Legal Secretary II

The City of Norfolk, Law Department is seeking an experienced professional to perform complex and advanced legal secretarial work, which also occasionally involves administrative duties in various subject matter areas.  The currently available position will primarily involve Norfolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court matters.

Depending upon assignment, and under the supervision of the City Attorney, Deputies, Assistants or, occasionally, other senior staff, essential functions include but are not limited to:

• Assists in preparing legal documents, some unique to municipal law offices, including ordinances, resolutions, agreements, contracts, police general orders, legal pleadings and discovery (criminal and civil).  Completes claim work in civil suits by preparing preliminary accident reports; and assists in the final execution and distribution of the documents, where required. Similarly assists in collecting delinquent personal property taxes.

• Opens, indexes, maintains, organizes and closes Departmental files.

• Assists in maintaining Code Books and other Law Department and City records (e.g., updating code books, and scheduling and calendaring meetings, depositions and trials).

• Performs general legal secretarial duties (e.g., preparing and formatting legal documents; answering multi-line telephones; answering general inquiries to the Law Department; preparing certified mail receipts; filing and notarizing legal documents; transcribing dictation; sending facsimile and e-mail correspondence; and general typing and photocopying).

• Organizes trial schedule for appeals of City criminal (misdemeanor) cases. Maintains claim and litigation records concerning all claims and suits filed against the City or by the City in federal and state courts (including both courts not of record and of record).

• Performs basic general paralegal-type tasks (assisting Deputies and Assistants in rendering legal services and preparing for trials), such as: reviewing files to identify necessary witnesses; preparing subpoenas; scheduling discovery and general pre-trial procedures; retaining necessary professionals (e.g., court reporters); and generally assembling litigation materials for trial attorneys.

• Assists attorneys in preparing and filing various legal instruments in all courts (e.g., motions for judgment, warrants in debt; interrogatories and show cause summonses, notices of lien, garnishments, and garnishment dispositions; notices of satisfaction of judgments; and orders to vacate judgments, etc.).

• Assists attorneys in preparing a variety of legal instruments outside the context of litigation (e.g., opinions, ordinances, resolutions, and agreements).

• Assists with legal debt collection, delinquent tax suits, real estate matters and the maintenance of installment plans on deferred payment loans. Also assists in training City collection coordinators in pre-judgment collections, bankruptcies, court procedures and post-judgment collections.

High School graduate or equivalent; specific vocational, administrative, or technical knowledge obtainable through six months to one year of advanced study or training past the high school level (through either city in-house training or an outside educational institution).

AND

• Five years of increasingly responsible and effective legal secretarial work in the areas encompassed within the duties and functions described above.

OR

Any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which would provide the necessary knowledge, abilities, and skills for the position

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• Demonstrated ability to review, edit, and produce written work.

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office products and legal/general office software.

• Excellent organizational skills.

• Excellent communication orally and in writing.