Paralegal I

The overall objectives of the Alamance County Department of Social Services are that of protective, preventive, and rehabilitative services as well as reinforcing and sustaining the normal pattern of living whenever possible; promoting the general welfare and safeguarding of children, the elderly and disabled adults from abuse and neglect.  We encourage self-sufficiency and promote personal responsibility.  The agency is a Level II agency with responsibilities for Child and Adult Protective Services, Child Support Administration, Services to Adult and Families and for determining eligibility for all of the public assistance programs including Work First, Medicaid, Food and Nutritional Services, Low Income Energy Assistance, Crisis Intervention Program—as well as other programs such as FEMA and Share the Warmth when appropriate.

The Legal Unit of the ACDSS provides comprehensive legal services to the Agency, including but not limited to, juvenile and adult services, personnel, child support, confidentiality, contract/memorandum of services review and other issues.

This position is responsible for assuring compliance with mandates in multiple areas.  In addition to program and legal knowledge, this worker must be well organized and an excellent time manager and task manager in order to meet the many due dates demanded by this position.  This position must be able to multitask and keep track of multiple responsibilities/projects.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:  

60% Drafting court documents such as complaints/petitions, motions, orders and other required court documents.  The worker in this position assures cases are prepared and organized for court; there is compliance with timeframes, statutes, laws and policies. There is required correspondence/contact with attorneys, judges, legal assistants/secretaries, administrative assistants, judicial assistants, Sheriff Departments in the state of NC, court personnel, witnesses, parties and department personnel to assure they are prepared and have received necessary information from the Legal Unit for the case to move forward.  Ability to learn, interpret and explain policies, regulations and programs; and the ability to gather and compose a variety of materials from a variety of sources independently.

20% Completing discovery for cases including but not limited to subpoenas, production of documents, interrogatories and assuring discovery is requested and received from opposing parties.

10% Administrative duties such as maintaining calendar for attorney, office organization and management, file maintenance and other duties.   Maintain tracking devices for cases and keeping the attorney informed of upcoming deadlines.

5% Respond to request for documents and subpoenas for cases in which the department is not a party.  This requires knowledge of the confidentiality requirements of various areas within the department and assuring those requirements are adhered to and that staff is aware of the requirements/restrictions.  Additionally, staff must be consulted to determine the department’s desired response.

5% Other duties as assigned by the Supervisor such as helping other units, working in Disaster Shelters, attending trainings, etc. 

Duties also involve knowledge of computer and their functions for completing electronic forms, obtaining available information from computer system, and the innovation to use technology to complete research.  This position must have knowledge of various systems, as well as Compass (a document management system).

Knowledge of the various areas (juvenile, adult services, child support) manuals and legal requirements are essential functions of this position.   The worker also receives Administrative Letters and other printed materials, which often include policy or other changes, and are necessary tools that must be acted upon timely and accurately.

• Accountability - Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions.
• Accuracy - Ability to perform work accurately and thoroughly
• Adaptable- Ability to frequently adjust to changes
• Communication, Oral - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word
• Communication, Written - Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely
• Confidentiality – Ability to distinguish confidential information and maintain the sensitive nature of the information. 
• Honesty - Ability to be truthful, maintain high level of confidentiality and be seen as credible in the workplace
• Integrity – Trustworthiness to a degree that one is incapable of being false to a trust, responsibility or pledge
• Judgment – Ability to use good judgment and discretion as it relates to following policies and procedures
• Safety-Minded – Creating a safe work environment; managing risks; reducing exposure liabilities
• Teamwork – Ability to work with others successfully and productively for the common cause and desired end goal.

Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities:

This position requires working knowledge of case law, statutory law, common law, judicial and quasi-judicial procedures and the rules of evidence.  The worker must have the ability to perform legal research in accordance with preliminary instructions as to methods or approach, source material available, and policy and precedent of the office; to summarize facts, evidence, and prepare legal instruments; to communicate clearly and logically in oral and written form; to maintain effective working relationships with persons contacted in the course of work; to learn quickly and implement what is learned with little oversight and to present information orally or in written form.  The worker should also have interest in and understanding of the needs, problems, and attitudes of disadvantaged persons and community partners.

