discovery), and correspondence of a legal nature, etc. for attorney’s approval.
- The ability to gather and review records in response to open records requests and discovery; the ability to open, maintain, purge and close various paper and electronic files, excel charts, reports and records of a legal nature pertaining to contracts, collections, economic development, open records etc.; and, the ability to research and analyze law sources such as statutes, recorded judicial decisions, legal articles, etc.
OTHER JOB FUNCTIONS:
- The ability to file documents manually and electronically in state and federal court.
- The ability to use Internet and computer databases to perform legal research, to locate witnesses and documents, to research information relating to state and federal cases involving the City, and for litigation initiation and tracking.
- The ability to learn, organize, and store pertinent information and selectively retrieve or recall information that is relevant to a specific context, and use information for preparation of monthly, quarterly and yearly reports.
- The ability to initiate continuing education in applicable fields of paralegal practice.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:
- Knowledge of the presentation of evidence
- Knowledge of the discovery rules, court procedures, and general legal terminology
- Skill in legal research, legal writing, and investigative techniques
- Skill in communicating conceptual or informative ideas to others in written and oral form
- Ability to operate a variety of office equipment, including but not limited to, a personal computer, copier, fax machine and telephone
- Ability to compose and construct routine correspondence, contracts, and litigation documents
- Ability to use Microsoft Office programs (i.e. Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Westlaw research and learn other programs quickly
- Ability to effectively calendar and manage deadlines and assignments for more than one person
Qualifying Education and Experience:
Thirty (30) semester hours of paralegal training, which should include but is not limited to, legal research, legal procedures, and police or insurance investigative courses; and, one (1) year related experience or any equivalent combination of education and/or experience is required. Proficiency in Bluebook preferred.
Possession of a valid Texas Operator’s License, Class C, is required. Successful completion of a background screening which includes criminal history is required. All applicants must apply online at http://www.arlington-tx.gov