Paralegal

Perform technical and administrative tasks in support of the City Attorney Office. Work is performed independently and as part of a team. Tasks are completed with general guidelines and require some independent judgment. Contribute to the City’s vision, mission, and goals in the performance of all job duties.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: 

• Perform a variety of paralegal, legal administrative, secretarial, clerical and public relations duties to assist the City’s attorneys; perform a variety of legal office support activities.
• Draft, review and/or prepare legal documents including but not limited to pleadings, memoranda, affidavits, correspondence, ordinances, resolutions, legislation, agenda bills, contracts, subpoenas, and discovery requests related to criminal and/or civil proceedings.
• Prepare and maintain accurate and complete case files; arrange for filing and service of legal documents; deliver material to courts as needed.
• Independently monitor assigned cases to include investigating facts or cases, conducting research, recommending potential witnesses, and assisting with interviews.  
• Track legal matters and maintain related legal and technical files and records, including brief bank; maintain and organize electronic files, locate documents and additional records in other departments and/or outside agencies; continually prioritize projects; review legal documents with attention to detail.
• Provide substantial support and coordination during trials, including preparing witnesses, monitoring trial deadlines, organizing evidence, assembling trial binders, issuing and tracking service of subpoenas and assisting with jury selection.
• Manage city witnesses during trials by coordinating schedules and court appearances, answering questions, and educating witnesses on courtroom etiquette, laws and available resources.
• Transcribe dictation, proofread legal documents and correspondence to ensure correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, legal terminology and format.
• Become  competent in, follow, and actively support the vision, mission, values, and behavior statements of the department and the City.
• Answer telephone calls and greet visitors; explain programs, policies and procedures to citizens, defendants, witnesses, attorneys and staff within scope of authority; provide information of general or limited technical nature; take messages and refer callers to appropriate person or department as necessary.
• Coordinate communications with other departments, agencies, outside counsel and cities as assigned.
• Contribute to an environment of teamwork and respect.
• Foster a culture of equity and inclusion by recognizing the diverse needs and perspectives of groups and individuals.
• Remain current with relevant technological advancements as it relates to field.
• Participate in and help provide cross-training in processes as directed by management to ensure a well-rounded team for coverage purposes.
• Maintain regular, reliable, and punctual attendance.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• May be assigned to support City priorities during emergencies.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND LICENSE REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum 2 years of college-level coursework in Paralegal Studies or related field and 3 years secretarial or administrative support experience in legal office, including at least 1 year of paralegal experience.  
• Notary Public License or ability to obtain within six (6) months of employment.  
• Successful passing of a required background check.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Work is performed in an office environment.
• Noise level in the office is moderately quiet.
• Work evening and/or weekend hours as needed.
• Night meetings may be required.

The City of Renton embraces a diverse and inclusive workforce and prides itself on promoting collaboration and teamwork in a positive environment while providing high quality services to the community. For more information about the City of Renton, please visit the following website: Why Renton  

The City has adopted an anonymous application process that prevents hiring managers from seeing personal identifiers, including candidates’ names, addresses, and other similar information. This eliminates the possibility of unintentional or implicit bias during the screening of applications.  For that reason, you will not have the ability to attach any documents to your application, including a cover letter or resume.  Please make sure to submit a complete, detailed, and updated job application.

Communication from the City of Renton:

We primarily communicate via e-mail during the application process. E-mails from rentonwa.gov and/or governmentjobs.com should be placed on your safe domain list to ensure you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk e-mail folders. We also communicate via text and encourage you to sign up for text alerts when completing your job application. 

Accommodation

Individuals needing accommodation in the application, testing, or interview process may contact kgilman@rentonwa.gov at least 2 days prior to the need.

Recruitment Process:

The screening process will include a review of minimum qualifications. Applicants selected for an interview will be invited via email to self-schedule a time through the Government Jobs account. At a minimum, this position will be subject to a standard criminal background check and professional reference check. This position requires accessing areas that contain Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS). For that reason, this position is also subject to a national fingerprint-based records check.