Legal Assistant IV

Railroad Commission of Texas; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Telework options

Retirement pension with 150% agency y

Job summary

Railroad Commission of Texas is seeking a legal assistant to support administrative law judges and technical examiners in the Hearings Division. Responsibilities include drafting and proofreading documents, maintaining case files, and handling inquiries to meet deadlines.

The role requires a Bachelor’s degree in law or related field and at least three years of paralegal or legal assistant experience, with strong writing, organizational, and customer service skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in law or related field from an accredited university.
• Three years of paralegal or legal assistant experience or paralegal coursework.
• Three years in a court, private law office, state agency, or similar environment.
• Three years drafting and reviewing legal documents, rules, statutes, and regulations.
• Experience and education may be substituted on a year-for-year basis.

Responsibilities

• Draft and proofread correspondence, orders, and other documents.
• Maintain case files in the electronic case record system.
• Respond to external inquiries with excellent customer service.
• Assist in case management and docket control.
• Coordinate with division personnel to prepare conference materials.
• Handle walk-in and telephone inquiries and complaints from the public.
• Provide support to administrative law judges and technical examiners.
• Manage mail and filings with reliable timeliness.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Legal knowledge

Business writing

Organizational skills

Regulatory procedures understanding

Communication skills

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in law or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

The Railroad Commission of Texas is a state agency with primary regulatory jurisdiction over the oil and natural gas industry; pipeline transport and pipeline safety; natural gas utilities; the LP-gas industry; and surface mining operations. You can find more details about us on the Railroad Commission of Texas' website here rrc.texas.gov/about-us

To support our mission to serve Texas, we need great people to join our team. We provide a great working environment along with outstanding benefits, including:

• Generous paid time off, including vacation, sick time, and at least 12 paid holidays per year
• Telework options for eligible positions
• Retirement pension with a 150% agency match
• 401(k), 457(b) and Roth
• Health premiums 100% paid for full-time employees
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Wellness and Exercise Leave

For a complete list of our total compensation package, please visit our website at rrc.texas.gov/about-us/jobs To view benefits available to all State of Texas employees, visit the Employee Retirement Systems website at ers.texas.gov/benefits-at-a-glance

Job Description

The Railroad Commission of Texas is seeking a legal assistant to support administrative law judges and technical examiners to coordinate administrative and legal tasks and meet established deadlines for the Hearings Division. The division conducts hearings concerning regulatory aspects of gas utility rates and safety, surface mining and reclamation, critical infrastructure, and oil and gas exploration and production. Responsibilities include drafting and proofreading correspondence, orders, and other documents, maintaining case files in the electronic case record system, and responding to external inquiries. This position requires excellent customer service skills for frequent in-person interactions and telephone inquiries. Reliability and timeliness are crucial, as this position works under general supervision with moderate latitude for initiative and independent judgment. This position reports to the division's Office Manager and requires meticulous attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects and meet critical deadlines.

• Conducts limited research of legal sources such as statutes, case law, administrative records, opinions, articles, and various rules and regulations.
• Responds to public inquiries concerning all matters within the Commission's jurisdiction and routes calls and correspondence as necessary.
• Maintains, retrieves, and organizes records and filing systems.
• Assists in case management and docket control.
• Coordinates with other division personnel to prepare and assemble conference materials.
• Assist with walk-in and/or telephone inquiries and complaints from the public.
• Provides support to administrative law judges and technical examiners.
• Receives, date stamps, and routes all mail and hand-delivered filings.
• Reliability and timeliness are crucial to ensure that deadlines are met.
• Performs other duties, as assigned.

For Military Crosswalk information, please visit:

hr.sao.texas.gov/Compensation/MilitaryCrosswalk/Legal

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in law or a related field.
• Three (3) years of experience as a paralegal or legal assistant or coursework in paralegal studies.
• Three (3) years of experience in a court, private law office, state agency, or similar environment.
• Three (3) years of experience drafting and reviewing correspondence, legal documents, rules, statutes, and regulations.
• Experience and education may be substituted for one another on a year-for-year basis.
• Years of experience may have occurred concurrently.

Preferred Qualifications

• Five years of experience in a court, private law office, state agency, or similar environment.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Knowledge of legal practices and professional business writing.
• Demonstrated experience in preparing accurate, grammatically correct written documents.
• Demonstrated strong organizational and time management abilities.
• Ability to prepare accurate, grammatically correct written documents.
• Ability to organize and index files, projects, and records.
• Ability to work under pressure, coordinate multiple priorities, and meet strict deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively on a team or individually.
• Ability to learn and understand regulatory policies and procedures, and interpret processes.
• Effective communication skills in dealing with the public and co-workers.
• Experience in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Access, PowerPoint), Outlook, Adobe, and WordPerfect.
• Ability to exercise tact and courtesy and to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

Physical Requirements

The physical requirements described here are representative of those that an employee must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Ability to reach high and low; open, close, and retrieve files from file cabinets as well as operate the computer keyboard and appropriate office equipment.

Working Conditions

Primarily indoors, with heating and cooling regulated in an office environment, the noise level is low to moderate.

Additional Information

Work Hours: Standard office hours for Commission employees are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our agency offers alternative schedules for employees, provided they do not adversely affect operations or service levels and standard hours of operation are maintained. The Commission may also offer telework in accordance with the agency's approved Telework Plan. Alternate work schedules may be discussed with the hiring manager during the interview process.

Remarks

• There is one available position.
• Official transcripts, DD214 or DD1300, copies of license/certifications, or other minimum requirement validations will be requested at the time of the job offer.
• 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.
• Criminal background checks will be conducted on all final candidates. An applicant who has been convicted of a criminal offense relevant to the position may be disqualified from employment.

The Railroad Commission of Texas is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or in the provision of services. The Railroad Commission of Texas is a tobacco-free workplace.