8779 - Legal Assistant III (District Attorney)

Jackson County Employment Opportunity.

The District Attorney’s Office is comprised of a team of professionals that work closely with police agencies, community partners, the court and the public to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of the citizens of Jackson County. The staff consists of lawyers, victim services advocates, child support case managers and legal assistants. We are committed to making Jackson County a safe place to live.

Jackson County strives to recruit, hire and retain the best employees!

• Pass a pre-employment drug screen, which includes screening for Marijuana. Click on the link to review Jackson County's Drug-Free Workplace Policy.

I.    Position Summary

Performs a variety of highly specialized legal and technical support duties; assists in planning, organizing and coordinating support activities, operations and functions; and, provides specialized case management and recordkeeping tasks. Performs technical and functional oversight over other staff while working independently and exercising sound judgment and initiative.  

II.   Examples of Essential Position Duties (The following duties represent some of the principal job duties; however, they are not all-inclusive. Other duties may be required or assigned.)

• Plans, organizes, prioritizes and coordinates support activities, operations and functions.
• Serves as a lead over lower level positions. Trains, monitors and provides functional guidance to other Legal Assistants in software operation, office procedures and policies, equipment operation and technical matters.
• Provides guidance and application of policies and procedures in supervisor’s absence.
• Establishes short and long range goals and objectives for assigned programs.
• Identifies and troubleshoots problems with software and the data then develops solutions to prevent errors and problems including staff retraining, data validation rules and procedural changes; performs website maintenance. Performs database management; reviews and revises event entry codes and options; maintains document template library.
• Oversees complex paper and computer filing and record keeping systems, indices and registers; researches files and prepares reports as required for departmental purposes; computes or verifies data, enters and retrieves data from computer terminals, and reviews computer print outs for accuracy; takes and maintains inventory records as assigned; operates a variety of office equipment and machines.
• Adheres to regulatory requirements, collective bargaining agreements, County and departmental policies and procedures, required trainings, as well as safe work practices.
• Develops and maintains effective internal and external working relationships at all levels.
• Has regular and reliable attendance. Overtime may be required.

III.  Minimum Requirements (Performance of the essential duties of this position includes the following requirements, physical demands and/or working conditions)

Education and Experience

• A high school diploma or equivalent AND five years of progressively responsible clerical and/or administrative experience, preferably in a legal office; OR
• Any combination of education and experience which provides the applicant with the desired skills, knowledge, and ability required to perform the job.

License, Certificate or Other

Requires possession of a valid driver’s license and an acceptable driving record. Must be eligible for and maintain LEDS certification.

IV.  Other Requirements

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Position requires considerable knowledge of criminal legal procedures, terminology and documents; business English, spelling, composition, and arithmetic, and proficiency in the use of computers and Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel. Position requires skill and proficiency in the use of computers, standard office equipment, and the Microsoft Suite. Position requires the ability to organize, set priorities, meet deadlines, and exercise sound judgment in accordance with applicable law and court procedures and rules; interpret and apply department policies and procedures; make decisions independently in accordance with established procedures and in the absence of supervision; use data management system at an advanced level; research, understand and apply rules and procedures for federal, state, and appellate courts, and various administrative entities, as well as department policies and procedures; prioritize and organize work and train other staff; compile data and prepare complex reports; operate modern office equipment; understand and carry out oral and written directions; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with co-workers, outside agencies, and the public; use tact, discretion, and diplomacy in dealing with sensitive situations, concerned and potentially hostile people, outside legal counsel, victims, and witnesses;  maintain confidentiality of materials and sensitive information; cope with exposure to potentially disturbing or traumatic content matter; communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. Must be eligible for and maintain LEDS certification.

Physical Demands (Performance of the essential duties of this position includes the following physical demands)

Ability to work in a standard office environment; requires the ability to exert a small amount of physical effort in sedentary to light work involving moving from one area of the facility to another, reaching, kneeling, moderate lifting, bending, climbing of stairs and standing, as well as sitting for extended periods of time. Requires sufficient hand/eye coordination to perform semi-skilled repetitive movements, such as typing, filing, data entry, and/or use of calculators, ten-key adding machine, or other office equipment or supplies. Sensory requirements include sound and visual perception and discrimination, as well as oral communications ability. Driving is required.

Working Conditions (Performance of the essential duties of this position includes the following working conditions)

Work is generally performed in an office environment and may include exposure to disruptive people and potentially graphic images/video/words.

V.   Additional Information

This classification description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties, knowledge, skills, abilities, or requirements, as any one position in this classification may be assigned some or all of these duties, in addition to other duties not explicitly listed here. The various duties, responsibilities and/or assignments of this position may be unevenly balanced and change from time to time based upon matters such as, but not limited to, variations in the shift, work demands, seasons, service levels and management’s decisions on how to best allocate department resources. Any shift, emphasis or rebalancing of these assigned duties, responsibilities and/or assignments does not constitute a change in the job classification. The County shall schedule employees and determine FTE consistent with its determination as to efficiency of operations, financial advantages to the County, and/or effective service to the public.