Paralegal II

Gfoat; Alvin (TX); On-site; USD 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Gfoat seeks a skilled paralegal to assist the City Attorney with thorough legal research and complex paralegal duties in a municipal office. You will prepare ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and related documents, coordinate council and board meeting materials, and maintain case files with discretion.

Requirements include at least five years as a paralegal or seven years as a legal secretary/administrator in a legal setting; strong MS Word/Outlook/PowerPoint skills; familiarity with

Qualifications

• Five (5) years minimum paralegal experience or seven (7) years as a legal secretary/administrator in a law office.
• Municipal or governmental legal department experience preferred.
• Associate degree with paralegal and/or legal secretarial/administrative emphasis preferred.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access and Excel.

Responsibilities

• Conduct legal research using Lexis/Nexis and other resources and maintain reports/records.
• Prepare civil litigation documents and file with Courts/agencies.
• Process claims against the City and property claims per City guidelines.
• Prepare and proofread ordinances, resolutions, contracts and real estate documents.
• Document activity in case files and manage filing systems.
• Assist City Attorney and staff with daily activities requiring discretion.
• Maintain statistical records for City Attorney reports.
• Manage legal department budget, expenditures, payroll, and travel documents.
• Respond to open records requests and coordinate Attorney General opinions.
• Schedule meetings and perform general administrative duties.

Skills

Legal research

Lexis/Nexis

Administrative duties

Education

Associate degree in paralegal/secretarial

Tools

Microsoft Word

MS Outlook

MS PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

Responsible for assisting the City Attorney with emphasis on conducting legal research and performing complex paralegal duties to support the functions of the City Attorney's Office. Requires knowledge of legal procedures and terminology. Prepares ordinances, resolutions and various legal documents; coordinates and monitors handling of claims; prepares and tracks items for the City Council meeting agendas and various board meetings and hearings (Charter Review Commission, Ethics Board, Building Board of Adjustment & Appeals), prepares legal department reports, performs administrative duties and related work as required. Must be able to act without close supervision and to exercise independent judgment with ultimate approval by the City Attorney. Reports to the City Attorney.

• Completes legal research using Lexis/Nexis and other computerized legal resource tools as well as other legal resources. Maintains reports and records.
• Prepares civil litigation documents according to standard legal procedures and files legal documents with Court and other agencies as appropriate.
• Processes claims filed against the City as well as property claims according to City guidelines.
• Prepares and proofreads a variety of various legal documents, including but not limited to ordinances, resolutions, agreements, contracts, real estate documents, easements, and other miscellaneous legal documents.
• Documents all activity performed in case files.
• Establishes and maintains efficient record-keeping and filing systems.
• Must have knowledge of and adhere to legal confidentiality rules.
• Assists City Attorney and other legal staff with the daily activities of the City Attorney's Office, requiring considerable discretion, confidentiality and decision-making ability.
• Maintains statistical records and organizes information for the City Attorney's reports, such as number of files handled distinguishing pertinent data; i.e.., number of ordinances, resolutions, contracts, court trials, claims, and public information requests.
• Manages legal department's budget; monitors expenditures and prepares support documentation; prepares payroll, expense reports, requests for payment and travel documents.
• Receives and responds to open records requests, including requesting an opinion from the Attorney General's Office. Obtains necessary documents from various departments, reviews and analyzes the need for an Attorney General Opinion. Prepares the initial draft of the letter with supporting law. Assures that the review of documents, responses and/or request to Attorney General is conducted timely according to state law.
• Performs general administrative duties, including but not limited to scheduling meetings; typing, copying and faxing correspondence, reports and other routine documents; ordering office supplies; coordinating travel arrangements for the legal department staff, and distributing mail.
• Completes other assignments as requested by the City Attorney.
• Regular and timely attendance at work is imperative with the ability to be flexible regarding work hours; must be willing to work overtime when required by the City Attorney.

Must have a minimum of five (5) years of experience as a paralegal experience or a minimum of seven (7) years of experience as a legal secretary/administrator with an active law office. Experience working in a municipal legal department or other governmental legal department is preferred. An associate degree with paralegal and/or legal secretarial/administrative emphasis is preferred. Must be proficient in Microsoft Word, MS Outlook, MS PowerPoint, Access and Excel programs.