Legal Technician I - SR-16

County of Hawai`i; Hilo (HI); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible Working Arrangements (4-10)

Vacation up to 21 days per year

Sick Leave up to 21 days per year

13 paid holidays per year

Tuition Reimbursement

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Retirement Plan

Deferred Compensation

Flexible Spending Plan

Health Benefit Plans

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Group Life Insurance

Credit Union Membership

Other Leaves

Job summary

County of Hawai‘i seeks a technically skilled legal assistant to support professional staff attorneys in Hilo. The role involves researching statutes, drafting and reviewing documents, and preparing materials for court review.

Three immediate vacancies are for temporary full-time positions not-to-exceed 11/30/2028 (two) and 12/08/2028 (one). The eligible list may cover other vacancies and conversion to permanent may occur.

Qualifications

• High school graduation and four (4) years of progressively complex work experience in a legal or judicial environment involving the preparation and examination of legal documents for adherence to law, policies, and procedures and the rules of court, of which one (1) year includes legal research and drafting.

Responsibilities

• Researches and checks cited authority and specific laws and statutes; retrieves cases from the law library or via the internet.
• Selects, assembles, and compiles substantive information on statutes and specific legal subjects.
• Independently prepares numerous basic and complex legal documents and correspondence in conformance with applicable statutes, rules, minute orders, administrative orders, and court directives; drafts and finalizes these documents for final review by attorneys.
• Prepares first drafts/outlines of briefs, legal opinions, contracts, answers, motions, complaints, conveyances, deeds, etc. for review by a deputy attorney.
• Works with departments to prepare first drafts of resolutions and ordinances for review by deputy attorney.
• Reads records on appeal and transcripts of cases scheduled for hearing.
• Prepares cases/files for presentation in court by staff attorneys; follows up on requests for required information by contacting witnesses, law enforcement, departmental personnel, litigants, other attorneys, court reporters, etc.
• Schedules hearings with court personnel; arranges calendars and notifies attorneys of meetings and civil proceedings.
• Applies legal policies/procedures and reviews documents for compliance with court rules.
• Indexes and classifies legal opinions; maintains records, files and reference materials.
• May serve as secretary to a board/commission; prepares/maintains files and minutes; posts agendas.
• May supervise lower level clerical/legal staff; performs other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Legal research

Drafting documents

Legal writing

Education

High school diploma

Legal experience 4+ years

Job description

Performs technical legal work in support of professional staff attorneys involving matters such as assisting in legal research, independently drafting and checking documents and forms, and assisting in various other areas as assigned; and performs other related duties as required.

There are three (3) immediate vacancies with the Office of the Corporation Counsel:

• two (2) temporary full-time vacancies not-to-exceed 11/30/2028 in Hilo
• one (1) temporary full-time vacancy not-to-exceed 12/08/2028 in Hilo

The eligible list may be used for other permanent and temporary vacancies as they arise during the life of the list. Temporary appointment may lead to conversion to permanent appointment.

• Researches and checks cited authority and specific laws and statutes; reviews case citations; retrieves cases from the law library or via the internet.
• Selects, assembles, and compiles substantive information on statutes and specific legal subjects.
• Independently prepares numerous basic and complex legal documents and correspondence in conformance with applicable statutes, rules, minute orders, administrative orders, and court directives, drafting and finalizing these documents in proper legal form and content for final review by attorneys; finalizes and processes documents and correspondence.
• Prepares first drafts and/or outlines of briefs, legal opinions, contracts, answers, motions, complaints, conveyances, deeds, etc. for review by a deputy attorney.
• Works with departments to prepare first drafts of resolutions and ordinances for review by deputy attorney.
• Reads records on appeal and transcripts of cases scheduled for hearing.
• Prepares cases and files for presentation in court by staff attorneys ensuring that required documents are included in files and independently follows up on requests for required information by contacting witnesses, law enforcement and/or departmental personnel, litigants, other attorneys, court reporters, court staff, etc.
• Works with court personnel to schedule hearings; arranges calendars and apprises attorneys of meetings, hearings, civil proceedings, etc.
• Applies legal policies and procedures and reviews documents for compliance with applicable rules of court.
• Indexes, groups and classifies legal opinions rendered by the office; establishes, maintains, and disposes records, files, and reference materials.
• May serve as the secretary to a board and/or commission; prepares and maintains all files, records and communications for the board and/or commission; records and transcribes minutes of board and/or commission meetings; prepares, compiles, and ensures proper posting of board and/or commission meeting agendas.
• May supervise lower level clerical and/or legal clerical staff as assigned.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Training and Experience

