Paralegal - Environmental Division

Position Description

The Harris County Attorney's Office (HCAO) is hiring a Paralegal to join our Environmental Division which specializes in administrative environmental law, state court enforcement of environmental laws and related county regulations to ensure compliance with environmental regulations. The Paralegal will perform delegated and supervised substantive legal work which requires an understanding of legal principles and procedures. The Paralegal in this role is responsible for ensuring the smooth and timely preparation of cases from inception through trial, and will act as the liaison between the courts, clerks, attorneys, and the public as needed.

In addition to the ability to earn compensatory time for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per workweek, the selected candidate may be eligible to participate in the HCAO telework program, which currently allows employees to work from home a few days per week.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manages a high-volume caseload.

• Drafts, proofs, files, and/or mails legal documents such as affidavits, motions, responses, answers, subpoenas, and pleadings.

• Prepares for motions, trial, and appeal by compiling motion and trial notebooks, assembling jury instructions, and compiling exhibit lists.

• Gathers, organizes, redacts, and produces discovery.

• Maintains and updates electronic case files in CACI case management software.

• Calendars hearings, docket control orders, and deadlines for cases.

• Attends hearings and trials.

• Conducts research assignments.

• Communicates and acts as a liaison between the courts, clerks, attorneys, client departments and the public as needed.

• Performs multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining an effective balance of priorities and high productivity.

• Responds promptly to phone calls, emails, and other correspondence.

• Participates in one-on-one sessions with the supervisor and/or manager to give and receive feedback.

• Participates in Division staff meetings.

• Assist attorneys and other paralegals as needed.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Other Duties:

• This Job Description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position.

• Management may, at its discretion, assign, or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer

https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx

If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email ADACoordinator@bmd.hctx.net.

This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.

Requirements

Supporting Job Application Documents:

Applicants should provide a cover letter, resume, and three (3) professional references with their application.

Education and Experience:

• An Associate's Degree or higher in Paralegal Studies or a closely related field

OR

• Paralegal certificate or diploma

OR

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience as a paralegal.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Detail oriented and excellent research and writing skills.

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and ability to communicate and work in a collaborative group.

• Proficiency with technology and legal tools such as Microsoft Office Suite, Westlaw, and Adobe.

• Knowledge of Texas and federal electronic filing systems such as Texas e-file and federal ECF/Pacer to file and retrieve court documents.

• Experience conducting discovery.

• Knowledge of the rules of civil procedure and evidence.

• Ability to perform thorough legal and factual analyses and exercise good judgment.

• Ability to problem solve, organize, and prioritize assignments to meet deadlines.

• Occasional ability to work extended hours to accommodate case load demands.

• Ability to comply with office training requirements.

• Ability to comply with the Harris County Personnel Policies and Procedures and the policies of the County Attorney.

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.

General Information

Located in downtown Houston, the Harris County Attorney's Office represents Harris County government, the Harris County Flood Control District, the Harris County Toll Road Authority, and the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network in all civil matters, including lawsuits. The office also provides legal advice to county officials and employees.

Position Type, Typical Work Schedule, and Work Environment:

• This is a full-time position.

• Days and hours of work are typically Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with occasional weekends and holidays as necessary.

• The selected candidate may be eligible to participate in the HCAO telework program.

• This job typically operates in a professional office environment, and the individual in this role uses standard office equipment such as computers, printers, scanners/copiers, and phones.

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.

Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

BENEFITS

Harris County offers a competitive benefits program, including comprehensive group health and related benefits plan as well as defined benefit retirement plan.

The following list of benefits is offered only to employees in regular (full-time) positions:

• Medical Coverage

• Dental Coverage

• Vision Coverage

• Wellness Plan

• Life Insurance

• Long-term disability

• Employee Assistance Program

• Ten (10) days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service

• Accrual rates increase based on years of service

• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays and one (1) floating holiday

• Professional development opportunities

• Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan

• Healthcare Reimbursement Account

• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are also available to regular (full-time) employment and may be available to part-time employees:

• Retirement Pension (TCDRS)
• Flexible schedule (varies by department)
• Transportation Assistance (Metro RideSponsor Program)

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, Group Health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.

For plan details, visit the Harris County benefits website:

https://benefitsathctx.com/

01

Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position?

• High School or GED diploma

• Associate Degree

• Bachelor's Degree

• Master's Degree or higher

• None of the above

02

If you selected a college degree in response to the previous question, which of the following best describes your major?

• Paralegal Studies

• Other Related Field

• Unrelated Field

• N/A; No Degree

03

Please describe your educational background including level of education completed, area of study and completed major and minor programs.

04

Do you have a Paralegal certificate or diploma?

• Yes

• No

05

Which of the following best describes your verifiable experience as a paralegal? (To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history)

• Less than five (5) years

• Five (5) years but less than six (6) years

• Six (6) years but less than seven (7) years

• Seven (7) years or more

• I do not have this experience

06

Please provide details about your verifiable experience as a paralegal. Do not use "Please see Resume" or "See Resume" (To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history) Please include your (a) role(s), (b) types of organizations, (c) scope of duties and responsibilities If you do not have this experience, please type "None" in the space provided.

07

Do you have proficiency with technology and legal tools such as Microsoft Office Suite, Westlaw, and Adobe?

• Yes

• No

08

Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions: Advanced: A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Intermediate: A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Basic: A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it. Entry Level: A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

• Advanced

• Intermediate

• Basic

• Entry Level

• Not proficient

09

Applicants should provide a cover letter, resume, and three (3) professional references with their application. Did you provide these supporting documents along with your application?

• Yes

Required Question

Agency Harris County

Address 1111 Fannin St

Ste. 600

Houston, Texas, 77002

Phone 713-274-5445

Website https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/harriscountytx