Sr. Paralegal - Civil Division chez Lake County, IL

About the Department

Are you looking for a challenging role within an organization that provides rewarding compensation, an excellent benefit package, and career growth opportunities? If so, Lake County Government is the place for you. Comprised of nearly 3,000 employees, it is our goal to positively serve the residents of Lake County while working with a purpose. We believe our employees should take pride in the work they accomplish while truly respecting a collaborative work environment.

Under general supervision, the Sr. Paralegal performs work of considerable difficulty involving advanced knowledge of law and legal procedures. Provides general support for Civil Division, including legal research, drafting documents, assisting with discovery, maintaining files, providing general office assistance and rendering direct assistance to the SAO Civil Division attorneys. Serves as the FOIA Officer for the State’s Attorney’s Office. Supervision is received from the Chief Deputy or Division Chiefs. Serves as a confidential employee of the State’s Attorney. Paralegal certification preferred.

Position Duties

• Conducts legal research, including review of statutes, ordinances, rules, regulations, and case law
• Drafts memorandums of law or documents for County clients
• Assists with litigation, including drafting documents, discovery requests and responses, preparing and sending notices, and e-filing
• Prepares correspondence, photocopies, scans, and e-files
• Maintains litigation files and electronic case management system
• Communicates with elected officials, County department heads and staff, and the general public
• Serves as a FOIA Officer for the SAO, reviewing and redacting responsive documents and applying appropriate statutory exemptions.
• Assists the chief deputy, division chiefs, and assistant state’s attorneys

Minimum Qualifications

Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Good knowledge of the principles of civil law, including familiarity with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
• Good knowledge of legal procedures, forms, documents, and terminology.
• Good knowledge of state and federal civil court procedures.
• Good research, investigative, and case management skills.
• Ability to speak and write clearly and concisely.
• Ability to follow oral and written instructions.
• Ability to communicate with County clients, members of other units of government, and the general public.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with County elected officials, department heads and their staff, co-workers, and court officials.
• Ability to perform arithmetic calculations.
• Ability to solve problems and deal with a variety of variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, or schedule form.
• Ability to attend to details, be highly organized, and exercise sound judgment.
• Ability to manage time and set work priorities.
• Ability to observe situations analytically and objectively and to record them clearly and completely.
• Ability to uphold the ethical standards of the legal profession.
• Ability to maintain confidential material.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to use a computer. Good knowledge of PC operations and software (word processing, spreadsheet, database, Internet, Adobe Pro redaction tools) as needed to perform duties is required.

Competency
To perform the job successfully, an individual must demonstrate the following competencies.

• Analytical - Identifies legal issues and applicable law; synthesizes complex legal research and information.
• Oral Communication - Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens and gets clarification; responds well to questions; participates in meetings.
• Written Communication - Writes clearly and informatively; edits work for spelling and grammar; varies writing style to meet needs; presents information effectively; able to read and interpret written information.
• Quality Management - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness.
• Organizational Support - Follows policies and procedures; completes administrative tasks correctly and on time; supports the organization's goals and values.

Education and/or Other Requirements
Required:

• Ability to competently conduct electronic legal research.
• Familiarity with office technology, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Adobe Pro redaction tools.

Preferred:

• One year of experience as a paralegal preferred.
• Completion of a baccalaureate degree program and a certificate in paralegal studies from an ABA-approved paralegal education program or an Associate Degree in paralegal studies from an ABA-approved paralegal studies program.

Other Qualifications

Physiological Factors
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk and hear.
• Employee must be able to lift stacks of file folders weighing up to 30 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Psychological Factors
The psychological demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Ability to maintain pleasant working relationships.
• Ability to operate under continuous pressure.
• Ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously.

Note
Reasonable accommodations may be made in order to perform the essential functions. This job description describes a general category of jobs. To meet the needs of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, employees may be assigned other duties, in addition to or in lieu of those described above, and any duties are subject to change at any time.

Lake County offers a competitive salary and benefit package. We also offer flexible working hours and a comprehensive wellness and training program.  Visit our Prospective Employee page to get additional information on why you should work for Lake County!   

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background screening and drug testing. 

Lake County is committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (EOE). 

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