LEGAL SECRETARY 2

State of Nevada; Carson City (NV); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Vacation

Sick Leave

Holidays

Retirement (PERS)

Deferred Compensation

No Nevada state income tax

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Longevity Payments

Job summary

Nevada State Public Defender office in Carson City is hiring a Legal Secretary 2. The role is the first point of contact for the office, greeting the public, answering calls, screening inquiries, and assisting attorneys and clients.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 and basic legal document preparation are essential. The position requires knowledge of legal terminology, calendar management, and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

Qualifications

• Graduation from high school or equivalent education and three years of clerical experience, two of which were performing progressively responsible legal secretarial work in a training capacity.
• OR one year of experience as a Legal Secretary I in Nevada State service.
• OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

• Maintain current knowledge of assigned caseload and status of cases; provide general information to the public, State and local governments, attorneys, court personnel, and various office personnel; act as liaison between professional legal staff, departmental personnel, and the public; determine what information may be provided and which requests must be referred to professional legal staff.
• Provide clerical support to assigned professional legal staff; receive and screen visitors and telephone calls; respond to inquiries on a variety of matters such as the status of pending cases; open and review incoming mail and determine priority of professional legal staff’s attention when routing; mail items according to postal and statutory requirements; maintain a calendar for professional legal staff’s appointments, due dates for documents, court appearances, conferences, meetings and other engagements; schedule meetings and training and make travel arrangements.
• Draft routine correspondence, reports/statistics and other materials requiring specific knowledge of operational methods, policies and procedures for professional staff review; prepare and type requisitions and purchase orders, as required; process requests for payment and travel claims.

Skills

Microsoft Office

Case management systems

Education

High school diploma

Tools

Dictaphone

Legal database software

Job description

Job Summary

Nevada State Public Defender office is hiring for a Legal Secretary 2 position in Carson City. Legal Secretaries in the Public Defender's office are the first contacts for the office, including greeting the public, answering telephones, screening and/or directing all incoming calls from attorneys, clients, and general public. The individual in this position will ideally have prior clerical or secretarial experience in legal environments, preferably criminal law. The individual in the position must be able to download and process documentation and discovery from the courts and district attorneys in multiple offices. Potential employee must have excellent skills in dealing with the public, as well as the ability to handle difficult people and situations. Microsoft Office 365 knowledge required. Knowledge of case management systems or legal database software preferred. Incumbents possess knowledge and proficiency sufficient to work independently, with additional training as necessary.

Legal Secretaries perform specialized secretarial duties for attorneys, administrative law judges, and/or hearings/appeals officers including preparing legal documents and correspondence; calendaring; maintaining records; and providing assistance on routine problems and inquiries which are not of a legal nature.

Essential Qualifications

Graduation from high school or equivalent education and three years of clerical experience, two of which were performing progressively responsible legal secretarial work in a training capacity; OR one year of experience as a Legal Secretary I in Nevada State service; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Job Duties

Maintain current knowledge of assigned caseload and status of cases; provide general information to the public, State and local governments, attorneys, court personnel, and various office personnel; act as liaison between professional legal staff, departmental personnel, and the public; determine what information may be provided and which requests must be referred to professional legal staff; refer calls to another office if necessary.

Provide clerical support to assigned professional legal staff; receive and screen visitors and telephone calls; respond to inquiries on a variety of matters such as the status of pending cases; open and review incoming mail and determine priority of professional legal staff’s attention when routing; mail items according to postal and statutory requirements; maintain a calendar for professional legal staff’s appointments, due dates for documents, court appearances, conferences, meetings and other engagements; schedule meetings and training and make travel arrangements.

Draft routine correspondence, reports/statistics and other materials requiring specific knowledge of operational methods, policies and procedures for professional staff review; prepare and type requisitions and purchase orders, as required; process requests for payment and travel claims.

Format, prepare and type legal documents and correspondence in final format according to jurisdictional requirements, from rough draft, electronic documents, Dictaphone, template or notes; proofread and review for proper citation format; prepare and attach exhibits, special sections such as indexes, table of points and authorities, certificates of service, and brief covers.

Process and file documents with appropriate courts or quasi-judicial bodies in accordance with the specific procedures of each body, including manner of filing and established timelines; track responses and receipts due upon or after submittals, and dates for other required actions subsequent to submittals.

Gather, compile, organize, and prepare relevant material for professional staff to use in legal proceedings; review files and references to obtain information needed by professional staff; locate and verify/abstract information from legal files and records; and verify the accuracy of citations and quotations by checking legal sources.

