Legal Assistant

City of St. Cloud; Florida; On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

City of St. Cloud is hiring a Legal Assistant to support the City Attorneys with administrative, clerical, and legal tasks. The role offers independence in managing calendars, preparing documents, and handling confidential information with discretion.

The ideal candidate has a high school diploma or GED, 3–5 years in a legal environment, and proficiency with MS Office. Notary certification in Florida and a valid Florida driver's license are required within specified timelines.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• 3–5 years of progressively responsible legal office experience.
• Florida Notary Public certification within 3 months of hire.
• Valid State of Florida Driver's License.
• Proficiency with MS Office and related document workflows.
• Knowledge of Florida Public Records Law and records management.

Responsibilities

• Maintains attorneys' calendars; schedules meetings, hearings, and briefings.
• Monitors and tracks legal deadlines; alerts attorneys accordingly.
• Coordinates execution of legal documents and file maintenance.
• Receives callers; routes inquiries and takes accurate messages.
• Performs data entry; manages filing systems and invoices.
• Prepares, formats, proofs, and reviews legal documents.
• Drafts minutes, correspondence, and routine reports.
• Notary duties for legal documents as required.
• Conducts basic legal research and compiles findings for attorneys.

Skills

Detail-oriented

Professional

Resourceful

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate's degree in Legal Studies or Paralegal Studies

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Document management systems

Job description

We're Hiring:Legal Assistant

Join our City Attorney’s Office as a Legal Assistant and play a vital role in supporting the City's legal operations and commitment to public service.

We are seeking a detail-oriented, professional, and resourceful individual to provide comprehensive administrative, clerical, and legal support to the City Attorneys. This position offers considerable independence in managing daily operations, coordinating legal matters, maintaining records, preparing legal documents, and ensuring deadlines and confidential information are handled with accuracy, discretion, and professionalism.

Bring our City values to life:

• Accountability: Ensure accuracy, confidentiality, and dependability in managing legal documents, records, and deadlines.
• Empowerment: Exercise sound judgment, initiative, and independence in supporting the City Attorney’s Office.
• Innovation: Identify opportunities to improve office processes, organization, and operational efficiency.
• Ownership: Take pride in your work, anticipate needs, and see responsibilities through to completion.

Position Details: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., with occasional evening meetings, public hearings, and City Council meetings as required.

If you are organized, diplomatic, and passionate about public service, we invite you to bring your skills and commitment to our team!

Join us in making a difference through accountability, empowerment, innovation, and ownership.

The functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this position. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the position as necessary.

• Maintains calendars for the Attorneys; schedules and coordinates meetings, appointments, hearings, conferences, and public meetings; makes travel arrangements as needed; and assembles meeting materials, agendas, and briefing packages for attorney attendance.
• Monitors and tracks contract and agreement review deadlines; proactively alerts attorneys to approaching deadlines and priority matters requiring their attention.
• Coordinates the execution of legal documents by appropriate City officials; manages routing, signature collection, distribution of executed documents, and filing of executed documents in accordance with City record retention policies and applicable law..
• Receives and screens telephone calls and visitors; responds to routine inquiries; routes calls and visitors to the appropriate attorney; and takes accurate messages.
• Processes, sorts, routes, and distributes incoming correspondence, mail, and legal documents to the appropriate attorney or City department in a timely manner.
• Performs data entry into legal management, document management, and City systems; maintains accurate and current records in all systems used by the City Attorney's Office; orders office supplies and processes purchase requisitions and invoices in accordance with City procurement procedures.
• Prepares, formats, and proofreads a variety of legal documents including contracts, agreements, ordinances, resolutions, memoranda, legal opinions, correspondence, and legal notices as directed; reviews documents for accuracy, completeness, and conformance to established standards; flags discrepancies prior to attorney review.
• Maintains and organizes physical and electronic filing systems for the City Attorney's Office, including legal files, contracts, agreements, and memos of understanding; ensures files are accurate, current, and accessible.
• Drafts and transcribes correspondence, meeting minutes, and statements from dictation or written instructions; prepares reports, summaries, and routine replies to non-legal inquiries as directed.
• Serves as a Florida Notary Public; notarizes legal documents, agreements, affidavits, and other documents as required.
• Maintains records in compliance with Florida Public Records Law and applicable federal and state requirements; ensures appropriate handling and retention of confidential and attorney-client privileged materials.
• Conducts basic legal research as directed, including researching Florida statutes, local ordinances, City Charter provisions, and administrative rules; searches public records, court databases, and legal research platforms; compiles and organizes findings for attorney use.
• Monitors relevant legal notices, legislative updates, and filing deadlines as directed; keeps attorneys informed of applicable requirements and approaching deadlines.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

• High school diploma or GED equivalent is required.
• Associate's degree in Legal Studies, Paralegal Studies, Office Administration, Business Administration, or a related field is preferred.
• Minimum of three (3) to five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in a legal office, law firm, government attorney's office, or comparable legal environment; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of two (2) years’ experience working with county or municipal government.
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, is required; experience with document management systems, legal research platforms, or government ERP systems is preferred.
• Must possess or obtain Florida Notary Public certification within three (3) months of hire and maintain active notary status throughout employment.
• Must possess and maintain a valid State of Florida Driver's License with an acceptable driving history.

The Legal Assistant must possess working knowledge of legal terminology, legal document formats, and law office practices and procedures applicable to a municipal government setting. The position requires knowledge of Florida Statutes, local government operations, and the basic structure and procedures of Florida courts and administrative bodies sufficient to support the work of the attorneys in the office. The incumbent must demonstrate proficiency in the preparation, formatting, and proofreading of legal documents and correspondence, and the ability to identify errors and inconsistencies in basic legal forms and materials prior to attorney review.

Strong organizational skills are essential, including the ability to manage multiple attorneys' calendars, track legal deadlines, and prioritize competing demands in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. The position requires effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to compose clear and accurate correspondence, take and transcribe dictation and meeting minutes, and communicate professionally with City officials, department staff, outside attorneys, and members of the public. The incumbent must demonstrate sound independent judgment in responding to routine inquiries and administrative matters without attorney direction, while recognizing and escalating priority or complex matters appropriately. A high degree of discretion, confidentiality, and professional demeanor in handling sensitive legal matters and attorney-client privileged information is a critical requirement of this position.

Physical Requirements

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. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel; and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and bend or stoop. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Working Conditions

Work is primarily performed in an office environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. This position requires regular handling of confidential and legally privileged information and must adhere to applicable attorney-client privilege, Florida Public Records Law, and City confidentiality policies at all times. Occasional attendance at City Council meetings, public hearings, and other public meetings as directed may be required, including evening meetings.