Training and Experience:

Minimum Training and Experience Required:

Minimum Education and Experience - Graduation from an accredited school for paralegal training and one year of experience as a paralegal, or graduation from a four-year college or university with a degree in English, Journalism, or a degree directly related to the area assigned and one year of substantive paralegal experience; or graduation from high school and five years of paralegal experience performing delegated, substantive legal work, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

Minimum Education and Experience for a Trainee Appointment - Graduation from an accredited school for paralegal training; or graduation from a four-year college or university with a degree in English, Journalism, or a degree directly related to the area assigned; or graduation from high school and four years of paralegal experience performing delegated, substantive legal work.

All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Additional Training/Experience:

Training in computer programs such as Microsoft office and office organization/management.  

Equivalent Training and Experience:

None.

License or Certification Required by Statute or Regulation:

None required, paralegal certification encouraged.

OTHER POSITION CHARACTERISTICS:  

Accuracy Required in Work:

Precision and accuracy are essential for this position.  Work must be done with little to no errors; errors can result in cases being set aside on appeal which can cause disruption to the lives of children and vulnerable adults as well as negative economic consequences.

Consequence of Error:

The work has a direct effect on the professional legal decisions and documents produced by the legal office in which the employee works.  Decisions have potential for causing some administrative delay or cost to agency operations.  Most decisions which have the potential for causing significant negative consequence to individuals or organizations are closely reviewed.  Errors could result in cases being overturned on appeal causing substantial disruption in the lives of consumers and create risks.  The cases are audited on a regular basis by State and Federal auditors.  Failure to comply with statutory requirements could result in the County being required to pay back funds.  Failure to process cases timely and assure other methods of compliance could result in failing to meet goals resulting in negative financial consequences.

Instruction Provided:

Employee is generally given specific instructions on the goal of each type of assignment.  Once trained in the task, the employee is expected to complete the task independently; professional legal supervision is available for new or unusual situations.  The work is generally reviewed upon completion by the qualitative assessment of a legal professional.  Items of a sensitive legal matter or with potential negative impact to the agency are often reviewed in progress.  There are detailed manuals, statutes and policies containing the law and procedures to be followed.  

Guides, Regulations, Policies and References Used:

Federal statutes and regulations, State statutes and administrative code, NCDSS policy manuals, School of Government produced manuals, Federal agency guidance, and administrative letters.

Supervision Received:

Agency attorney provides supervision and reviews documents/projects.  However, the expectation is the employee will be able to work independently with little to no supervision due to the attorney being in court and other obligations.

Variety and Purpose of Personal Contacts:

Considerable ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone and in writing; considerable ability to plan and coordinate a volume and variety of appointments, meetings, and conferences.   This position requires physically going to the court house, clerk’s office, service providers and, at times, going with social workers to home/jail visits.

Physical Effort:

Little physical labor is involved in this position, as it is mainly a desk job. There is considerable walking to printer, fax, reception area and other units within the agency. On occasion, the worker may have to lift case files, supplies or office equipment from one location to another.  

Work Environment and Conditions:

Employees are periodically subject to working with hostile clients, and are frequently subject to heavy workloads, and compressed timeframes which may cause added stress.  In this work with the general public, employees may be exposed to airborne particles from time to time. Occasional travel involving traditional highway hazards may be required.

Machines, Tools, Instruments, Equipment and Materials Used:

Must be proficient in the use of computers and various software programs including but not limited to Microsoft Office, file management systems, and other office equipment including phone, scanner, personal computer/laptop, copier, fax machine

Visual Attention, Mental Concentration and Manipulative Skills:

Mental concentration and organization are critical in this position to complete the necessary responsibilities.

The worker must have the ability to exercise judgment and discretion in problem situations independently; ability to answer inquiries independently and coordinate a variety of resources in acquiring information; ability to meet rigorous time mandates.

Safety for Others:

Position does not provide security or welfare.  However, the position’s duties impact the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable citizens.

This employee must always be alert to safety standards established by management and adhere to all rules of safety for their clients, fellow employees, and him/her.

Dynamics of Work:

Fast paced, intense work environment with heavy workload.  There are many timeframes requiring work to be completed in an organized manner with few errors.  There are frequent changes in policies and procedures.  

This employee must be able to work with people from all different walks of life without showing favoritism or preferences.