Litigation Paralegal III

City of Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

CalPERS retirement

Medical/dental/vision

Paid time off

457 plan

FSA

Life insurance

Disability insurance

CLE & development

Job summary

The City of Santa Barbara's City Attorney's Office is seeking a Litigation Paralegal III to support attorneys in all stages of litigation and transactional work, coordinating tasks, researching issues, and preparing complex legal documents.

Qualified candidates will have five years of paralegal or law office experience, strong writing and communication skills, and the ability to guide junior staff and liaise with clients, witnesses, and court personnel.

Qualifications

• Five years of paralegal or law office experience in civil or criminal cases.
• Experience supporting attorneys in litigation and transactional work.
• Ability to draft complex legal documents.

Responsibilities

• Draft and prepare a variety of legal documents and reports.
• Perform complex legal research.
• Establish internal procedures for organizing and processing work.
• Assist attorneys in preparation of highly sensitive and complex cases.
• Provide lead direction and coordination of subordinate staff.

Skills

Legal research

Case management

Legal writing

Communication

Organization

Court procedures

Education

Paralegal certification

Tools

Microsoft Office

Case management software

Legal research databases

Job description

ABOUT THE CITY

At the City of Santa Barbara, the best part of our organization is our people. As a City of Santa Barbara employee, you will work in an environment with other motivated individuals who are passionate about their work. We strive to provide employees with the support they need to thrive. Discover more about us, our values and our organizational culture here.

CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

The City Attorney's Office is responsible for all legal representation and advice for the City Council, Boards, Commissions and all City officers and staff in all matters of law pertaining to the City as well as all City code enforcement and litigation services. Learn more about the City Attorney’s Office here.

The office is staffed by seven full-time attorneys (the City Attorney, Chief Assistant City Attorney, Assistant Prosecutor, and four Assistant City Attorneys), one investigator, one business manager, and five professional support staff who work as a close and collaborative team.

THE POSITION

Under general supervision, assists attorneys in the preparation and coordination of all stages of litigation and transactional work. Coordinate and implement case and discovery tasks; work with staff and clients to obtain information and assistance on legal projects; evaluate and summarize legal data; and prepare for depositions, arbitrations, and trials; other related duties as assigned.

The Litigation Paralegal assists with case planning, development, and management, legal research, interviews clients, gathers facts and retrieves information, drafts and analyzes legal documents and collects, complies and utilizes technical information, to make recommendations to an attorney.

Under general supervision, assists attorneys in the preparation and coordination of all stages of litigation and transactional work; and performs other related duties as assigned.

Payroll Title: Litigation Paralegal III

Litigation Paralegal III: The Paralegal III position is the advanced journey level classification in the Paralegal series. Incumbents are responsible for exercising a high degree of independent judgement and performing the most complex and difficult paralegal duties requiring extensive legal knowledge, proficiency and skill in support of complex administrative, civil or criminal cases. Incumbents may act as a project lead and provide task supervision of subordinate staff. The Paralegal III is distinguished from the Paralegal I and Paralegal II by the former's level of technical specialization, lead function and complexity of assignments performed. Complexity is defined in terms of the depth and scope of involvement in a case and by the level of responsibility of procedural and functional guidance to lower-level Paralegal staff, while independently performing the full range of paralegal duties in support of the most complex cases. Five years of Paralegal or law office experience within a public or private sector law firm performing law related paralegal duties.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Draft and prepare a variety of legal documents, correspondence, and reports that are complex and require extensive original writing
• Perform complex legal research in which issues are not readily defined, and a substantial amount of research is required from a variety of references
• Establish internal procedures for organizing and processing work for departmental efficiencies
• Assist attorneys in extensive preparation of highly sensitive and complex cases at all phases of case preparation
• Provide lead direction, guidance, and coordination of work to subordinate staff to ensure case priorities are achieved through administrative efficiencies
• Files pleadings and other documents with court clerks
• Prepares affidavits of documents and maintains document files
• Investigates status of cases and locates witnesses or interested parties
• Assists in scheduling witnesses for trials and/or hearings
• Obtains and verifies information from defendants
• Arranges appearances of and prepares witnesses for legal procedures; prepares files for court
• Assists attorney at court with documents and information
• Communicates extensively with clients, opposing attorneys, and court staff
• Performs related duties as assigned

SALARY & BENEFITS

• CalPERS retirement
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Deferred compensation (457 plan)
• Flexible spending account
• Life and disability insurance
• Continuing legal educations and professional development opportunities

Knowledge of:

• Procedures and practices of civil litigation
• Principles and practices legal terminology
• Principles of business letter writing and basic report preparation
• Methods of research, case analysis and report preparation
• Principles and procedures of record keeping
• English usage, spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Modern office procedures, methods and computer equipment
• Pertinent Federal, State and local laws pertaining to area of assignment

Ability to:

• Coordinate and implement case and discovery tasks
• Research and compile data on a variety of legal cases
• Draft and prepare a variety of legal documents
• Respond to requests and inquiries from the general public
• Work independently in the absence of supervision
• Understand and follow oral and written instructions
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work

Experience and Training Guidelines

The minimum qualifications for this classification must be met as set forth in the California Business and Professions Code section 6450 et seq. and continuing education requirements must be maintained throughout employment.

There is currently one (1) vacancy within the City Attorney's Office.