PARALEGAL (CLASS CODE 7017)

City of New Orleans; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

City of New Orleans seeks a qualified legal support professional to assist supervising attorneys in preparing and coordinating all phases of litigation and transactional work. This role requires careful analysis, technical accuracy, and administrative efficiency to support a busy legal team.

Eligible candidates may hold a JD or a bachelor’s degree with paralegal experience, or complete ABA-approved paralegal studies with two years of experience.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited college or university.*
• Bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college or university.* AND two (2) years of paralegal experience.
• Paralegal Studies or Legal Assistant study program from ABA-approved program.* AND two (2) years of paralegal experience.
• Paralegal Studies or ABA-approved program.* AND CP certification may substitute for two years of paralegal experience.

Responsibilities

• Responsible professional analytical, technical and administrative work assisting supervising attorneys in the preparation and coordination of all stages of litigation and transactional work; and performs related work as required.

Education

Juris Doctorate from an accredited college or university

Bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college or university

Paralegal Studies or Legal Assistant program (ABA approved)

CP certification (NALA) substitute for paralegal experience

Job description

Responsible professional analytical, technical and administrative work assistingsupervising attorneys in the preparation and coordination of all stages of litigation and transactional work; and performsrelated work as required.

• EITHER A Juris Doctorate from an accredited college or university.*
• OR 1. A Bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college or university.* AND 2. Two (2) years of paralegal experience.
• OR 1. Completion of a Paralegal Studies or Legal Assistant study program based at an accredited four-year college or junior college, or of any Paralegal Studies or Legal Assistant study program approved by the American Bar Association (ABA).* AND 2. Two (2) years of paralegal experience.
• OR 1. Completion of a Paralegal Studies or Legal Assistant study program based at an accredited four-year college or junior college, or of any Paralegal Studies or Legal Assistant study program approved by the American Bar Association (ABA).* AND 2.Possession of the Certified Paralegal (CP) certification issued by the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), Inc. can substitute for the required two years of paralegal experience. CP certifications will be verified through the nala.org website.

* Prior to appointment, the hiring agency is required to verify education and certifications claimed by the applicant to qualify for this classification. If selected for hire, applicants must provide original documents of their qualifying credentials to the hiring agency prior to their start date in this job classification.

A rating of training and experience, weighted 100%. All related previous experience will be considered for qualification purposes, however credit on the rating of training and experience will only be given for experience gained within the last ten (10) years.

This is an original entrance examination.

THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, GENDER, AGE, PHYSICAL OR MENTAL DISABILITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, CREED, CULTURE, OR ANCESTRY. REQUESTS FOR ALTERNATE FORMAT OR ACCOMMODATIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO SHANA PARKER AT [phone] OR TTY/VOICE AT [phone] or [phone].

DOMICILE REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYMENT: Domicile requirements are currently waived for the purpose of application. However, all new full-time employees hired into this classification on or after January 1, 2013, must be domiciled in Orleans Parish within 180 days of hire. Public safety employees such as commissioned law enforcement officers hired by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), firefighters hired by the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD), emergency medical technicians hired by the New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS) and the recruits for these positions hired by these departments are excluded from this provision. Airport employees are excluded from this provision if the actual domicile of the employee is nearer to the employee’s job site than the distance from the job site to the nearest point of Orleans Parish.

DOMICILE REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYMENT (SEWERAGE AND WATER BOARD): Domicile requirements are currently waived for the purpose of application**. Residency requirements are waived for all Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans positions vacant and advertised for at least 90 days. Employees hired under this waiver remain exempt from the city's residency requirement for the duration of their employment at the Sewerage and Water Board. (La R.S. 33:4076). **Additional exceptions to the domicile requirement may be made on a case-by-case basis. We encourage you to apply for this position and discuss your need for a domicile exception during the interview process.

BACKGROUND CHECK: The hiring department will conduct interviews of qualified individuals prior to requesting a criminal background check, and no job application submitted prior to such interview shall inquire into an applicant’s criminal history. If this position is subject to a background check for any convictions related to its responsibilities and requirements, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation including criminal history. Criminal history will not automatically disqualify a candidate.

