Paralegal

THE SELECTED CANDIDATE WILL BE OFFERED A SALARY BETWEEN $42,333.00 - $48,683.00.

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT CANDIDATES MUST TAKE AND PASS THE UPCOMING OPEN COMPETITIVE EXAM FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE TITLE LISTED ABOVE TO AVOID BEING "BUMPED" OUT OF THEIR POSITION WHEN THE ELIGIBLE LIST FOR THIS TITLE IS ESTABLISHED.


The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of children and families through child welfare and juvenile justice services and community supports. ACS manages community-based supports and foster care services and provides subsidized childcare vouchers. ACS child protection staff respond to allegations of child maltreatment. In juvenile justice, ACS oversees detention, placement and programs for youth in the community.

The Division of Family Court Legal Services (FCLS) is primarily responsible for representing ACS in child neglect and abuse cases, permanency hearings, juvenile delinquency hearings and other child welfare proceedings in the New York City Family Courts. FCLS attorneys work collaboratively with ACS Child Protective Specialists (CPS), foster care agency case planners and other ACS staff and child welfare stakeholders to further the agency’s mission on behalf of children, youth and families. The majority of attorney and non-attorney staff members are placed in the five Family Court Units located in or near each NYC borough Family Court. FCLS also provides legal and administrative support to the five court units and other ACS divisions through its Legal Support and Training Unit and Legal Compliance Unit which are centrally located.

The Brooklyn FCLS office is colocated with the Brooklyn Family Court and is comprised of Attorney and non-attorney staff. This office is responsible for handling Article 10 child abuse cases originating out of Kings County and that are ultimately filed in Kings County Family Court. Our Brooklyn FCLS staff work with and support Brooklyn DCP (and any other CPS who files a case in the Brooklyn) as well as FCA caseplanners with cases assigned in Brooklyn.

The work of the Brooklyn FCLS Unit is litigation-focused and all FCLS Agency Attorney staff including supervisors spend most of their time in court appearing before judges and referees on child neglect and abuse cases. The Paralegal Aide provides support to attorney staff on their child abuse and neglect cases, and other pending family court matters.


Under general supervision the paralegal aide manages a caseload through various stages of legal proceedings and performs moderately difficult paralegal work such as:

- Prepare and process subpoenas, summonses, motions, affidavits, legal notices, and/or other legal forms and papers which relate to legal proceedings.
- Assist with legal research, including the retrieval of court decisions, statutes, regulations and other legal documents.
- Obtain court documents and records.
- Respond to discovery requests.
- Follow up with foster care agencies and other service providers regarding compliance with court orders and obtaining documents.
- Assist with trial preparation
- Redact Case Records
- Retrieve records from all five boroughs
- File motions and supporting documents with court clerks; help to ensure that all filing deadlines are met.
- Liaise with various agencies to request and share pertinent information.



ADDITIONAL INFO

Section 424-A of the New York Social Services Law requires an authorized agency to inquire whether a
candidate for employment with child-caring responsibilities has been the subject of a child abuse and
maltreatment report.


TO APPLY

Please go to www.cityjobs.nyc.gov or www.nyc.gov/ess for current NYC employees and search for Job ID # 646428.

No phone calls, faxes or personal inquiries permitted.

Note: Only candidates under consideration will be contacted.

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U.S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA); or
2. An associate degree or completion of 60 semester credits from an accredited college, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U.S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and two years of full-time satisfactory experience, acquired in the United States, in the performance of paralegal (legal assistant) services; or
3. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and four years of full-time satisfactory experience, acquired in the United States, in the performance of paralegal (legal assistant) services; or
4. A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience which is equivalent to “1”, “2” or “3” above. Paralegal Certification obtained in the United States from an accredited program or from a program approved by the American Bar Association can be substituted for 12 months of experience. Undergraduate credit can be substituted for experience on the basis of 30 semester credits from an accredited college for 12 months of experience. However, all candidates must have at least a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization.

To be acceptable, experience in paralegal (legal assistant) services must have involved the American Legal System.

Experience which is primarily legal secretarial or includes only incidental paralegal (legal assistant) services is not acceptable.
Special Note:
Individuals must have one additional year of pertinent paralegal experience or have a baccalaureate degree in addition to the requirements listed above to be eligible for placement in Assignment Level II duties and pay of Paralegal Aide.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.