Legal Assistant 2 (NY HELPS)

New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal; New York (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 71,000; Full time

Job summary

New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal seeks a Paralegal/Legal Assistant to support the Office of Legal Affairs. Responsibilities include handling Attorney of the Day calls, assisting with public inquiries, and preparing court records with any necessary redactions.

The position operates under NY HELPS, with potential conversion to competitive status in the future and a baseline pay starting at $66,212 plus $4,150 location pay.

Qualifications

• Three years of full-time experience as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant or an associate degree/certificate in paralegal/legal studies program or ABA-approved equivalent meeting MQs.
• Definition: a Paralegal/Legal Assistant provides direct legal support to lawyers, prepares/interprets documents, conducts research, and handles routine procedural problems with minimal attorney oversight.
• Examples of non-qualifying experience include receptionist, records clerk, bookkeeper, or office manager.
• An associate degree or ABA-approved law school degree meeting MQs is acceptable for meeting educational requirements and two years of Paralegal/Legal Assistant experience.

Responsibilities

• Handle 'Attorney of the Day' calls and assist with public inquiries.
• Prepare administrative records for submission to Courts, including redactions of sensitive information.
• Familiar with e-filing of court submissions and related tasks; conduct legal research and navigate LexisNexis and other databases.
• Liaise with the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of Rent Administration as needed.

Skills

Legal research

Public inquiries handling

Communication

Attention to detail

Education

Associate degree in paralegal/legal studies

ABA-approved law school degree

Tools

LexisNexis

WebEx

OLA database-Legal Stratus

Job description

Duties Description

Candidate's duties will include but not be limited to the following: handle "Attorney of the Day" calls and assist with public inquiries and provide accurate information to the requesting party. Candidate will support the work of the attorneys in OLA and help to prepare administrative records for submission to various Courts, including any necessary redactions of sensitive information. Candidate will be familiar with the e-filing of court submissions and other related tasks. Candidate may do legal research and be able to navigate Lexis-Nexis as well as other databases such as the OLA database-Legal Stratus and Web-Ex. Candidate may act as a liaison with the Office of the Attorney General on various matters and with the Office of Rent Administration when needed and send appropriate correspondence. Candidate may be tasked with other related duties that arise in connection with the functioning of the Office of Legal Affairs.

Qualifications

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.

At a future date, it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

Non-competitive Minimum Qualifications

Three years of full-time experience as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant (see “definition” below) OR an associate degree (or higher) in a paralegal/legal assistant/legal studies program or a certificate in a paralegal/legal assistant program, where either the degree or certificate was granted from a regionally accredited college or university, or one approved by the American Bar Association (ABA).

Definition: a Paralegal/Legal Assistant is someone who applies knowledge of the law and legal procedures in rendering direct assistance to lawyers, clients, and courts; prepares and interprets legal documents and forms; researches, compiles, and uses information from legal materials to provide both written and verbal comments on their findings; and analyzes and handles routine procedural problems independently with minimal attorney oversight.

Examples of non-qualifying experience: receptionist, records clerk, bookkeeper, office manager.

PLEASE NOTE: An associate degree (or higher) in any field, where the degree was granted from a regionally accredited college or university, or one approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) OR Graduation from an accredited (ABA approved) law school with a degree required for NYS Bar will be accepted as meeting the educational requirements for this title AND two years of experience as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant (see definition in MQs).

A permanent non-competitive appointment may also be made pursuant to Section 52(7) of the Civil Service Law, if three or fewer qualified candidates in the department promotion field apply for this position. Qualifications for a non-competitive promotion for this title include: one year of service as a Legal Assistant 1.

Competitive Minimum Qualifications

Must be immediately reachable on the Civil Service elidable list

70.1 Transfer Qualifications

One year of permanent or contingent permanent service in an eligible title for transfer determined to be similar by Civil Service. For transfers, a list of approved titles is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/. The GOT-IT site will inform you if your title is transferrable.

Candidates who are brand new to state service will start at the hiring rate of the position which is $66,212 plus location pay of $4,150.

NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) is committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Our work would not be possible without the diverse backgrounds, experiences, ideas, and abilities of our employees. HCR is committed to developing a workforce which represents the diverse population of New York State. HCR embraces a diverse and inclusive work environment by encouraging all individuals, including those with disabilities, to apply to open positions at the agency.