Establish and maintain legal and general correspondence filing and cross-filing systems as necessary; record case inventory information in order to maintain accurate records and provide for efficient retrieval of information; prepare files for archiving and storage in compliance with established retention schedules.

Maintain a library of references including legal publications, law digests, reports, opinions and court decisions.

Distribute or assign appropriate clerical work to lower-level staff; provide instruction and guidance and review work completed by clerical personnel.

Under general supervision, incumbents perform the full range of duties outlined in the series concept at the journey level. Decisions regarding what needs to be done involve evaluation of an issue or issues and may require selecting a course of action from several alternatives. The work involves conditions and elements that must be identified, analyzed, or evaluated to discern interrelationships. Guidelines are available and are applicable to major portions of the work but leave gaps in specificity. Incumbents use judgment in interpreting and applying guidelines for application to specific cases or problems.

Perform related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Working knowledge of: legal practices and procedures for various courts and judicial districts; legal terminology; clerical requirements for preparing and typing a variety of complex legal documents, forms, and other related materials; procedures for processing and filing documents with courts, boards and/or commissions; proper format for legal citations; legal office procedures.

Ability to: work independently and follow through on assignments; interpret and apply complex rules, regulations, policies and procedures to specific problems and issues; receive inquiries and resolve complaints from staff and clientele; establish, organize and maintain complex filing systems including indexed and cross-referenced materials; research information from a variety of departmental and available sources; compile and update information and prepare reports related to specific management activities; transcribe dictation which may be of a complex nature and which requires a comprehensive knowledge of legal procedures and terminology.

Recruiter Contact Information: Sonja Grass - [e-mail]

The State of Nevada is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to building diverse, inclusive, and innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, national origin, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, domestic partnership, genetic information (GINA), or compensation and/or wages.

Benefits Include

• Health Insurance: Medical, dental, life, and disability insurance programs for employees and their dependents/family are offered through the Public Employees’ Benefits Program (PEBP).
• Vacation: Accrual of three weeks of annual leave each year.
• Sick Leave: Accrual of three weeks of sick leave each year.
• Holidays: 12 paid holidays per year.
• Retirement: Participation in the Nevada Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). Employees do not contribute to Social Security but will contribute to PERS if their position is at 50% or more full-time equivalency. For more information on how PERS service may impact Social Security benefits, visit the SSA publication.
• Deferred Compensation: The State offers a voluntary Deferred Compensation Program.
• No Nevada state income tax.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Eligible due to public sector employment.
• Longevity Payments Eligibility: Employees who have received a performance rating of “standard” or better and have completed eight (8) or more years of continuous service are eligible for longevity pay.

Additional benefits may apply to employees covered under a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), depending on their designated bargaining unit. For more information, visit the Labor Relations Unit (LRU).

For more details about your rights and responsibilities as a State of Nevada employee, please review the State of Nevada Employee Handbook (PDF).

State Holidays

• State Holidays The holiday schedule for State employees is established by the Legislature.

The Following Are Legal Holidays

• January 1.............................................. New Year's Day
• Third Monday in January.................. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday
• Third Monday in February................ Washington’s Birthday
• Last Monday in May........................... Memorial Day
• June 19................................................ Juneteenth Day
• July 4.................................................... Independence Day
• First Monday in September.............. Labor Day
• Last Friday in October....................... Nevada Day
• November 11........................................ Veterans' Day
• Fourth Thursday in November........ Thanksgiving Day
• Friday following the Fourth Thursday in November...................... Family Day
• December 25........................................ Christmas Day

When January 1, June 19, July 4, November 11, or December 25 falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is the observed legal holiday. If these days fall on Sunday, the following Monday is the observed holiday. Eligibility for holiday pay is covered by the provisions of NAC 284.255

Questions

1. Graduation from high school or equivalent education and three years of clerical experience, two of which were performing progressively responsible legal secretarial work in a training capacity.
   • Graduation from high school or equivalent education and three years of clerical experience, two of which were performing progressively responsible legal secretarial work in a training capacity.
   • One year of experience as a Legal Secretary I in Nevada State service.
   • An equivalent combination of education and experience as described above.
   • None of the above.
2. A pre-employment criminal history check and fingerprinting are required. Persons offered employment in this position will be required to pay for these items. Can you meet this requirement?
   • Yes
   • No
3. A valid driver's license is required at the time of appointment and as a condition of continuing employment. Can you meet this requirement?
   • Yes
   • No
4. This position requires up to 35% of travel. Can you meet this requirement?
   • Yes
   • No
5. Please describe your experience working in a legal office?
   • Required Question