Paralegal II, Public Safety (65036342)
State of North Carolina See More Job Openings by This Employer
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The purpose of the Public Safety Section of the Department of Justice is to provide a full range of legal services to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (“DPS”) and the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (“DAC”). These services include defending DPS, DAC, and/or its personnel in civil rights actions, employment actions, and other litigation; providing contract, policy, and document review; and responding to requests for legal advice.
The primary purpose of this Paralegal II position is to provide paraprofessional litigation support services to the attorneys assigned to the Public Safety Section—DAC. This position shares responsibility with other Paralegal positions for providing all litigation support services provided to these attorneys, assigns work tasks to the Section’s assistants, and such other duties as deemed necessary.
Responsibilities and Duties:
1. Discovery, Trial, and Hearing Preparation
- Drafts discovery requests and responses in accordance with applicable rules of procedure, relevant law, and agency rules and procedures. Requests documents to respond to requests in the discovery process, including responses to interrogatories, requests for production of documents, and requests for admission.
- Prepares for trials and hearings by gathering information and exhibits, summarizing medical records and other reports, and updating all trial preparation reports and case summaries.
- May attend depositions, hearings, and trials to assist assigned counsel with document handling and exhibits.
- Contacts witnesses and attorneys to schedule depositions.
- Ascertains information on the status of cases pending and motions filed with the various courts, maintains a master calendar regarding the status of each case, and monitors court calendars and deadline dates for filing documents in pending lawsuits to which the employee is assigned.
- Drafts pleadings, motions, orders, and correspondence in accordance with applicable law, agency rules and procedures, and the relevant rules of court. Composes, edits, and coordinates independently the preparation of legal memoranda and other case support administrative correspondence to communicate information to client agency, court personnel, and opposing counsel.
- Performs legal research manually and electronically from various sources, including Lexis-Nexis, Department of Justice law libraries, and assorted web¬ based sites. Researches simple to complex legal issues under the supervision of assigned counsel. Verifies and corrects citations and other legal authorities for research, memoranda, and briefs by assigned counsel.
- Must keep accurate records of complex files, potentially spanning multiple years of activity.
- Must close, cull, and archive completed case files in a manner that will allow files to be maintained and easily retrieved, as necessary.
- Contacts persons with the client agency, court system, law enforcement offices, and opposing counsel to obtain information pertaining to and necessary for various cases and proceedings. May assist in locating witnesses, parties, and persons with information relevant to a case, including those who may have left no forwarding information.
The North Carolina Department of Justice, led by the Attorney General of North Carolina, represents the state, state agencies, and elected officials, and defends the rights of the people of North Carolina. The Department handles all state criminal appeals cases and assists district attorneys with complex criminal cases at their request. Additionally, the Department of Justice includes the North Carolina State Crime Lab, the North Carolina Justice Academy, and the Sheriffs ’and Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Divisions.
Note to Current State Employees:
The salary grade for this position is LG04. State employees are encouraged to apply for positions of interest even if the salary grade is the same as, or lower than, their current position. Please detail ALL work history including non-state service experience. If selected for this position, a new salary will be recalculated taking into consideration the quantity of relevant education and experience, funding availability, and internal equity. Based upon these factors, a pay increase MAY or MAY NOT result.
THE RECRUITMENT RANGE FOR THIS POSITION IS $55,460 to $56,000. Client funded. Salary determination is based upon the candidate's education and experience related to the position, as well as departmental budget and equity considerations.
The State of North Carolina offers employer paid health insurance plus twelve paid holidays, generous vacation and sick leave accrual, dental, vision, and other insurance options, and retirement benefits. You can view our benefits information at Employee Benefits.
Hybrid telework opportunities are available for this position. Salary
- $55,460 - $83,190/year
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities / Competencies
1. Knowledge of rules of procedure in both federal and state trial, administrative and appellate courts.
2. Familiarity with proper formats of legal documents.
3. Ability to communicate clearly, logically, and effectively in written and oral form.
4. High proficiency with Microsoft Office suites and case management database technology.
5. Command of an experience in applying collaborative methods in an active litigation and operational environment.
Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See oshr.nc.gov/experience-guide for details.
Graduation from an appropriately accredited institution for paralegal training and two years of experience as a paralegal;
or Bachelor s degree from an appropriately accredited institution and two years of substantive paralegal experience;
or High school or General Education Development (GED) diploma and six years of paralegal experience performing delegated, substantive legal work;
or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Management preferences: Litigation experience in NC state, federal, and administrative courts.
The NC Department of Justice accomplishes our goals through our DOJ Organizational Values of Public Service, Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork, Diversity, and Innovation. We encourage all qualified candidates who are committed to these values and want to make a difference in the lives of our citizens to apply for this opportunity.
Please be sure to complete the application in full.
Note the following: If multiple applications are submitted to an individual posting, only the most recent application received prior to the closing date will be accepted. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM on the closing date.
Resumes and cover letters: To receive credit for your work history and credentials, you must list the information on the online application form. This information is used to determine if you meet the requirements of the position, and if you are selected, it is used to determine a salary offer.
Using the terms "See Resume" or "See Attachment" will not be accepted and your application will be rejected as incomplete. Cover letters are highly encouraged but not required.
Transcripts: Degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions. A copy of your transcripts indicating the degree received can be uploaded with your application.
If a transcript has been requested, your application will be considered incomplete if you do not provide one. Using a photograph of your diploma is not acceptable.
Credit for foreign degrees will only be given if verification of degree certification is attached to your application. Transcripts for foreign degrees have to be evaluated by an organization like World Education Services to determine US equivalency.
Any licenses or certificates must be included in the appropriate section of the application form.
Veterans Preference: Applicants seeking Veteran's Preference must attach a copy of their DD-214 or discharge orders.
Applicants seeking National Guard Preference must attach a NGB 23A (RPAS) if you are a current member of the NC National Guard in good standing. If you are a former member of the NC National Guard who served for at least 6 years and was discharged under honorable conditions, you must attach either a DD256 or NGB 22.
Application status: To check the status of your application, please log in to your account. Upon the closing date, applications are "Under Review" and will be screened by Human Resources for the qualified applicants. The hiring process may take an average of 6 – 8 weeks. All applicants will be notified by email once a position is filled.
NeoGov Help Line: If you are having technical issues submitting your application, please call the NeoGov Help Line at 855-524-5627. If there are any questions about this posting, other than your application status, please contact the NC DOJ Human Resources office.
The NC Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The NC Department of Justice uses Merit-Based Recruitment to select from among the most qualified applicants to fill positions subject to the State Human Resources Act.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
NC Department of Justice
Human Resources Office
HumanResources@ncdoj.gov
919-716-6490
NOTE: For temporary, contract or other supplemental staffing appointments: There are no paid leave, retirement or other benefits associated with these appointment types.
For permanent and time-limited appointments:Eligible employees have benefits that include employee health insurance options, standard and supplemental retirement plans, NC Flex (a variety of high-quality, low-cost benefits on a pre-tax basis), and paid vacation, sick, and community service leave, to name a few. Paid parental leave is available for eligible employees. Some benefits require 30 + hours work/week for participation.
