Legal Assistant | Paralegal

The Legal Assistant and Paralegal positions provide critical support to the professional staff of the County Attorney’s Office. Both roles require a high degree of confidentiality, independent judgment, and initiative in assisting attorneys with their work.

• Legal Assistant: This role focuses on specialized secretarial and administrative work of a confidential nature. The Legal Assistant provides direct support to the attorneys, handling routine matters and exercising independent judgment to relieve attorneys of clerical and administrative tasks.

• Paralegal: This role is paraprofessional in nature, emphasizing substantive legal support. The Paralegal assists attorneys through legal research, fact investigation, and document preparation. Considerable discretion and independent judgment are required in conducting legal research and drafting materials such as memoranda, pleadings, contracts, briefs, and legislative documents.

• Conducts extensive legal research relating to complex problems and projects, and prepares memoranda and/or opinions containing recommended courses of actions and/or solutions.
• Conducts investigations and interviews with County employees and others in order to gather information relating to particular legal issues and/or litigation and verifies facts through independent investigation.
• Provides assistance to various County departments relating to responses to legal problems and/or preparation of legal documents.
• Prepares drafts of resolutions, ordinances, responds to legislative requests, leases, and contracts.
• Assists the County Attorney and/or Assistant County Attorneys in preparing responses to requests for legal opinions.
• Prepares drafts of initial pleading, discovery documents, motions, briefs, and other legal pleadings and papers relating to litigations.  Performs analysis of pleadings and motions, etc., filed by opposing parties.
• Prepares graphic aids, tables, slides, and other audio/visual devices.
• Assists attorney staff with trial preparation, the formulation of legal strategy and other matters within the County Attorney's purview.
• Establishes and maintains a document management system, i.e., fully indexed and cross-referenced bank of briefs, memoranda, and other research documents previously produced by the office.
• Assists in the preparation and filing of lawsuits, appeals, and condemnation suits.
• Prepares case files and maintains docket sheets on pending litigation; maintains a daily calendar for assigned legal staff.
• Prepares and completes legal notices, acknowledgments, basic legal forms and documents using personal computers.  May receive, screen and route incoming mail and telephone calls.

Minimum Education and Experience for Legal Assistant: 

• High school diploma supplemented by course work in legal studies or similar legal office practices
• Four (4) years of relevant legal secretarial or legal office work experience 

• Florida Certified Paralegal (FCP) or Florida Registered Paralegal (FRP)
• Two (2) years of experience as a Paralegal

• Knowledge of the principles, methods, materials, and practices of legal research.
• Knowledge of federal, state and local statutes and ordinances, the common law, and administrative rules and regulations, basic legal forms and documents.
• Considerable knowledge of Florida Court System as well as local government law.
• Knowledge of legal publications and ability to keep such publications organized and up to date.
• Extensive writing skills, including the ability to prepare legal memoranda, opinions, documents, briefs, resolutions, ordinances, and other legal correspondence.
• Enhanced communication skills, including the ability to follow instructions, interview witnesses, coordinate with other agencies and law offices, and discuss completes legal issues with attorney staff.
• Must be sensitive to meeting court or attorney timeframes and attention to detail.
• Ability to grasp factual issues and apply legal theories.
• Ability to use the computer to perform legal research and title searches.
• Considerable knowledge of legal terminology, business English and business Math.
• Knowledge of organizational structure of county and state government.
• Knowledge of personal computers and word processing.  Ability to type 60 CWPM.
• Ability to make minor administrative decisions in accordance with office procedure, ordinances and department rules.
• Ability to organize and prioritize legal data received from professional legal staff and other departments.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the general public, co-workers, elected and appointed officials and members of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds regardless of race, religion, age, sex, handicap or political affiliation.

Working Conditions:  Work is primarily performed in an indoor, climate-controlled environment and is nearly absent from disagreeable elements (e.g., irate customers, extreme noise, heat, odors, heights and/or dust).

Risk/Safety Conditions:  There is little or no risk related to physical and/or mental health and safety associated with this position.

Physical Activities:  Hearing, seeing up close, talking, finger movement, repetitive motions.

DISCLAIMER: The information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, environmental conditions, or qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

 CHARLOTTE COUNTY IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: Women, minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE/RECOVERY ACTIVITIES:

All County employees are required to work before, during, or after an emergency as needed. This may include temporarily being assigned to work and performing duties outside of the normal scope of their position, location and work schedule to fit the needs of the County and its citizens.

Charlotte County is an Affirmative Action, ADA and Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. As a veterans' preference employer, certain service members and veterans, and the spouses and family members of such service members and veterans, who claim and meet eligibility requirements of veterans’ preference, receive preference and priority in employment and are encouraged to apply. In addition, certain servicemembers may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements.

All positions with Charlotte County may be subject to drug testing in accordance with the Drug-Free Workplace Program and/or County policy.