Paralegal

City of Clarksville; Clarksville (TN); On-site; USD 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Clarksville is seeking a Paralegal to support legal staff with drafting documents, performing legal research, and coordinating case management. The role involves collaboration with city leadership and departments to advance cases and comply with records requests.

Ideal candidates will have an associate degree in paralegal studies, 2 years of litigation experience, and ABA-certified program credentials. A valid driver’s license is preferred.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies or related field.
• Two (2) years of significant litigation experience as paralegal/legal assistant.
• Equivalents accepted: education and experience combination.

Responsibilities

• Drafts legal documents and correspondence including motions and pleadings.
• Meet with City attorneys, Mayoral staff, and department heads to discuss cases.
• Process open records requests and maintain files.
• Organize, store and retrieve case files with evidence and pleadings.
• Serve as liaison among legal staff, Mayor’s office, city departments, and court.

Skills

Drafting briefs

Legal research

Attention to detail

Time management

Confidentiality

Westlaw

Google Suite

Microsoft Office

Education

AS Paralegal Studies

Paralegal certificate

Tools

Westlaw

Google Suite

Microsoft Office

Job description

Description

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

This is a stand-alone classification. The Paralegal assists with legal administrative duties such as drafting and analyzing legal documents; document preparation and review; case planning, development, and management; legal research, client interviews and fact gathering; retrieving information; and collecting, compiling, and utilizing technical information to make recommendations to legal staff and other applicable City personnel.

***PLEASE NOTE: THIS POSITION WILL REMAIN OPEN THROUGH OCTOBER 22, 2026, OR UNTIL FILLED.***

Example of Duties

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions:

• Drafts legal documents and correspondence, including routine pleadings and motions, formal discovery requests and responses, notices, affidavits, and interrogatories; files motions and pleadings according to judicial procedures.
• Meets with City attorneys, Mayoral staff, department heads, City Council, and other applicable stakeholders to discuss cases or projects.
• Accepts, documents, responds to, and manages open records requests.
• Prepares, organizes, stores, and retrieves case files which may include evidence, exhibits, depositions, pleadings, and other items.
• Acts as a liaison among all parties including the legal staff, the Mayor’s office, other City departments, the court system, and other stakeholders for scheduling and sharing information.
• Researches and analyzes statutes, case law, regulations, legal articles, judicial decisions, and other legal sources and provides written analysis to legal staff.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.

Typical Qualifications

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Education and Experience

• Associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies or a related field.
• Two (2) years of significant and substantive litigation experience as a paralegal/legal assistant in a law office setting.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the job's essential duties.

License and Certifications

• Paralegal certificate from an American Bar Association accredited program. (Preferred)
• Possession of a valid driver's license.

Supplemental Information

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION AND STANDARDS REQUIRED

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of:

• Applicable Federal, State, and local laws, rules, regulations, codes, and/or statutes.
• Basic principles, concepts and methodology of legal proceedings and legal research.
• Principles of legal writing.
• The Tennessee Public Records Act and the exceptions thereof.
• Understanding of legal language and principles, the court system, attorney/client privilege and ethical rules, research methods, court pleadings, processes, and other related matters.
• Problem identification, analysis, and evaluation.
• Principles of effective writing and verbal presentation.
• Computerized information and database recordkeeping systems.
• Computer information systems, including personal computer applications, work processing, and spreadsheets.

Skill in:

• Superior verbal and written communication.
• Drafting, cite-checking, and correcting legal briefs.
• Proficiency with Google Suite and Microsoft Office software applications and legal research tools such as Westlaw.
• Managing medium to large-scale document productions.
• Clear understanding of legal language and principles, research methods, court pleadings and processes, and other related matters.
• Legal research and investigation.
• Organization, keen attention to detail, and time management with a proven ability to meet deadlines and prioritize workload and assignments.
• Ability to function well in a high-paced, and at times, stressful environment.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and to exercise discretion and good judgment.
• Analyzing and solving problems.
• Applying Federal, State, and local laws, rules, and regulations.
• Computers and related software.
• Communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with subordinates, coworkers, supervisor, the general public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.

Physical Requirements:

The work is sedentary work which requires exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination sound.
• Mental Acuity: Making rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Visual ability 1: sufficient to perform an activity like preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or move from one work site to another.