LEGAL ASSISTANT - DCS CENTRALIZED LEGAL FUNCTIONS - DAVIDSON COUNTY - 81150

State of Tennessee; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 49,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Tennessee's Department of Children's Services in Nashville seeks a Legal Assistant for the Centralized Legal Functions. Under supervision, you will perform paraprofessional legal assistant work in support of licensed attorneys.

Minimum qualifications include an Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Paralegal studies or a Paralegal Certificate, or one year of graduate law study; or a high school diploma with two years of relevant experience. A criminal background check is required.

Qualifications

• Education equivalent to graduation with one of the following: Associate's Degree in Paralegal or Legal Assistant studies; Bachelor's Degree in Paralegal or Legal Assistant studies; Paralegal Certificate; or one year (28 semester hours) of graduate level law school.
• Or an education equivalent to high school plus two years of full-time experience researching legal issues and building case files.

Responsibilities

• Research and gather information for litigation preparation from databases, the Internet, and case files.
• Summarize laws, court decisions, and opinions; provide recommendations to supervising attorney.
• Review documents for compliance with legal standards; determine actions for case progression.
• Organize and prioritize workload; handle unscheduled tasks and avoid conflicts.
• Draft, edit, and proofread legal documents; respond to correspondence.
• Utilize office software to manage documentation, research, and data entry.
• Stay informed on legal changes and communicate updates to staff.
• Maintain filing systems and ensure proper organization of case files.

Job description

Executive Service

Background Check

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Executive Service

LEGAL ASSISTANT - DCS CENTRALIZED LEGAL FUNCTIONS - DAVIDSON COUNTY

Department of Children's Services Centralized Legal Functions Nashville, TN Annual Salary: $48,684.00 - $60,936.00 Closing Date: 09/28/2026

Background Check

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Job Overview

Under immediate supervision, is responsible for paraprofessional Legal Assistant work of average difficulty; and performs related work as required. This is the only class in the Legal Assistant sub-series. An employee in this class performs legal assistant work under the supervision of licensed attorneys.

Key Responsibilities

• Research and gather information for litigation preparation from various sources such as databases, the Internet, and case files.
• Summarize relevant laws, court decisions, and opinions, and provide recommendations to the supervising attorney.
• Review documents for compliance with legal standards and determine necessary actions for case progression.
• Organize and prioritize workload, incorporating unscheduled tasks and avoiding conflicts to ensure timely completion.
• Draft, edit, and proofread legal documents, and respond to correspondence efficiently.
• Utilize office software to manage documentation, research, and data entry.
• Stay informed on legal changes and communicate updates to staff to ensure compliance.
• Maintain filing systems for legal documents and ensure proper organization of case files and reference materials.

Minimum Qualifications

Education equivalent to graduation from an accredited college, university, or professional school with one of the following: (1) an Associate's Degree in Paralegal or Legal Assistant studies; (2) a Bachelor's Degree in Paralegal or Legal Assistant studies; (3) a Paralegal Certificate; or (4) one year (28 semester hours) of graduate level law school.

OR

Education equivalent to graduation from a standard high school and two years of full-time experience in researching legal issues and documenting findings to assist in building case files, settling legal disputes, and/or providing legal counsel to clients.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.