Legal Assistant - Criminal and Civil

Join the City of Bellingham's Legal Department as a Legal Assistant, where you'll play a vital role in supporting our criminal and civil divisions while ensuring smooth office operations. Bring your organizational skills and attention to detail to our administrative team!

At the City of Bellingham, the Legal Assistant- Criminal and Civil is responsible for performing office management duties and providing direct administrative support and assistance to the staff in the criminal and civil divisions of the City Attorney’s Office. Performs technical and clerical tasks, while applying policies and procedures of the Legal Department, Police Department, Municipal Court and other courts. Provides information to the public, opposing counsel, victims related to criminal prosecution, and City Departments. Maintains records and computer databases. Applies rules and regulations specific to this area of work, including maintaining confidentiality and meeting public records requirements.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:
This position will start at Step 1 ($30.47/hour). Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the E-Team Handbook and City policy. The full hourly range for this position is $30.47 - $37.03. For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures.

City of Bellingham employees receive medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as life insurance and long-term disability. Additional benefits include flexible spending accounts, a medical insurance opt-out program, and access to our employee assistance program. All eligible City employees are enrolled in a Washington State Department of Retirement Systems pension plan. Additionally, employees may elect to enroll in supplemental retirement plans; 457 deferred compensation savings plan, and 401(a) retirement savings plan.

Employees will receive 12 paid holidays in addition to one paid floating holiday each year. Upon hire, employees are provided a sick leave bank of 40 hours in addition to accruing 8 hours of sick leave per month in accordance with the handbook and Washington State Law.

At the time of hire, employees will accrue 13.33 hours of vacation per month. Vacation accruals increase based on years of service. Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require employee to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.

For additional information regarding benefits and compensation Information please visit the following:

• Labor Agreements, Pay Schedules and E-Team Employee Handbook - City of Bellingham (cob.org)
• Employment Benefits - City of Bellingham (cob.org)

1. Prepares files for court calendars, routes documents, and maintains filing systems to include: creating, organizing, updating, indexing, maintaining, and purging files; and preparing records for archival transfer.
2. Collates, copies and processes files, documents, forms, notices, and court orders for all aspects of criminal prosecution including discovery and record retention. 
3. Develops and maintains an accurate and timely record-keeping system or database for the civil and criminal division.
4. Data entry, and online search of computer databases for information and records. Maintains confidentiality of information and records.
5. Responsible for preparing and sending out subpoenas to witnesses and officers, as well as tracking of subpoenas to insure service. May assist in location and coordination of witnesses and officers.
6. Serves as liaison with clients or staff in other departments, agencies, or jurisdictions.
7. Develops clerical procedures, routines, forms, and record-keeping systems. Instructs others in such procedures and coordinates workflow to avoid duplication of work.
8. Receives and directs visitors and phone calls. 
9. Works with other related offices, agencies, and personnel to facilitate the smooth flow of information.
10. Assists Legal Administrative Assistant with fulfilling public records requests, including review of Computer Assisted Dispatch Reports, 911 calls, and Fire Incident Reports, and making redactions to records exempt from disclosure under the Public Records Act. Assigns agenda bills to Senior Assistant Attorneys.
11. Assists Paralegal and Claims Coordinator with claims and litigation support, including discovery and trial preparation, service of pleadings, and filings with courts and agencies.
     

1. Performs other related work of a similar nature and level.

• Frequently operate a computer and other office machinery such as a keyboard, mouse, phone, copier, and fax machine;
• Frequently communicate accurate information and ideas with others;
• Remain stationary for long periods of time;
• Move between work sites; 
• Occasionally transport objects weighing up to thirty (30) pounds.

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Word processing skills required.
• One year of experience working in an office environment with demonstrated clerical responsibilities highly preferred.
• Associate degree or vocational training in the legal field highly preferred.
• Experience in the criminal justice system and civil law is highly preferred.
• Keyboard entry skills at a minimum of 65 wpm highly preferred.
• Three years of progressively responsible legal support experience is preferred.

• Employment is contingent upon passing a criminal convictions check, local background check, and fingerprinting. Subject to re-check every five years. 

Please ensure your application is complete and all required information has been provided. Standard completeness means all application fields (contact information, personal information, education, work experience, references, and required supplemental questions). Provide as much detail as you believe will fully describe your experience and training.
 
First Round Interviews for the most qualified candidates are tentatively scheduled for the week of December 2, 2024. Invitations to participate in the Interview process will be sent via e-mail on or around November 22, 2024.
 
Candidates will receive updates regarding application status via email. Please be sure to check your email frequently, including your spam folders for messages filtered by your email providers.

Equal Opportunity:
Our environment is characterized by respect for cultural backgrounds, belief systems, and ethnic diversity. The City of Bellingham is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its work force. We do not make decisions on the basis of an individual's race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, age (40+), disability, retaliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. All are encouraged to apply for employment.
 
Fair Hiring Practices

• The City provides individuals who have been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense an equal and fair opportunity to obtain employment. 
• The City will not inquire about an applicant's criminal history until after a conditional job offer has been made. 
• The City will disregard the prior arrest and conviction record of an otherwise qualified individual unless the offense is directly related to the job position for which the individual has applied. 
• The City will notify an otherwise qualified applicant about a potentially disqualifying conviction and give the applicant an opportunity to submit information regarding the accuracy of the criminal records as well as evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation, as appropriate.