APPLICATIONS: Applications will not be accepted if received after the closing date or after the stated maximum number of applications has been received, as specified on this announcement. All minimum qualification requirements for examinations must be met by the final filing date unless otherwise specified on this announcement.

DELAY IN THE MAIL: The Department of City Civil Service cannot be responsible for failure of the applicant to receive an admission slip to an examination or for failure of the Department to receive material mailed by the applicant. Applicants should notify the Department of City Civil Service in writing of any address changes The minimum age limit is 18 years for any class of work requiring hard physical labor, operation of or proximity to hazardous machinery, exposure to hazardous chemicals, or participation in any other processes or procedures which are prohibited or limited by the Louisiana State Child Labor Law.

WORKING TEST PERIOD: Effective August 1, 2023, the working test (probationary) period for all positions in the classified service is one year.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE TESTING: The City of New Orleans has a comprehensive program of substance abuse testing. Candidates for employment for certain positions where the health, welfare and/or safety of the public, co-workers and the individual employee is at risk will have to undergo pre-employment substance abuse screening. Candidates for all other original entrance positions will have to undergo an unannounced substance abuse screening during their working test period. For further information, see Civil Service Rule V, Section 9.

A MEDICAL EXAMINATION is required for all original entrance probationary appointments to ACTIVE classifications, and may be required for re-employment, promotions and/or transfers.

A MEDICAL SCREENING, which may result in a medical examination, is required for all original entrance probationary appointments to non-active classifications.

GOOD MORAL CHARACTER is required of all applicants. Any applicant may be disqualified if his/her character or past employment record is found to be unsatisfactory as determined by the Department of City Civil Service. Forgery, misrepresentation of facts, or cheating on examinations is punishable by disqualification, fine and other penalties.

IMPORTANT: Applicants who are licensed to drive should have a current license on their person for purposes of identification during all phases of an examination. In lieu of such license, the Department of City Civil Service may require that applicants have some form of picture identification.

VETERANS PREFERENCE: On original entrance examinations, veterans (as defined in Article X, Section 10(2) of the Constitution of the State of Louisiana), disabled veterans, certain spouses and parents of veterans shall receive additional credit if claimed as provided on the Veterans Preference claim form which can be obtained in this office. To obtain credit, this form must be submitted with the required proof (at the minimum, a DD214) before the final filing date.

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND GENERAL EQUIVALENCY DIPLOMA (GED) must be issued by a state Department of Education or an institution recognized by a state Department of Education. Certificates of completion, high school diplomas and GED from institutions not recognized by a state Department of Education are not acceptable. High School diplomas from foreign countries will be accepted if the applicant submits a statement of educational equivalency from one of the evaluation services accepted by the Department of Civil Service. A list of the accepted evaluation services can be found on the National Association of Credential Evacuation Services (NACES) website (www.naces.org).

ACCREDITED COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: An accredited college or university is an institution that is accredited by an organization that is recognized by the USDE (United States Department of Education) as an Institutional Accreditor. College diplomas from foreign countries will be accepted if the applicant submits a statement of educational equivalency from one of the evaluation services accepted by the Department of Civil Service. A list of the accepted evaluation services can be found on the National Association of Credential Evacuation Services (NACES) website (www.naces.org).

EXPERIENCE: Applicants will not receive credit for unpaid work unless specified on the job announcement. Partial credit only will be given for related part time employment. Civil Service reserves the right to determine which degrees, education, or other credentials are related or closely related. Experience credit will be granted for related provisional appointments (internal applicants).

PROFESSIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE: The Civil Service Department defines this experience as experience gained in a position that required a Bachelor's Degree upon entrance.

OFFERS OF EMPLOYMENT OR PROMOTION: Prior to appointment, the hiring agency is required to verify education, driver's license, and/or professional licenses/certifications claimed by the applicant to qualify for this classification. If selected for hire, applicants must provide original documents of their qualifying credentials to the hiring agency prior to their start date in this job classification. Offers of employment or promotion are required to be withdrawn for applicants who are found to have misrepresented their credentials during the application process.

Revised 1/91, 4/03, 7/05, 2/07, 8/10, 2/12, 8/15, 6/16, 1/17, 1/19, 2/23, 8/23, 3/24, 6/24, 2/25, 3/26.