• graduation from high school, and
• four (4) years of progressively complex work experience in a legal or judicial environment involving the preparation and examination of legal documents for adherence to law, policies, and procedures and the rules of court, of which
• one (1) year shall have included experience involving legal research and the drafting of legal documents and forms.

Examination: All applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements will be assigned a score of 70 points. An education and experience evaluation will be conducted based on the applicant's training, education and experience as presented in the application.

Note: In-person interviews and/or further testing in Hawai'i County may be required at the discretion of the hiring department/agency. If in-person interviews and/or further testing are required, applicants who are referred to the hiring department/agency must be available to participate in person and at their own expense at that phase of the selection process.

Knowledge of: common legal terms and forms; basic constitutional, property, tort, family, criminal, and administrative law; the commercial code and contracts; types of court actions and various court rules and procedures; methods and techniques of legal research; sources of legal information; legal writing; and interviewing techniques.

Ability to: read, write, analyze, and apply the law; understand and explain legal procedures and processes; prepare, process, and maintain legal records, forms and documents; conduct research; compile and summarize materials; draft documents; prepare reports; give and follow oral and written instructions; keep matters confidential; operate common office equipment, including a personal computer and peripherals.

Physical Requirements: Persons seeking appointment to positions in this class must meet the health and physical condition standards deemed necessary and proper to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.

Physical Effort Grouping: Light

Benefits of County Employment

• Flexible Working Arrangements: Options may include alternate work schedules (4-10) and flexible working hours. (Not all Departments/Agencies participate and not all positions are eligible.)
• Vacation: Start accruing paid vacation time immediately upon hire – up to 21 days per year.
• Sick Leave: Start accruing paid sick leave time immediately upon hire – up to 21 days per year.
• Holidays: The County provides 13 paid holidays per year (plus General Election Day when applicable).
• Training and Development: The County has a variety of training and development opportunities for employees.
• County Tuition Reimbursement Program: This scholarship program rewards employees who take the initiative to advance their education and learning.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program: You may be eligible for this federal program which forgives portions of federal student loans for individuals working in public service.
• Retirement Plan: The Employees’ Retirement System is a qualified defined benefit public pension plan that provides retirement, disability, survivor and other benefits to all eligible full-time and part-time county employees in the State of Hawaii as well as their beneficiaries.
• Deferred Compensation: Save additional money for retirement - this voluntary supplemental retirement savings plan allows for the investment of tax-deferred contributions.
• Flexible Spending Plan: Use pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified dependent care and/or medical expenses, as well as insurance premiums.
• Health Benefit Plans: The County of Hawai‘i offers a variety of health benefit plans for eligible employees.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): This voluntary assistance program provides employees and their family members with free professional and confidential assistance in overcoming personal and work-related problems.
• Group Life Insurance: Free life insurance policy for active employees.
• Credit Union Membership
• Other Leaves: You may be eligible for other leaves, including Family Leave, Funeral Leave, Leave Sharing, Military Leave, Donor Leave, Victims Protection Leave, as well as leave for Parent-Teacher Conferences, Disaster Relief, Blood Bank Donations, and Jury Duty.

All benefits are subject to eligibility requirements and change due to legislative actions and/or changes negotiated through collective bargaining. Please check out the benefits tab for additional information.