Legal Assistant - City of Bellingham, United States - City of Bellingham

Description

Do you have strong organizational skills, customer service skills, and an interest in the criminal justice system? The City of Bellingham's Prosecutors Office is currently recruiting a Legal Assistant to provide support to the criminal division of the Legal Department.

The Legal Assistant-Criminal is responsible for performing office management duties and providing direct administrative support and assistance to the Victim Advocate and the Assistant City Attorneys in the criminal division of the Legal Department. Performs specialized technical and clerical tasks, while applying comprehensive knowledge of policies and procedures of the Legal Department, Municipal Court and Police Department. This position provides information to the public, criminal defense attorneys and victims related to functional areas of criminal prosecution. Maintains records, computer databases, applies and explains rules and regulations specific to this area of work, including maintaining confidentiality and meeting public records requirements.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:
This position will start at Step 1 ($30.47/hour). Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the E-Team Handbook and City policy. The full hourly range for this position is $ $37.03. For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures.

City of Bellingham employees receive medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as life insurance and long-term disability. Additional benefits include flexible spending accounts, a medical insurance opt-out program, and access to our employee assistance program. All eligible City employees are enrolled in a Washington State Department of Retirement Systems pension plan. Additionally, employees may elect to enroll in supplemental retirement plans; 457 deferred compensation savings plan, and 401(a) retirement savings plan.

Employees will receive 12 paid holidays in addition to one paid floating holiday each year. Upon hire, employees are provided a sick leave bank of 40 hours in addition to accruing 8 hours of sick leave per month in accordance with the handbook and Washington State Law.

At the time of hire, employees will accrue 13.33 hours of vacation per month. Vacation accruals increase based on years of service. Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require employee to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.
For additional information regarding benefits and compensation Information please visit the following:

Closing Date/Time: Mon. 5/20/2024 8:30 AM Pacific Time

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB:

1. Provides assistance to the public on technical information that requires thorough knowledge of laws, regulations, policies and procedures related to criminal prosecution functions.
2. Coordinates the processing of forms, notices, orders, or documents for specialized division programs, such as criminal prosecution and diversion, record retention procedures and criminal discovery procedures.
3. Develops and maintains an accurate and timely record-keeping system or database for the criminal division.
4. Maintains a court tracking and case follow-up system.
5. Prepares files for court calendars, routes documents and maintains filing systems to include: creating, organizing, updating, indexing, maintaining and purging files; and preparing records for archival transfer.
6. Data entry of orders, and online search of computer databases for information and records pertinent to specialized division programs. Maintains confidentiality of information or records by following defined procedures for proper handling and disposition of each type of information.
7. Initiates and distributes routine correspondence, reports and other records as required. Develops own contents as authorized.
8. May assist in location and coordination of witnesses and officers. Responsible for preparing and sending out subpoenas to witnesses and officers, as well as tracking of subpoenas to insure service.
9. Serves as liaison with clients or staff in other departments, agencies, or jurisdiction.
10. Develops clerical procedures, routines, forms and record-keeping systems. Instructs others in such procedures and coordinates workflow to avoid duplication of work.
11. Receives and directs visitors and phone calls; provides program information, responds to inquiries and refers to appropriate staff.
12. Works with other related offices, agencies, and personnel to facilitate the smooth flow of information.

ADDITIONAL WORK PERFORMED:

1. Performs other related work of a similar nature and level.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Work is performed primarily in an office setting with extensive time spent at a computer workstation. Works around standard office equipment. May work in an office with frequent public contact. Work can have deadlines and be stressful at times and requires ability to handle stress while continuing to function at a high level. This is a sedentary position with minimal physical exertion requirements.

Physical ability to perform the essential functions of the job, including:

• Frequently operate a computer and other office machinery such as a keyboard, mouse, phone, and fax machine;
• Frequently communicate accurate information and ideas with others;
• Remain stationary for long periods of time;
• Move between work sites;
• Occasionally transport objects weighing up to 30 pounds.

Please ensure your application is complete and all required information has been provided. Standard completeness means all application fields (contact information, personal information, education, work experience, references, and required supplemental questions). Provide as much detail as you believe will fully describe your experience and training.
First Round Interviews for the most qualified candidates are tentatively scheduled for June 11, 2024. Invitations to participate in the Interview process will be sent via e-mail on or around May 31, 2024.

Second Round In-Person Interviews are scheduled for the week of June 17, 2024.

Please Note: Candidates will receive updates regarding application status via email. Please be sure to check your email frequently, including your spam folders for messages filtered by your email providers.

Equal Opportunity:
Our environment is characterized by respect for cultural backgrounds, belief systems, and ethnic diversity. The City of Bellingham is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its work force. We do not make decisions on the basis of an individual's race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, age (40+), disability, retaliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. All are encouraged to apply for employment.

Fair Hiring Practices

• The City provides individuals who have been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense an equal and fair opportunity to obtain employment.
• The City will not inquire about an applicant's criminal history until after a conditional job offer has been made.
• The City will disregard the prior arrest and conviction record of an otherwise qualified individual unless the offense is directly related to the job position for which the individual has applied.
• The City will notify an otherwise qualified applicant about a potentially disqualifying conviction and give the applicant an opportunity to submit information regarding the accuracy of the criminal records as well as evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation, as appropriate.