Legal Assistant

The City of Renton is seeking to fill 2 openings for the Legal Assistant position to perform legal, analytical and administrative tasks. Each position will have a primary assignment to support either the Prosecution Division or the Civil Division of the City Attorney Department. In part, this position will be responsible for:

• Creating, documenting, and maintaining legal case files.

• Receiving incoming phone calls, mail, emails, or in person visitors and explaining programs, policies, and procedures to the public and City staff.

• Preparing a variety of legal documents and responding to discovery requests.

• Performing administrative tasks in support of the primary assigned division.

This position is well-suited for individuals who are wanting to enter the legal field from another career, or for individuals who have some legal education and work experience. If you are passionate about public service and enjoy an interesting, fast-paced environment with plenty of opportunity to learn new skills, please apply to join our team.

• Deferred compensation with the City contributing 3% of the employee's salary.
• VEBA Plan with the City contributing 1% of the employee salary.
• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance at affordable rates.
• Paid leave for vacation, sick, eleven holidays and two "personal" holidays a year.
• State of Washington Department of Retirement Systems Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) plan enrollment.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Draft and review legal documents utilizing either pre-approved templates or from scratch with attorney direction; including, but is not limited to, notices of appearance, subpoenas, affidavits, discovery requests and responses, motions, declarations, memos, hearing and meeting minutes, deeds, contracts, easements, leases, letters, legislation, certificates of service, briefs, jury instructions, extensive witness and exhibit lists, and other pleadings from dictation, notes, or oral directions.
• File finalized legal documents with the appropriate court after approval from the signing attorney. Serve or arrange service of legal documents as directed. Distribute legal approval memos to city staff on behalf of attorneys as directed.
• Draft and proofread correspondence, presentations, memos, policies, and other professional documents with attention to detail, correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, legal terminology, and format in accordance with city communications guidelines.
• Perform legal, technical, or business solutions research under the direction of an attorney or the legal analyst as assigned.
• Create and maintain files for a variety of legal work according to applicable policies, procedures, and practices. Calendar case schedules and deadlines accurately. Log all file activity accurately and with attention to detail.
• Respond to requests for discovery, prepare discoverable material, request records from other city departments and other agencies or courts as directed by an attorney, supervisor, applicable policies, procedures, or practices.
• Receive incoming phone calls, mail, emails, or in person visitors; explain programs, policies, and procedures to the public, defendants, witnesses, attorneys, and staff within scope of authority; provide information of general or limited technical nature to city staff and the public; take messages or refer calls to appropriate staff member, other city department, or public agencies. Document and organize all mail, emails or phone calls according to office procedures.
• Assist with or perform administrative tasks including but not limited to processing invoices, maintaining department or division SharePoint pages, documenting and maintaining office policies and procedures, coordinating travel plans for department staff, purchasing offices supplies, and scheduling meetings.
• Assist with records management tasks including but not limited to maintaining digital and physical records in compliance with applicable records retention policies and gathering and producing records in response to requests as directed.

• Foster a culture of equity and inclusion by recognizing the diverse needs and perspectives of groups and individuals.
• Remain current with relevant technological advancements as it relates to field.

Minimum Requirements:

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND LICENSE REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum 2 years college related coursework or certification from an accredited paralegal studies program.
• Minimum 1 year experience in the legal, regulatory, financial or related field.
• Or minimum 3 years of relevant education and experience.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Operate a computer and other office equipment.
• Communicate with City employees and residents.
• Lift or move items weighing up to 20 pounds occasionally.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Approved reasonable accommodation requests will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

The City of Renton embraces a diverse and inclusive workforce and prides itself on promoting collaboration and teamwork in a positive environment while providing high quality services to the community. For more information about the City of Renton, please visit the following website: Why Renton

The City has adopted an anonymous application process that prevents hiring managers from seeing personal identifiers, including candidates' names, addresses, and other similar information. This eliminates the possibility of unintentional or implicit bias during the screening of applications. For that reason, you will not have the ability to attach any documents to your application, including a cover letter or resume. Please make sure to submit a complete, detailed, and updated job application.

Communication from the City of Renton:

We primarily communicate via e-mail during the application process. E-mails from rentonwa.gov and/or governmentjobs.com should be placed on your safe domain list to ensure you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk e-mail folders. We also communicate via text and encourage you to sign up for text alerts when completing your job application.

Accommodation

Individuals needing accommodation in the application, testing, or interview process may contact sjacobs@rentonwa.gov at least 2 days prior to the need.

Recruitment Process:

The screening process will include a review of minimum qualifications. Applicants selected for an interview will be invited via email to self-schedule a time through the Government Jobs account. At a minimum, this position will be subject to a standard criminal background check and professional reference check. This position requires accessing areas that contain Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS). For that reason, this position is also subject to a national fingerprint-based records check.