Legal Assistant I

If you are selected for interviews, they will take place in person on Thursday, July 10, 2025, so please hold that date. If selected to move forward, second round interviews will be scheduled, as appropriate, for the morning of Wednesday, July 16, 2025.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE: 

Performs a variety of routine, fiscal, and confidential clerical and administrative duties in support of the City Attorney's Office; acts as receptionist, responding to requests for information from City elected officials, staff, various governmental agencies, private citizens, and community organizations; arranges appointments, meetings, training and conferences; types and prepares documents from rough drafts; may deliver, retrieve, or file court documents and calculate and calendar court filing deadlines and appearances; performs legal and administrative support work as assigned. 

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS: 

Legal Assistant I (Confidential) is the entry-level classification in the Legal Assistant series. Initially under close supervision, incumbents perform a variety of administrative and legal support duties requiring knowledge of the preparation and processing requirements of legal documents, legal terminology, basic legal principles, civil and criminal procedures, sources of law, and the court system. As experience is gained, assignments become more varied and are performed with greater independence. This class is flexibly-staffed with Legal Assistant II and incumbents are expected to advance to the higher-level class after having gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience that meet the qualifications and demonstrated the ability to perform the work of the higher-level class.  

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED: 

This class receives general supervision from a Legal Analyst under the legal review of the City Attorney. No direct supervision is provided; however, direction, work instruction, and/or review may be provided to less experienced, part-time, or volunteer/intern staff on a project basis. 

• Performs a variety of routine administrative tasks and confidential secretarial and clerical duties for the City Attorney's Office.
• Drafts routine legal documents, and types and prepares contracts, documents, reports, and correspondence for attorney review from prior materials, drafts, notes, or brief instructions using computer programs.
• Performs limited legal research under the supervision of an attorney accessing a variety of sources such as statutes, ordinances, court decisions, legal documents, and articles to compile supportive materials for inclusion in documents for attorney review.
• Composes documents at own initiative, and from brief oral and written instructions.
• Reviews legal documents for form and completeness, including proofreading and cite checking.
• Reviews documents, memos, and letters for proper format, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• Processes filing of litigation and other legal forms; compiles exhibits and proofs of service.
• Maintains law library and legal publications, updating existing materials as needed.
• Recognizes and solves simple issues and problems in situations that may require the use of tact, independent judgment, and skill in resolving conflicts; reports issues to supervisor when too complex.
• Completes timely check-ins with supervisor as needed for direction and for disclosure of pertinent, high-profile, or otherwise important information.
• Maintains a calendar and coordinates the appointments, meetings, and conferences of the City Attorney and other department staff, and makes travel arrangements as required.
• Attends to a variety of office administrative details, such as keeping informed of departmental activities, transmitting information, attending meetings, and serving on various task forces and committees.
• Enters, edits, updates, and retrieves data from a variety of narrative reports or spreadsheets and prepares periodic and special reports following established formats and timelines; may create new spreadsheet or narrative reports on a project basis.
• Organizes and maintains various administrative, confidential, reference, and follow-up files; purges files as required.
• Operates standard office equipment, including job-related computer hardware and software applications, or other department-specific equipment.
• Acts as receptionist, receiving and screening visitors and telephone calls, dealing tactfully with the public and responding to complaints and requests for information on regulations or procedures, or directing inquiries to appropriate staff member.
• Provides a high level of customer service to both external and internal customers; responds to requests for information from City staff, other organizations, and the public, requiring the use of judgment and the interpretation of policies, rules, procedures, and ordinances.
• Directs the work of and provides limited training to less experienced, part-time, or volunteer/intern staff on a project basis.
• Acts as a resource to the City Attorney and other department staff.
• Participates in general functions in support of the department's goals and objectives.
• May deliver, retrieve, or file court documents.
• Performs related duties similar to the above in scope and function as required.

• Principles of legal ethics, including but not limited to the attorney-client relationship and communications, work product, privilege, and confidentiality.
• Basic organization and function of public agencies, including the role of an elected City Council and appointed boards, commissions, and committees, and the role of a City Attorney.
• Basic legal concepts, principles, terminology, and procedures. 
• General legal reference materials. 
• Standard legal office practices and procedures, including legal filing systems and standard office equipment.
• Business letter writing and the standard format for reports and correspondence.
• Computer applications related to the work assigned, including website applications for legal research, and word processing, database management, and spreadsheets 
• Records management and filing principles and practices.
• Business arithmetic and basic statistical techniques.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service to the public, the community, and City staff, in person and over the telephone.
• Digital presentation preparation, utilizing the Microsoft Office suite.

• Understand statutes, court decisions, ordinances, resolutions, and legal documents.
• Exercise independent judgment, tact, and discretion in the completion of varied and responsible office administrative work within established policy and procedural guidelines.
• Analyze and resolve office administrative and procedural problems.
• Compose correspondence and reports independently or from brief instructions.
• Make accurate arithmetic and statistical calculations.
• Communicate effectively in person, over the telephone, and in writing.
• Direct and review the work of temporary staff on a project basis.
• Use specialized software related to legal research, database management, graphics, and publication production.
• Develop effective team relationships with elected and appointed officials and City staff at all levels.
• Organize own work, setting priorities, working independently on a day-to-day basis, meeting critical deadlines, and balancing multiple objectives.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work, including diverse internal and external customers.
• Work in a team atmosphere and participate on a variety of departmental and City-wide committees to enhance the provision of all City services.
• Work with diverse populations and maintain an inclusive environment.
• Work in a standard office setting and use standard office equipment, including a computer.
• Lift and carry twenty pounds.
• Read printed materials and a computer screen.