LEGAL ASSISTANT at Washoe County, NV

About the Department

Under general supervision, performs legal assistant and clerical duties for various departments; and performs related duties as required.

This is an Open Competitive/Countywide Promotional recruitment being conducted to fill a current full-time vacancy in the Washoe County District Attorney’s office. The list established from this recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies throughout the County as they occur.

For more information on this position, please see the Job Specification at https://www.washoecounty.gov/humanresources/Careers/jobspecs.php

Position Duties

Two years of clerical experience, one of which was performing legal assistant work; OR an equivalent combination of related education and experience.

For future vacancies in the Juvenile Services department:
Legal Assistants at Juvenile Services provide secretarial and clerical support to Probation and Administrative Services.  Unlike traditional Legal Assistants, Juvenile Services Legal Assistants work closely with Probation Officers and Case Managers in addition to their cooperative work with Court, Law Enforcement, District Attorney and Public Defender personnel.  Along with the professional collaborations with other departments, Legal Assistants at Juvenile Services provide customer service to justice involved youth and their families.  No two days are the same, we work in a fast-paced office environment, that will leave you with a sense of satisfaction that you are part of a department that has a positive impact on the youth and families of Washoe County.  The work schedule is Monday-Friday from 8-5, with the potential of a varying schedule based on job assignment.

Ideal Candidate Will:

• Have the ability to align with Department mission and culture
• Have adaptability to department culture 
• Demonstrate integrity & accountability
• Have a positive attitude & willingness to learn
• Have the ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Have a professional demeanor and discretion
• Understand confidentiality & compliance standards
• Have great time management & multi-tasking skills
• Have high level of attention to detail & accuracy
• Have excellent written & verbal communication 
• Be proficient in legal terminology, procedures, and documentation
• Have familiarity with court filing procedures (e-filing) 
• Be bilingual in Spanish

Minimum Qualifications

The Washoe County Employees Association (WCEA) Non-Supervisory Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) covers the Legal Assistant positions at the District Attorney's Office, Public Defender's Office, and Alternate Public Defender's Office. 

For the current vacancy at the District Attorney's Office:
Selected candidates will go through a Background Investigation conducted by the District Attorney's Office and candidates will be required to provide a set of fingerprints.

For future vacancies within Juvenile Services:

After the interview, top candidates must pass a background investigation which includes:

• Submit a set of fingerprints

• Complete and submit a personal history statement

Candidates must submit to a TB test at own expense upon offer of employment. Juvenile Services falls under the direction of the District Court, and as such, Juvenile Services employees are not represented by a bargaining unit. However, full-time or part-time permanent employment with the Department of Juvenile Services offers the same attractive benefit package and salary schedule as other Washoe County Departments. 
   
Background checks will be conducted on selected applicants through the State of Nevada and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Per the Washoe County Background and Reference Checks Policy, new and rehired employees are required to submit to a fingerprint based background investigation. Effective January 1, 2025, the $39.00 fee associated with this background investigation will be paid by the employee (if applicable) and deducted automatically from the first paycheck. Employment is contingent upon the results of the background check, although a record of conviction will not necessarily bar an applicant from employment.

Washoe County requires its employees to reside in the state of Nevada or neighboring California communities such as Truckee, South Lake Tahoe or Susanville as of their first day of work.

Washoe County hires all new employees at the minimum rate of the salary range and eligible employees may receive an annual merit increase of 5% until they reach the maximum salary for the classification.  Upon promotion, current Washoe County employees are placed at the minimum rate of the salary range for the higher classification of the new position OR a promotional calculation, whichever is greater. 

Other Qualifications

1. After your application is screened, you will be notified via the email you provided whether you have met the minimum requirements for the position. Those applicants who do not meet the qualifications have one (1) business day to file an appeal and request a review of their qualifications.

2. Applicants who meet the minimum requirements will receive an email invitation to take the Legal Assistant online exam administered remotely; notices will be delivered within 1 week from the closing of the recruitment. 
 
This exam link will tentatively be delivered via email the week of September 22, and qualified candidates will have a time limit to complete the exam, within 4 calendar days. **You will be notified if you are eligible to transfer an exam score within 1 week following the closing date of the recruitment.

 The exam will evaluate your expertise, knowledge, skills and abilities in the following areas:

• Legal Terminology and Processes 
• Analytical 
• Interpersonal Skills
• Written Communication 

Pursuant to the Washoe County Personnel Handbook, the Department of Human Resources does not administer an exam when there are less than 20 qualified candidates.  Once the recruitment has closed, if there are less than 20 qualified candidates, the exam will be waived and all qualifying candidates will be placed on an unranked eligible list which will be referred to the hiring department. If the exam is scheduled to move forward and less than 20 candidates take the exam as determined by the Department of Human Resources, the exam will be waived.  Only those candidates who took the exam or have a transfer score will be placed on an unranked eligible list which will be referred to the hiring department.

3. After the exam is completed, you will receive an additional email notifying you of the results. If you pass the examination, you will receive your score and rank. This rank will be used to determine which candidates will be interviewed by departments trying to fill a vacancy.

4. Hiring departments schedule interviews from a list of top scoring candidates. If your name is not sent to the hiring department, it will remain on the list for future opportunities as they become available.

5. Please be advised you can log in to your NeoGov account and select:

• “Applications” to view a list of the recruitments which you have applied for, your submitted application for each recruitment, a copy of the job listing, and your applicant history for each recruitment.
• “Inbox” to view the notices which have been sent to you for each recruitment
• “Account” to update your contact information. Please note to update your phone number on previously submitted applications you must contact [email protected].

If you have any questions regarding the Online Application Process you can find additional information at the following link: https://www.washoecounty.gov/humanresources/faq/online/index.php

Questions: Alma Parel
[email protected]
775-328-2090
 
Veteran Point
Eligible veterans who were honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces shall receive one (1) bonus point upon passing Open Competitive examinations only. In order to be given a bonus point, applicants must attach proof of Honorable Discharge (DD-214 with Classification of Discharge) to the Online Application at time of submission.

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