Paralegal

Description

The Paralegal position assists the City Attorney and Assistant City Attorneys in the provision of legal services to the City Council of the City of Ocala, Florida.

The paralegal will conduct legal research and will draft legal documents as well as assist with case management and file management for internal legal and counseling matters as well as litigation involving the City of Ocala.

The position is both administrative and operational in nature as the Paralegal will assist with administrative duties for the City Attorney's Office as well as case management and litigation assistance for active lawsuits .

Examples of Duties

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Research and Drafting: Conduct comprehensice legal research and draft documents such as contracts, motions, pleadings, and memoranda.

Case Management: Assist attorneys in case management, including maintaining and organizing files, tracking deadlines, and scheduling appointments and meetings. Management of discovery components for legal proceedings

Court Proceedings: Prepare for court proceedings as needed, including organizing exhibits, assisting with witness preparation, and taking notes.

Client Interaction: Communicate with clients to gather information, provide case updates, and answer questions under the supervision of an attorney.

Administrative Tasks: Perform administrative tasks such as assisting with the administrative functions of the City Attorney's Office including the filing documents, answering phone calls, and managing correspondence.

Provide confidential, ethical and professional support for the attorneys in the City Attorney's Office.

Perform any other related duties as required or assigned

Minimum Qualifications

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Education:

* High School Diploma required ; A bachelor's degree in paralegal studies, law, or a related field is preferred.
* A certificate in paralegal studies from an American Bar Association-approved program is preferred.
* Advanced legal research skills are required: Legal research using Westlaw, Lexis Nexis and other, similar legal software ; Practice and law office management using the MyCase platform.

Experience:

* At least five years of experience as a paralegal is required.
* Eight or more years' experience, preferably in a city attorney's office or a similar setting is highly preferred.
* Must be a Registered Paralegal in the State of Florida.

REQUIRED CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

Must possess a valid Florida Driver's License with an acceptable driving record.

SOFTWARE SKILLS REQUIRED

Accounting Intermediate

Alphanumeric Data Entry Basic

Contact Management Advanced

Database Basic

Enterprise Resource Planning None

Human Resources Systems Basic

Payroll Systems Basic

Presentation/PowerPoint Advanced

Programming Languages Basic

Spreadsheet Intermediate

Word Processing/Typing Mastery

Supplemental Information

RESPONSIBILITY FOR FUNDS, PROPERTY and EQUIPMENT

Annual Budget: $N/A

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position will directly supervise 0 employees.

This position may indirectly supervise 0 employees.

If applicable, supervisory responsibilities include interviewing, hiring and training employees; planning, assigning and directing work; appraising performance, rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

ANALYTICAL ABILITY / PROBLEM SOLVING

MODERATELY STRUCTURED. Fairly broad activities using moderately structured procedures with only generally guided supervision.

PLANNING

With regard to general assignments in planning time, method, manner and/or sequence of performance of own work.

CONSIDERABLE RESPONSIBILITY; may also occasionally assist in the planning of work assignments performed by others within a limited area of operation.

DECISION MAKING

Performs work operations which permit opportunity for decision-making of minor importance. FREQUENTLY; Performs work operations which permit opportunity for decision-making of major

importance. FREQUENTLY;

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Ability to read, analyze, and understand common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents; Ability to respond to complex or difficult inquiries or complaints.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers. Ability to perform these mathematical skills using money and other forms of measurement.

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

Ability to utilize common sense understanding in order to carry out written, oral or diagrammed instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving several known variables furnished in written, oral, or diagram formats.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Under general direction, WORKING FROM POLICIES AND GENERAL DIRECTIVES. RARELY

REFERS SPECIFIC CASES TO supervisor unless clarification or interpretation of the organization's policy is required.

MENTAL DEMAND

VERY CLOSE; Operations requiring very close and continuous attention for control of operations which require a high degree of coordination or immediate response.

USE OF MACHINES, EQUIPMENT AND/OR COMPUTER

Regular use of highly complex machines and equipment; specialized or advanced software

programs.

ACCURACY

Probably errors would normally not be detected in succeeding operations and could possibly affect organization-patron relationship, involve re-work, or additional expenditures in order to properly resolve the error.

PUBLIC CONTACT

Regular contacts with patrons initiated by the employee. Involves furnishing and obtaining information and, attempting to influence the decisions of those contacted. Failure to exercise proper judgment may result in important losses to the organization.

EMPLOYEE CONTACT

Contact with other departments or offices and also frequently with individuals in middle level positions; consulting on problems that necessitate judgment and tact, plus frequent contact with senior level internal officials.

SOFTWARE SKILLS REQUIRED

Accounting Intermediate

Alphanumeric Data Entry Basic

Contact Management Advanced

Database Basic

Enterprise Resource Planning None

Human Resources Systems Basic

Payroll Systems Basic

Presentation/PowerPoint Advanced

Programming Languages Basic

Spreadsheet Intermediate

Word Processing/Typing Mastery

ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE SKILLS

Legal research using Westlaw, Lexis Nexis and other, similar legal software.

Practice and law office management using the MyCase platform.

Mastery of and the highest degree of proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point.

OTHER SKILLS

Advanced legal research skills are required.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

While performing the functions of this job, the employee may be required to:

Stand Regulary

Walk Regularly

Sit Regularly

Use hands to handle or feel Regularly

Reach with hands and arms Frequently

Climb or balance Occasionally

Stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl Occasionally

Talk or hear Regularly

Taste or smell Regularly

WEIGHT LIFT REQUIREMENTS

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move:

Up to 10 pounds

VISION REQUIREMENT

Specific vision abilities required by this job may include:

Close vision (use of a computer, equipment, or any other work duties that require clear vision within two (2) feet or less).

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

The following work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the

essential functions.

Work near moving mechanical parts (spinning shafts, engines, lifts, etc.)

Never

Work in high, precarious places (tall structures, bucket lifts, extension ladders, etc.)

Never

Fumes or airborne particles (painting, sanding, solvents, flying lint or dust particles, etc.)

Never

Toxic or caustic chemicals (including potential for chemical spills, etc.)

Never

Outdoor weather conditions (exposure to outdoor heat, cold or inclement weather)

Never

Wet or humid conditions (not weather-related, such as greenhouse, carwash, etc.)

Never

Extreme cold (not weather-related, such as freezer, cold storage, etc.)

Never

Extreme heat not weather-related, such as furnace, kitchen, ovens, etc. where temp is regularly above 100 degrees F) Never

Risk of electrical shock (live electrical wires, equipment that retains power after shutoff)

Never

Work with explosives (TNT, dynamite, nitroglycerine or other related explosives)

Never

Risk of radiation (x-ray equipment, nuclear radiation, electromagnetic radiation, etc.)

Never

Vibration (jack hammer, soil compactor, equipment that creates high vibration, etc.)

Never

The noise level in the work environment is usually Moderate (business office with computers/printers, light traffic, etc.)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to

require that other or different tasks be performed when circumstances change (e.g., emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs, or technological developments).