Paralegal - Records Requests

Socket.dev; Helena (MT); On-site; USD 20,000 - 26,000; Part time

Job summary

Montana Public Service Commission is seeking a part-time paralegal to support our legal team in administering public records oversight for Montana customers. The role emphasizes accuracy, confidentiality, and timely coordination with other agency personnel and external parties.

The position is a non-litigating, 18-hour-per-week role through June 30, 2027, with potential funding renewal based on agency needs. Strong writing, research, and organizational skills are essential for success.

Qualifications

• Two years of job-related experience.

Responsibilities

• Review all public records requests under Montana Constitution and laws.
• Determine whether information is responsive to requests.
• Coordinate with agency personnel to respond timely and estimate response times/costs.
• Communicate with agency personnel, outside attorneys, and the public regarding requests.
• Coordinate with Chief Legal Counsel on high-profile requests.
• Flag documents with privileged/confidential information.

Education

Associate’s degree in paralegal studies

Certification by NALSA or NFPA

Job description

The Montana Public Service Commission (Commission) seeks a part-time paralegal to aid our agency in exercising regulatory oversight of some of the largest essential industries in Montana. The Commission works to ensure fair prices, responsible business practices, and reliable services for Montana customers. The successful candidate will join our legal team who finds the work to be interesting, meaningful, and critical to our agency’s goal of serving the citizens of Montana extraordinarily well.

The Commission is the head of the Montana Department of Public Service Regulation, a small state agency with a big impact. The Commission is composed of 5 elected Commissioners representing every region of beautiful Montana. Commonly referred to as the PSC, our agency is staffed by a team of approximately 33 professionals in the Legal, Regulatory, and Centralized Services Divisions. The PSC is responsible for supervising monopolistic industries within Montana to ensure fair prices, responsible business practices, and sustainable, reliable service for the Montana customers who rely upon them. Regulated industries currently include privately held power, water, sewer, telecommunications, sanitation, and certain commercial transportation providers. The PSC also plays a vital role in railway and pipeline safety. The agency has a clear and well-defined strategic plan to enhance our operations, work environment, and value to the public. Our team includes seasoned leaders with expertise and institutional knowledge coupled with newly elected commissioners with innovative ideas for the agency.

Works under the supervision of the agency Chief Legal Counsel and the agency Commission Secretary.

This position is a part-time, 18 hour per week modified position effective through June 30, 2027. After this date, the position may be permanently funded or subject to termination.

Duties: Public Information Requests

• Review all public records requests received by the Commission made pursuant to the Montana Constitution and Montana’s right to know laws.
• Reviews hard copy and digital information and determines whether the information is responsive to public records requests.
• Coordinates with other agency personnel to respond timely to public records requests, including identifying personnel that may possess responsive documents and estimating response times and response costs.
• Communicates with agency personnel, outside attorneys and parties, and the general public, both verbally and in writing, regarding public records requests.
• Coordinates with the Chief Legal Counsel on high profile or sensitive public records requests.
• Flags documents responsive to public records requests that may contain privileged/confidential information.
• Redacts records prior to dissemination in response to public records requests.
• Assists in preparing privilege logs.
• Monitors changes to Montana’s public records laws and makes recommendations for modifying the Commission’s public record request response procedures as necessary.

Successful applicants will be subject to background checks relevant to the position and must pass reference checks before an offer is extended.

Special Information:

Please note that the Paralegal position is a non-litigating position.

Competencies required for the first day of work:

• Prior experience working as a paralegal or the ability to quickly master the responsibilities of the position.
• Knowledge of or ability to quickly become familiar with Montana public records laws.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Excellent proofreading skills and legal citation checking skills.
• Excellent organization, prioritization, multitasking, and time management skills.
• Strong legal research skills, including proficiency in using legal research software or the ability to learn to proficiently use legal research software.
• Strong sense of discretion, integrity, and professional responsibility in handling confidential and/or sensitive material, including the ability to maintain confidentiality at all times.
• Strong digital literacy skills, (e.g. using personal computers and office machines), including intermediate-to-advanced skills in Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe software.
• Strong sense of the chain of command, decorum, and professionalism.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, with a diverse group of people.
• Ability to maintain accuracy and high attention to detail while working in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team and individually.
• Ability to maintain professionalism when critiqued.

Minimum Qualifications (Education and Experience):

• Two years of job-related experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Associate’s degree in paralegal studies from an accredited institution or
• Certification by the National Association of Legal Assistants or the National Federation of Paralegal Associations.
• Other combinations of education and experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis.