Current jobs related to Paralegal Specialist - Hartford - State of Connecticut

Introduction

The Connecticut State Department of Education is hiring a at the Office of Legal and Governmental Affairs.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Visit our  new  page The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule. Professional growth and development opportunities. A healthy balance to all employees. POSITION HIGHLIGHTS Full Time, 40 hours per week. Monday through Friday. First Shift. Hybrid (a combination of in-office/telework). Location: Downtown Hartford, easily accessible for all commuters. THE ROLE The Paralegal Specialist will work at the Office of Legal and Governmental Affairs at the State Department of Education. Daily functions will include, but are not limited to performing legal research, and processing Freedom of Information requests. The successful candidate will report to the Legal Director and will support four (4) Staff Attorneys. The ideal candidate: Will have familiarity with LexisNexis. Will have knowledge of State and Federal laws pertaining to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, and will process these requests. May coordinate administrative hearings. May have experience working within an educational environment. Performs related duties as required. ABOUT US CSDE is the administrative arm of the Connecticut State Board of Education. Through leadership, curriculum, research, planning, evaluation, assessment, data analyses and other assistance, the CSDE helps to ensure equal opportunity and excellence in education for all Connecticut students. Watch the video below to see what it's like to be a State of Connecticut employee

Selection Plan

TO APPLY

In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on this job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.  For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other. Ensure that your application is complete and detailed before submitting it. In order to comply with , the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. You will not be able to make revisions once your application is submitted into the JobAps system. Please select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift. All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to .

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING

Please or our Applicant Tips on How to Apply.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AFTER YOU APPLY

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the questionnaire's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam. Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency. Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. Read through this helpful link to . The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class. CONNECT WITH US Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Brittney Woodley at .

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency this class is accountable for providing advanced paralegal support in a highly complex legal unit. This class provides advanced technical leadership, research and consultation in the areas of preparing draft legal documents and draft decisions of highly complex cases, and is a resource regarding issues, procedures, process and timeframe as related to cases and presenting legal matters as needed.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Performs highly complex paralegal duties as defined in one or both of the following areas:

LEGAL OFFICE OPERATIONS

Interprets complex state statutes and federal regulations governing legal records and documents;  Determines and applies applicable state statute and/or regulation in preparing documentation;  Interprets court rules and agency policies and regulations;  Keeps abreast of the latest court rules, calendar changes and pending legislation;  Monitors and adheres to court deadlines;  Reviews legal documents and prepares legal documents such as briefs, writs and pleadings for court filings;  Responds to relevant case information requests from courts;  Performs legal research and analysis of law sources such as statutes, legal articles, legal decisions, opinions, rulings, memoranda and other legal material;  Prepares draft legal documents;  Provides assistance in the discovery process;  Provides paralegal assistance by interpreting applicable legal provisions, regulations, precedents and policies;  Responds to requests and obtains information of sensitive nature;  Acts as liaison between agency, court system, relevant attorney’s offices and general public;  Serves as agency liaison regarding relevant policies and procedures;  Prepares legal and administrative reports;  Updates and maintains case records, pleadings, policy manuals and filing systems;  Assists in the drafting of proposed legislation and advisory opinions; provides training and assistance to staff;  May perform business mathematical computations;  Performs related duties as required.

CASE PRESENTATION OR HEARING

Analyzes highly complex cases;  Develops positions and strategies to settle or litigate cases at formal or informal hearings;  Prepares for and represents the state’s interest at hearings or through case presentation;  Researches and gathers relevant evidence and documentation;  Interviews witnesses and clients;  Drafts legal documents, complaints, stipulations, detailed memoranda, letters and proposed findings and awards reviews substantiation appeals and provides recommendation to management regarding the legal sufficiency of substantiation findings;  Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

Considerable knowledge of legal processes and procedures; legal terminology and legal forms; legal research techniques; Knowledge of relevant agency policies and procedures; and the ability to interpret and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and legislation; Considerable interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills; skill in fact finding techniques including interviewing clients and compiling evidence; Considerable ability to evaluate pertinent facts, cases and evidence and compile and assemble such legal data; compose correspondence and draft legal documents; Ability to understand complex laws and related reports; utilize computer software.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

The General Experience is defined as one of the following:

A Bachelor’s degree in legal studies and one (1) year of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR An Associate’s degree in legal studies and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program approved by the American Bar Association and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program consisting of a minimum of twenty-four (24) semester hours from an accredited college or university and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program from a business school approved by the State of Connecticut, Office of Higher Education and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR A Law degree from an accredited Law School.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience researching information using LexisNexis. Experience with Freedom of Information laws and federal student privacy laws. Experience working in a legal environment managing competing priorities. Experience drafting and reviewing legal documents. Experience conducting legal research. Experience coordinating administrative hearings.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.

Overview

Employee Benefits As a State of Connecticut employee you may be entitled to a host of benefits that are not only attractive, but also may be portable should your career bring you to other avenues of state service. From 13 paid holidays to accruing vacation time, being a State of Connecticut employee not only gives you the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life, but the time to enjoy your own. Listed below are just some of the benefits the State of Connecticut offers depending on the position you hold: Health & Dental Insurance Accrued Vacation, Personal and Sick Leave (Subject to the appropriate bargaining union contract or state statute and regulations.) Retirement Plan Group Life Insurance Supplemental Benefits Voluntary Defined Contribution Plans Flexible Spending Accounts (Dependent Care Program, Medical Flexible Spending, and Qualified Transportation) Supplemental Benefits Programs (Auto and Home Insurance, plus Short and Long Term Disability) Life Insurance State of CT Tuition Reimbursement Program Holidays

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