Paralegal

Pasadena Independent School District; Pasadena (TX); On-site; USD 46,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

Pasadena Independent School District seeks a Paralegal to assist the General Counsel's Office with delegated substantive legal work and administrative tasks. The role supports district lawyers, handles confidential information, and coordinates policy updates and legal matters across campuses.

The ideal candidate has a paralegal certification or equivalent, several years in a legal setting, and strong bilingual communication skills. On-site work within the district is expected.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; paralegal certification preferred; associate or bachelor degree preferred.
• Five years of experience in the legal field preferred; education or school law experience preferred.
• Experience with administrative law, government entities, policy development, public information, child custody, and/or contract review preferred.

Responsibilities

• Follow state and district policies, maintain confidentiality of duties and sensitive legal matters.
• Maintain knowledge of laws affecting school issues.
• Provide administrative support to the General Counsel and staff.
• Manage high call volume and communicate with stakeholders.
• Compile and review information for litigation discovery, investigations, and public information requests.
• Maintain physical/electronic legal files.
• Conduct legal research and prepare summaries.
• Electronically file legal documents as directed.
• Draft and process contracts, employee matters, and policy updates.
• Coordinate policy updates and communicate matters of compliance.
• Serve as a contact for child custody and DFPS/law enforcement interactions.
• Monitor legal activities and calendar deadlines.
• Manage multiple email accounts including the district's public information account.
• Support administrators in interpreting policies and laws.
• Review handbooks and regulations to aid legal compliance.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Confidentiality

Bilingualism

Communication

Organization

Problem solving

Legal drafting

Education

High school diploma

Paralegal certificate

Associate or Bachelor degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

Primary Purpose

To assist the General Counsel's Office to serve the diverse legal needs of the Districtby performing delegated substantive legal work and other administrative tasks.

JOB TITLE: Paralegal

REPORTS TO: Assoc Supt General Counsel

DEPARTMENT: Superintendent's Office

TERMS: 240 Days

PAY GRADE: E02

Primary Purpose

To assist the General Counsel's Office to serve the diverse legal needs of the Districtby performing delegated substantive legal work and other administrative tasks.

Qualifications

Education/Certification:

• High school diploma required
• Paralegal certification preferred
• Associates and/or Bachelor's degree preferred

Experience

• Five (5) years of experience working in the legal field preferred
• Experience working in education or school law preferred
• Experience with administrative law, government entities, policy development, public information, child custody, and/or contract review preferred.

Special Knowledge/Skills:

• High integrity with commitment to uphold trust and ethical principles even when unobserved
• Commitment to maintenance of confidentiality while balancing transparency and discretion
• Proactive driver of positive office culture through team mentality and willing collaboration, accountability, and reliability
• Effective navigation of complex issues, diplomatic approaches, de-escalation, and active problem-solving
• Excellent oral and written communication with bilingualism and ability to draft legal documents or otherwise communicate confidently about legal matters preferred
• Strong technical abilities in Microsoft and Adobe products with capability to learn new technology applications quickly
• Efficient pivoting and reprioritization of tasks to meet departmental and/or organizational needs in response to frequent interruptions and/or new or changing demands
• Development, use, and maintenance of sustainable workflow processes to effectively manage deadlines and assigned responsibilities

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

• Follow all state and district policies and regulations concerning primary job functions, including but not limited to the maintenance of confidentiality related to duties and responsibilities and/or other sensitive or legal matters.
• Maintain basic knowledge of laws, decisions, and legislation affecting school issues.
• Collaborate with the General Counsel and other staff to ensure smooth office operations and provide administrative assistant support to the General Counsel, as needed.
• Manage high call volume and communicate with internal and external stakeholders, including campus and departmental administrators, external legal counsel, and the public.
• Compile and review of information and documents from various departments and campuses to respond to litigation discovery, complaints, in-house investigations, public information requests, subpoenas, and grievance hearings.
• Maintain physical and/or electronic legal information and files.
• Conduct legal research using manual and electronic methods as necessary and prepare written summaries of same.
• Electronically file legal documents as directed by the General Counsel.
• Aid in the preparation of necessary documents related to contracts, employee matters, student matters, legal training materials, public information requests (including requests for attorney general opinions), and other routine correspondence and/or memorandum to district stakeholders and/or other legal matters.
• Coordinate, and/or draft, prepare and process adoption of internally and externally driven institutional policy updates.
• Serve as key contact for legal questions related to child custody and DFPS/law enforcement interactions, in collaboration with the General Counsel.
• Monitor general legal and litigation activities related to complaints and grievance, lawsuits, contracts, public information requests, subpoenas, etc., and calendar deadlines related to same to help General Counsel stay aware of ongoing matters and ensure legal services are provided promptly.
• Manage multiple email accounts, including the district's public information account.
• Support campus and District level administrators interpret and implement District policies, procedures and law, and navigate all legal matters, including but not limited to internal complaint/grievance processes, preparation of official record for hearings, scheduling of hearings, and preparation of notice letters, etc., as directed and authorized by the General Counsel.
• Support the review of district, campus, and/or departmental handbooks, administrative regulations, or other guidance documents, to aid the General Counsel in communicating matters of legal compliance.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Mental Demands

Maintenance of emotional control and reasoning/problem-solving skills under stress; Professional communication with a variety of audiences; Frequent re-prioritization/rescheduling of tasks due to interruptions and/or unexpected changes in workload or assignments; Compliance with strict time-sensitive deadlines despite interruptions; maintenance of organization in a face-paced, high demand environment

Physical Demands/Environmental Factors

Sedentary work environment; Possible prolonged and irregular hours as required; Frequent repetitive hand motions; Prolonged use of computer and keyboard; steady verbal and written interactions; moderate standing, walking, and bending; minimal lifting, pushing, pulling (20-30lbs) related to file maintenance.