Paralegal Specialist

State of Connecticut - Office of Attorney General; Waterford (CT); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Connecticut Office of the Attorney General in Waterford, CT is seeking a Paralegal Specialist to provide advanced paralegal support for juvenile matters. The role is based at the Waterford Courthouse and offers professional growth and a balanced work environment.

Responsibilities include drafting legal documents, researching complex issues, and coordinating with attorneys, courts, and staff. A paralegal certificate or degree with related experience is preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in legal studies and one year paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney.
• Associate’s degree in legal studies and three years paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney.
• ABA-approved Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program with three years of paraprofessional experience.
• Certificate program of at least 24 semester hours and four years of paraprofessional experience.
• Certificate program from a CT-approved business school and four years of paraprofessional experience.
• A Law degree from an accredited Law School.

Responsibilities

• Interprets complex statutes and regulations governing legal records and documents.
• Reviews and prepares briefs, writs and pleadings for court filings.
• Performs legal research and analysis of statutes, cases and opinions.
• Maintains and updates case records, pleadings and filing systems.
• Serves as liaison between agency, court system, attorneys and the public.
• Assists in drafting proposed legislation and advisory opinions.

Skills

Legal knowledge

Legal terminology

Legal research

Interpersonal skills

Oral communication

Written communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in legal studies

Associate’s degree in legal studies

ABA-approved Paralegal certificate

Paralegal certificate 24 semester hours

CT-approved paralegal certificate program

Law degree from an accredited Law School

Job description

Introduction

The State of Connecticut Office of the Attorney General is recruiting for a Paralegal Specialist position, located in Waterford, CT.

Position Highlights

• Monday - Friday
• 40 hours per week
• This position will be located within the Waterford Courthouse for Juvenile Matters in Waterford, CT, and will be responsible for providing legal assistance to the Assistant Attorneys General with cases related to the protection of children in the State of CT from abuse and neglect.
• Professional growth and development opportunities;
• A healthy work/life balance to all employees;
• Visit our State Employee Benefits Overview page!

About Us

The Office of the Attorney General was officially created by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1897. The Connecticut Constitution and General Statutes authorize the Attorney General to represent the interests of the people of the State of Connecticut in all civil legal matters involving the state to protect the public interest, and to serve as legal counsel to all state agencies.

Purpose of job class (nature of work)

In a state agency this class is accountable for providing advanced paralegal support in a highly complex legal unit. This class provides advanced technical leadership, research and consultation in the areas of preparing draft legal documents and draft decisions of highly complex cases, and is a resource regarding issues, procedures, process and timeframe as related to cases and presenting legal matters as needed.

Examples of duties

LEGAL OFFICE OPERATIONS

• Interprets complex state statutes and federal regulations governing legal records and documents;
• Determines and applies applicable state statute and/or regulation in preparing documentation;
• Interprets court rules and agency policies and regulations;
• Keeps abreast of the latest court rules, calendar changes and pending legislation;
• Monitors and adheres to court deadlines;
• Reviews legal documents and prepares legal documents such as briefs, writs and pleadings for court filings;
• Responds to relevant case information requests from courts;
• Performs legal research and analysis of law sources such as statutes, legal articles, legal decisions, opinions, rulings, memoranda and other legal material;
• Prepares draft legal documents;
• Provides assistance in the discovery process;
• Provides paralegal assistance by interpreting applicable legal provisions, regulations, precedents and policies;
• Responds to requests and obtains information of sensitive nature;
• Acts as liaison between agency, court system, relevant attorney’s offices and general public;
• Serves as agency liaison regarding relevant policies and procedures;
• Prepares legal and administrative reports;
• Updates and maintains case records, pleadings, policy manuals and filing systems;
• Assists in the drafting of proposed legislation and advisory opinions; provides training and assistance to staff;
• May perform business mathematical computations;
• Performs related duties as required.

CASE PRESENTATION OR HEARING

• Analyses highly complex cases;
• Develops positions and strategies to settle or litigate cases at formal or informal hearings;
• Prepares for and represents the state’s interest at hearings or through case presentation;
• Researches and gathers relevant evidence and documentation;
• Interviews witnesses and clients;
• Drafts legal documents, complaints, stipulations, detailed memoranda, letters and proposed findings and awards reviews substantiation appeals and provides recommendation to management regarding the legal sufficiency of substantiation findings;
• Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Considerable knowledge of legal processes and procedures;
• Legal terminology and legal forms;
• Legal research techniques;
• Knowledge of relevant agency policies and procedures; and the ability to interpret and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and legislation;
• Considerable interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills;
• Skill in fact finding techniques including interviewing clients and compiling evidence;
• Considerable ability to evaluate pertinent facts, cases and evidence and compile and assemble such legal data;
• Compose correspondence and draft legal documents;
• Ability to understand complex laws and related reports; utilize computer software.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

• A Bachelor’s degree in legal studies and one (1) year of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney;
• An Associate’s degree in legal studies and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney;
• Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program approved by the American Bar Association and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney;
• Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program consisting of a minimum of twenty-four (24) semester hours from an accredited college or university and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney;
• Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program from a business school approved by the State of Connecticut, Office of Higher Education and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney;
• A Law degree from an accredited Law School;

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Preference will be given to candidates who possess paraprofessional-level experience with cases pertaining to the protection of children, specifically in the area of abuse and neglect.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.