Civil Paralegal 1

State of Montana; Montana; On-site; USD 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision coverage

Retirement plans

Generous paid vacation, sick and HOLID

Pre-tax Flexibility Spending Accounts

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

State of Montana’s Office, Civil Bureau, seeks a Civil Paralegal to support litigation from intake through appeal. You will format briefs, file documents in state and federal courts, and manage case materials.

Responsibilities include assisting attorneys with discovery, motions, and trial preparation, as well as handling administrative rule reviews and service of process. Open until filled; first review 11/16/2026.

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 with at least 18 credits in paralegal studies program; or
• Certification by NALA or NFPA; or
• 4,800 hours of substantive legal work under a licensed lawyer with ethics education; or
• Graduation from an accredited law school with no disbarment/suspension.

Responsibilities

• Assist bureau attorneys with litigation phases: intake, discovery, motions, trial, and appeal.
• Extensive brief formatting and filing in state and federal courts.
• Assist with administrative rule review and service of process.
• Maintain and coordinate case records and legal mail; prepare and organize materials.
• Coordinate with the bureau chief and other legal support staff.

Skills

Legal research

Brief formatting

Case management

Litigation support

Education

Associates degree in paralegal studies

Bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies or related field

Paralegal certification (NALA/NFPA)

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

Your service is rewarded with competitive compensation and generousState of Montana Benefits.

• Medical, dental and vision coverage
• Retirement plans
• Generous paid vacation, sick and holidays
• Pre-tax Flexibility Spending Accounts
• Employee Assistance Program

State of Montana employment may qualify for student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

This Organization Participates in E-Verify.

Minorities are under-represented in this position and are encouraged to apply.