Legal Administrative Assistant

This announcement will be used to fill a full-time permanent Legal Administrative Assistant position in the Office of Law.

This position supports two Attorneys in the practice areas of Workers' Compensation and Police Litigation and Trial Boards. Further, this position works collaboratively with other County departments and agencies, including the Risk Management Division and the Police Department. Occasional assistance is provided to other practice areas in the Office of Law.

NATURE AND VARIETY OF WORK

Work involves contact with court personnel, attorneys, county employees and the public to provide information and facilitate the flow of cases. An employee in this class has considerable knowledge of legal terminology, preparing legal documents and judicial practices and proceedings. The complexity of work varies from assignments in preparation of legal documents, researching information, responding to requests, organizing data, and meeting mandated deadlines. The scope of work performed impacts on the effectiveness and efficiency of providing legal advice and services within the Office of Law. Supervision is received from a higher-level administrative employee. Work is performed in an office environment.

(Note: The duties and responsibilities enumerated in this class specification are for the purpose of determining a common set of minimum qualifications and salary level for all positions in this class. They are not intended to include all of the essential functions of all positions in the class.)

• Accurate typing of documents, including proofreading and formatting.
• Familiarity with the format of legal documents.
• Prepare initial pleadings for the Attorney's signature.
• Prepare and maintain files, including document and computer files, and prepare files for off-site storage.
• Input and maintain matters on the case management system and the claims system.
• Retrieve files, process subpoenas, and scan and redact documents submitted for discovery and hearings.
• Obtain information from other agencies, departments or individuals necessary to complete the assigned task.
• May be assigned special assignments/projects.
• Prepare documents using the Workers' Compensation Commission website.
• Schedule mediations with all parties.
• Draft and prepare documents for filing in MDEC system.
• Contact the Police Department to obtain records and witness information.
• Collect, assemble, organize, and submit data from files and records for inclusion in reports and assignments.
• Review documents and correspondence for accuracy and conformity to standard procedures.
• Respond to questions from outside attorneys, court personnel, and County employees and recognize the need to refer more complex issues to a supervisor.
• Upload contracts into DocuSign, enter attorney edits, and approval routing.
• Utilizes a variety of software applications for accomplishing tasks and should be comfortable with learning new methods and procedures.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Considerable knowledge of planning, organizational and communication skills and of office policy and procedures.
• Considerable knowledge of the legal system, modern office practices, and preparation of legal documents and terminology.
• Knowledge of the department's organization and functions and other county functions that impact on departmental operations.
• Ability to make judgments regarding appropriate responses to questions or situations and to recognize the need to refer more complex issues to a supervisor.
• Ability to work independently on difficult or complex office support tasks and to prepare, verify, and correct legal documents and instruments.
• Ability to proofread for accuracy and conformity to standard practices.
• Ability to operate a computer using standard word processing programs.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and projects.

Graduation from high school; four (4) or more years of experience in legal secretarial work; and a passing score on appropriate proficiency tests.

Note: Background Check Required

Note: Pay will be based on education and direct experience, generally within fifteen percent (15%) of the base pay. Please note that the Pay Scale shown represents the full proficiency of the position, not the starting range.

Preferences will be given to applicants who possess:

Preferences

1. Two years of recent experience with electronic filing in Maryland Courts.
2. Two years of recent experience with the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission claims and Comp Hub.
3. Possession of exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
4. Extensive experience with Microsoft Office and Google Suite.