Legal Assistant I/II

Section:               Medicaid Fraud Control Section/Criminal Law Division

Class:                   Legal Assistant I/II

Location:             Harrisburg

Telework:            This position will report to the headquartered location a minimum of 2 days per week.  You may have the opportunity to telework the remainder of the week, if desired and based on business need.  

Position Type:    Full-time, Non-civil service, Union

Work Hours:       8:30 – 5:00

Salary Range:    Legal Assistant I:  Pay range 4 - Starting salary of $39,785

                            Legal Assistant II:  Pay range 5 - Starting salary of $44,890

Basic Function

This is legal work in assisting attorneys in the practice of law in a section that investigates and prosecutes a broad spectrum of crimes but specializes in Medicaid Fraud and Neglect, Endangerment, and Abuse of Care-Dependent Persons.  Employees in this position draft, review, analyze, and process legal correspondence and documents and provide clerical support for a team of Deputy Attorneys General, Special Agents, Medicaid Fraud Analysts, and Medicaid Fraud Auditors.  

This position entails a variety of legal clerical and staff support work related to the processing of the many legal documents required through all stages of a criminal case such as logging in new cases; typing, filing, and distributing copies of reports of investigation with any pertinent attachments; organizing documentary evidence; tracking statistics related to cases handled by the section; and closing case files once investigations and/or prosecutions have concluded.  Additional duties include word processing and formatting of legal documents and reports of investigation from written or dictated sources, assisting in the analysis of evidence by preparing charts and Excel spreadsheets, drafting responses to routine inquiries from citizens and other governmental officials, maintaining legal files, preparing trial binders, and organizing exhibits.  Employees in this position will also assist the Medicaid Fraud team with preparing PowerPoint presentations for use during outreach efforts.  This work typically involves handling sensitive and confidential matters consistent with attorney-client privilege.  

Legal clerical and staff support work is performed with considerable independence under the direction of a higher level supervisor or attorney who reviews the work for timeliness, accuracy, correct formatting, and adherence to procedural and other legal requirements.  

• Proofreads and corrects drafts for grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, syntax, and legal citation
• Schedules appointments; prepares and submits out-service training forms, general invoices for reimbursement, travel expense reports, and monthly mileage reports; makes travel arrangements; and coordinates attendance at conferences, classes, and seminars 
• Orders and maintains office supplies
• Writes responses to routine inquiries for signature by the Section Chief or staff attorney
• Advises attorneys of important due dates 
• Processes and files documents in accordance with internal policy
• Utilizes electronic databases or library resources to obtain copies of cases, statutes, and regulations for attorneys
• Utilizes research tools such as Westlaw
• Opens, logs, and distributes incoming mail
• Handles telephone calls from Commonwealth agency staff, law enforcement organizations, and the general public
• Maintains office files 
• Maintains, catalogs, inventories, and stores case files
• Prepares the monthly reports for the prosecutors for submission to the Attorney General indicating the number of assigned cases, closed cases, arrests, pleas, sentencings, etc.
• Transcribes tape-recorded witness statements, prison calls, etc.
• Assists prosecutors in receiving, assimilating, inventorying, and filing documents and other investigative materials obtained during the course of various investigations
• Performs duties to assist prosecutors in pre-trial preparation which includes:
  • Composing and typing criminal informations
  • Compiling, preparing, and organizing all discoverable materials and composing discovery letters
  • Assisting in drafting and filing motions, briefs, and other legal documents with the appropriate courts
  • Preparing witness lists
  • Typing and assisting in the preparation of jury instructions
  • Preparing, organizing, marking, and copying exhibits and composing exhibit lists
  • Assisting with trial preparations including the use of Trial Director
  • Creating and organizing witness files which contain all witness statements and other documents associated with witnesses
  • Preparing Sentencing Guidelines
• Assists the investigative team with cataloging, Bates stamping and scanning all grand jury subpoenaed documents
• Prepares and catalogs all grand jury exhibits for the attorney’s presentation to the grand jury
• Submits reports required by state and federal law regarding significant case activity and dispositions
• Expunges arrest records, per Court Order, and prepares the required Affidavit of Expungement

Legal Assistant I:

• Three years of responsible clerical, enforcement, or investigative work OR
• An equivalent combination of experience and training

Legal Assistant II:

• One year as a Legal Assistant 1 OR 
• Four years of responsible clerical, investigative or enforcement work including one year of legal clerical support experience OR
• An equivalent combination of experience and training