Legal Assistant na KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH, AK
KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH, AK · Soldotna, Estados Unidos Da América · Onsite
- Professional
- Escritório em Soldotna
About the Department
Position Duties
Range O: Requires a minimum of one year as a KPB Legal Assistant with an assessment of satisfactory performance including a recommendation for promotion by the department head or five years of experience as a paralegal or equivalent work in a law practice.
Minimum Qualifications
1. Receives and screens telephone calls to legal department. These include calls from litigants, attorneys, court judges, and other persons; forwards calls to Borough Attorney, Assistant Borough Attorneys, or refers the caller to appropriate official; or handles calls independently when appropriate.
2. Greets visitors, ascertains nature of business; either handles matter independently when appropriate, or refers visitors to proper person or department.
3. Independently prepare, under attorney supervision, legal documents necessary for filing in cases before courts. Drafts letters, memos and other documents as directed. Independently prepares some correspondence, contracts and court documents for attorneys. and assists in editing reports and recommendations, court orders and opinions, pleadings, briefs, complex non routine memoranda, contracts, resolutions, ordinances, and other documents. Transcribes verbatim recordings of meetings and other proceedings. Reviews, summarizes, and indexes depositions, contracts and other documents. Using independent judgment, monitors references to state and municipal law and proofreads documents for continuity, grammar, spelling, and correct application of legal formats. Proofreads, edits, and sends out correspondence.
4. Opens and sorts incoming mail; attaches related materials when appropriate; prepares some replies independently for attorney review.
5. Establishes and organizes case files and research files; files letters, documents and related material within established procedures, updates and revises filing systems as necessary. Responsible for records management of office including archiving and retrieval of department records within the borough-wide records system. Assists Borough Attorney with borough-wide records destruction approval process.
6. Independently maintains law library, including ordering of material and processing of bills, catalogs, and law books. Maintains and updates legal books. Independently exercises own judgment in maintaining, continually updating, organizing, reorganizing, and indexing complex in-house legal research files.
7. Maintains calendar of court dates, pleading responses and appointments, and keeps tracking system of unfinished projects.
8. Works with the Borough Attorney and other personnel and elected officials to coordinate and prepare the Assembly packet for Assembly meetings
9. Receives, reviews, processes, and tracks all documentation and requests relating to matters referred from departments, divisions, services areas, and other clients which are assigned to legal assistant’s workload. This includes establishing and maintaining files, researching and compiling background on issues, communicating with appropriate persons, drafting and preparing correspondence, agreements, contracts, and other documents as directed by the attorney.
10. Arranges travel schedules and reservations. Coordinates meeting arrangements including setting up conference calls and telephonic participation at court hearings.
11. Performs basic legal research to locate rules, statutes, regulations, ordinances, and reported cases for use by the legal department. Also conducts independent research and investigation, at the request of the Borough Attorney or designee, of factual information relating to legal issues presented to department. Uses expertise and independent judgment in conducting such research and investigation.
12. Independently coordinates and compiles responses to discovery requests, including independently determining potential sources of information sought, contacting such departments to seek the information, following up on requests to ensure responses are properly and timely filed.
13. Acts as legal department administrator for department network computer system working with borough’s Information Technology (IT) department for coordination of support required. Maintains and updates legal department intranet web page in coordination with IT department.
14. Develops and uses working knowledge of borough’s purchasing procedures and computer system. Exercising own judgment independently for the purchase of department supplies and equipment, processes purchase orders, reviews all department bills and invoices, and issues appropriate payment requests subject to general Borough Attorney authorization. Independently negotiates with vendors regarding incorrect or questionable invoices and renewal of expiring software contracts. Reviews department expenditure and open encumbrance reports.
15. Assists in preparation of annual legal department budget by independently contacting external sources to determine potential costs, compiling and projecting expected cost increases particularly with respect to office and library costs, and other related duties as needed to complete the budget. Monitors department budget status, running reports and submitting revisions as needed.
16. Performs duties of other legal assistant (collections) in office when necessary or requested by the Borough Attorney or designee.
17. Responsible for training temporary administrative office help, and training of new hires regarding office procedures, resources and best practices.
Other Functions:
1. Other related duties as assigned.
