Administrative Associate - District Attorney's Office

Do you have administrative experience in the legal field?

Embrace a full-time position with a work schedule that allows for work-life balance. We are committed to creating a supportive and inclusive work environment and offer the opportunity to become part of an organization that values all team members and respects diversity.

Employees in this position provide legal secretarial functions in the District Attorney's Office. Individual Administrative Associates within the department perform functions regarding a specialized area, such as Traffic, Juvenile, Bad Check Program, Domestic Abuse, Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Misdemeanor and Felony cases, Subpoenas and backup for calendaring.  Employees are selected and supervised by the District Attorney and Office Supervisor, and work under limited supervision in a high paced potentially stressful work environment.

We offer:

• A supportive, collaborative, inclusive, and diverse workforce.
• Ample opportunities for career learning, development, and growth.
• A culture of respect, teamwork, honesty, and integrity.
• The chance to serve your community in a purposeful and meaningful way.
• Flexibility with generous paid time-off benefits.

In addition, we provide excellent benefits, including:

• The Wisconsin Retirement System
• Great health insurance
• Comprehensive dental coverage
• Life insurance with disability options

Essential Leadership Functions 

Act with Integrity and Build Trust

• Tell the truth and be forthcoming, even when it's difficult. Avoid exaggerating and embellishing the facts with opinions and feelings.
• Stand up for beliefs even when unpopular. Think before speaking. Include rationale. Consider impacts and outcomes. Come with ideas, not simply opposition.
• Elicit opinions of others. Speak up and share opinions without judgement.

Drive for Results

• Hold self and others accountable for clear and specific expectations, actions, and decisions.
• Take initiative, prioritize effectively, and stay resilient in the face of challenges or setbacks.
• Monitor progress and make necessary adjustments to ensure desired results are attained.

Develop Talent and Effective Teams

• Create an environment that promotes collaboration, innovation, and high performance, where individuals feel valued, motivated, and supported in achieving their goals.
• Delegate responsibilities and trust team members to take ownership of their work.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement where team members are expected to share knowledge, take calculated risks, and celebrate successes.

Lead with Vision and Strategy

• Take action to create a culture of innovation by reviewing current practices and exploring more effective approaches.
• Ensure that vision and strategy are communicated across all levels of the organization.
• Lead regular discussions to connect team members’ daily work to big-picture goals, increasing motivation and alignment with organizational objectives.

Lead with Paradoxical, Critical, and Agile Thinking

• See beyond black-and-white thinking and demonstrate the ability to dissect a situation from multiple perspectives.
• Adapt quickly and respond to changes and uncertainties by abandoning old ways of doing things.
• Seek to uncover underlying assumptions or contradictions. Display a growth versus a fixed mindset. Be open-minded, curious, and ask probing questions.

Build and Maintain Effective Relationships

• Listen attentively, empathize, and demonstrate genuine interest in others' perspectives (e.g., use non-verbal cues like nodding, ask clarifying questions for deeper understanding, avoid interrupting, summarize key points to ensure mutual understanding and clarity).
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration, break down silos within function, section, department, and county. Demonstrate and expect the sharing of knowledge and resources.
• Develop and sustain partnerships. Communicate across all disciplines and levels regularly.

Cultivate Community Engagement and Provide Excellent Service

• Commit to understanding and addressing the needs, concerns, and aspirations of the community. Foster meaningful relationships and partnerships with various stakeholders.
• Solicit and include the community point of view to develop meaningful solutions to complex issues (i.e., gather feedback, address concerns, and incorporate community perspectives into decision-making processes).
• Seek partnerships and collaborate within La Crosse County Departments and community organizations to create aligned mutually beneficial outcomes.

Demonstrate Emotional Intelligence

• Demonstrate self-awareness and understand the impact of your actions on others and the organization.
• Self-regulate, maintain composure, and manage emotions in challenging situations.

• Knowledge of legal terminology and syntax, and of the content, organization and format of legal documents and correspondence.
• Ability to type efficiently and accurately.
• Ability to use a word processor with proficiency.
• Ability to access, input and retrieve information from a computerized system.
• Ability to perform duties with accuracy.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and using independent judgment.
• Ability to transcribe documents from written, oral, machine or computer-generated formats.
• Ability to plan, organize and prioritize time and workload in order to accomplish tasks and meet deadlines.
• Ability to adapt to fast paced stressful environment.
• Ability to accurately retrieve and prepare electronic discovery using various AV systems in a timely manner.
• Ability to work under fast paced, stressful conditions.

• Associate Degree as Legal Secretary/Paralegal, Administrative Professional, Office Support Specialist or other related degree.
• Two years of office/clerical experience in the legal field.
• Familiarity with court procedures in a prosecutor's office and with legal terminology.
• Proven skills and proficiency in using computer programs: MS Word, Excel spreadsheets and the internet.
• Must have proven track record of being highly organized and able to work in fast-paced environment and able to meet short deadlines with high volume of output with efficiency and accuracy.
• Must be able to type efficiently and accurately.
• May consider candidate with no related Associate Degree and several years of related legal secretarial experience.