Civil Paralegal 1

State of Montana; Helena (MT); On-site; USD 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision coverage

Retirement plans

Generous paid

Job summary

The State of Montana, Department of Justice, Civil Bureau seeks a Civil Paralegal to support attorneys through all litigation stages, including intake, discovery, motions, trial and appeal. The role emphasizes extensive brief formatting and filing in multiple courts and maintaining both paper and electronic files.

The position requires paralegal education or equivalent, plus experience and certifications. The successful candidate will coordinate with the bureau chief and other staff, and assist

Qualifications

• Associates degree in paralegal studies or
• Bachelor's degree in paralegal studies or
• Bachelor's degree in any discipline with 18 paralegal credits or
• Certification by NALA or NFPA or
• 4,800 hours of substantive legal work under a lawyer supervision with ethics CE
• Law school graduate not disbarred or suspended from practice

Responsibilities

• Assist attorneys with all phases of litigation: intake, discovery, motions, trial and appeal
• Extensive brief formatting and filing in state and federal courts
• Maintain paper and electronic files and manage legal mail
• Coordinate with bureau chief and other legal support staff
• Support other bureaus and personnel as needed

Skills

Legal research

Attention to detail

Oral and written communication

Education

Associates degree in paralegal studies

Bachelor's degree in paralegal studies

Bachelor's degree in any discipline + 18 paralegal credits

Certification by NALA or NFPA

Paralegal work experience 4800 hours under supervision

Law school graduate, not disbarred

Job description

Division Overview:

The State's Attorney's Office in the Montana Department of Justice is dedicated to ensuring justice and upholding the rule of law on behalf of the people of Montana. The office includes the Solicitor General's Office, Criminal Prosecution and Appellate Services, Civil Services and Consumer Protection. The functions within the office include defense of Montana's laws as passed by the Legislature, constitutional challenges, determining legal sufficiency of ballot initiatives, prosecution of criminals, handling all phases of litigation from district court proceedings through appeal, and complex litigation of antitrust matters.

Job Overview:

The Civil Paralegal position with the State's Attorney's Office in the Civil Bureau performs a variety of paralegal functions, requiring the incumbent to work individually as well as with the attorneys, the management staff, and the Attorney General. The paralegal will assist bureau attorneys with all phases of litigation: intake, discovery, motions, trial, and appeal, including paper and electronic file keeping. This position is responsible for extensive brief formatting and filing in numerous state and federal courts. Other duties include assisting with administrative rule review, service of process on the Attorney General, Attorney General Opinions, and administrative functions such as keeping a spreadsheet of active cases and accepting and processing legal mail. The paralegal will also work on some additional miscellaneous civil matters with the Solicitor General and General Counsel. Additionally, the paralegal will coordinate work with the bureau chief and other legal support staff and will work as needed with other legal support staff to assist other bureaus and personnel within the Attorney General's Office.

This position is open until filled. The first review of applicants will be on 11/16/2026.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Associates degree in paralegal studies from an accredited institution or
• Bachelor's degree in paralegal studies from an accredited college or university; or
• Bachelor's degree in any discipline from an accredited college or university and completion of no less than 18 semester credits of course work offered by a qualified paralegal studies program; or
• Certification by the national association of legal assistants or the National Federation of Paralegal Associations; or
• Has received a high school diploma or its equivalent and has performed not less than 4,800 hours of substantive legal work under the supervision of a licensed lawyer documented by the certification of the lawyer or lawyers under whom the work was done and has completed at least five hours of approved continuing legal education in the area of legal ethics and professional responsibility; or
• Has graduated from an accredited law school and has not been disbarred or suspended from the practice of law by any jurisdiction.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Two years working in a law office or environment.
• At least two years researching court rules and rules of procedure.
• At least two years formatting briefs, which includes generating tables of authorities.

Special Instructions:

The selection procedures to be used in evaluating the applicant's qualification may include, but are not limited to, an evaluation of the résumé and cover letter, a structured interview, performance test, academic transcripts, reference/background checks and fingerprint checks.

Additional materials, references or information submitted by the applicant, but not requested, will not be considered.

Successful applicant(s) will be subject to:

• Criminal History Fingerprint / Name-based Check
• Driving History

Benefits:

• Medical, dental and vision coverage
• Retirement plans
• Generous paid