Legal Assistant

State of California; California (MO); On-site; USD 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office of Enforcement at the Department of Managed Health Care seeks a motivated Legal Assistant to support OE staff in prosecuting health plans, handling routine paralegal duties and more complex tasks under attorney supervision.

The incumbent will manage their own caseload within the Legal Services Branch, focusing on Knox-Keene Act enforcement, with the workday ending no earlier than 4:30 p.m. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Qualifications

• Locate a statute and regulation when given the citation.
• Read statutes/regulations and relate subdivisions of a citation.
• Basic legal concepts, terminology, and procedures at entry analytical level.
• Knowledge of Westlaw, ProLaw, Relativity for legal work.
• Ability to explain reasoned actions based on law and facts.

Responsibilities

• Provide routine paralegal duties and more difficult technical duties under attorney supervision.
• Manage own caseload prosecuting health plans for failing to timely file grievance reports.

Skills

Statute interpretation

Legal research

Regulatory terminology

Analytical thinking

Written communication

Tools

Westlaw

ProLaw

Relativity

Job description

The Office of Enforcement (OE) at the Department of Managed Health Care (Department) handles the litigation needs of the Department, representing the Department in actions to enforce the managed-care laws. The OE has an exciting opportunity for a motivated person committed to providing their best work product as part of a legal team. A Legal Assistant is a paraprofessional class and is distinguished from a legal secretary classification by performing the more difficult technical duties and responsibilities and routine legal analytical work. The successful candidate will work both independently and as part of a legal team on sensitive and complex cases for the Department related to prosecuting those entities found to have violated the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, (Health and Safety Code section 1340, et seq.) and its implementing regulations (California Code of Regulations, title 28, division 1, chapter 1 (sections 1300.41-1300.826)).

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THIS POSITION INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THE FOLLOWING (other duties may be assigned):

Under the immediate direction and control of an attorney who shall accept full responsibility for the tasks performed and supervision by a Supervisor I (Sup I), the incumbent is assigned to the Division of Legal Administration’s Legal Services Branch and provides legal support to the OE staff in connection with the enforcement of the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act. A Legal Assistant in the OE performs the more routine paralegal duties as well as more difficult technical duties. In addition to providing support to attorneys, the Legal Assistant manages their own caseload consisting of prosecuting health plans for failing to timely file grievance reports with the Department.

The workday for this position cannot end earlier than 4:30 p.m.

Please let us know how you heard about this position by taking a brief survey: DMHC Recruitment Survey.

Leave Program (PLP) 2025 agreement:

Effective July 1, 2025, the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) implemented the temporary Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025). PLP 2025 directs that each employee receive a temporary reduction in pay in exchange for PLP 2025 leave credits. The temporary salary reduction percentage and the number of PLP 2025 leave credits are based on the position’s associated bargaining unit. The salary range(s) included in this job advertisement do not include the temporary salary reduction.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

For information on benefits, please visit the Benefit Summary page on the CalHR website.

Minimum Requirements

You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.

• LEGAL ASSISTANT

Desirable Qualifications

• Ability to locate a statute and regulation when given the citation.
• Ability to accurately read a statute or regulation and understand how the subdivisions of a citation relate to one another.
• Working knowledge of basic legal concepts, terminology, and procedures and the ability to apply this knowledge at an entry analytical level.
• Knowledge of the use of legal reference materials, specifically the California Style Manual.
• Knowledge of Westlaw.
• Knowledge of ProLaw case management system.
• Knowledge of Relativity eDiscovery software.
• Ability to accurately interpret the less complex statutes and regulations, apply a set of facts, and determine compliance.
• Ability to provide a well-reasoned explanation for a recommended course of action relative to the position’s level of authority to do so.
• Ability to set forth a written statement of the facts, identification of the legal issues, application of the relevant law, and legally supported conclusion at the position’s level of authority to do so.