Paralegal

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office (CAO) is seeking a Paralegal to join their team in Adult Services and to create a list for future vacancies across the department. The Adult Services Division handles legal matters related to vulnerable adults, including civil commitments and criminal cases when a defendant is found incompetent to stand trial. As a Paralegal with the CAO, you will be a key player in supporting certain responsibilities of the chief prosecutor for Hennepin County.

• Identify, collect, review, and evaluate information to assist attorneys in the determination of appropriateness of legal action, development of legal issues, and preparation of cases.
• Prepare, file and/or serve legal documents, including letters, motions, affidavits, court orders, subpoenas, stipulation and discovery requests, depositions, interview summaries, and trial notebooks. 
• Summarize, organize, and assemble facts, records, pleadings, exhibits and other relevant documents for case preparation.
• Conduct research for attorneys on current cases and issues of concern. 
• Gather information from clients and witnesses through interviews and from documents.
• Monitor case files to ensure compliance with appropriate rules and procedures.
• Appear at trial or other court proceedings to assist attorney with referencing and accessing pertinent documents, taking notes of testimony, witness assistance, exhibit coordination, etc.

• Bachelor's degree in paralegal studies from an accredited college or university.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field and certification from an accredited legal assistant program.
• Associate degree in paralegal studies from an accredited community, business, or technical college with the legal assistant certificate and two or more years of experience performing legal work.
• Note: Experience performing legal work can be substituted for education on a year-by-year basis. 

• One year or more of civil litigation experience.
• Experience: 
  • Working as a paralegal.
  • Preparing files/cases/assignments.
  • Working in a public law office.
  • Working with medical records (collecting, organizing, analyzing, summarizing, etc.).
  • Working directly with witnesses, social services and care providers.
• Knowledge of Civil Commitment Act, case law and other statutes as required by job duties, such as data practices, vulnerable adult, probate, trusts, social service rules.
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills, accuracy, and attention to detail. 
• Skill using:
  • Microsoft Office products, including Access, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint. 
  • Case management systems, including, Minnesota Government Access (MGA) and Westlaw with the ability to conduct electronic research.
• Ability to:
  • Work under pressure during periods of high-volume activity.
  • Provide prompt, polite, and respectful customer service to all persons requesting service.
  • Communicate verbally and in writing in an organized, concise, and accurate manner.
  • Work independently with minimal supervision and effectively in a team environment.