Job Information
City of Norfolk, Virginia Legal Secretary II in Norfolk, Virginia
Legal Secretary II
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Legal Secretary II
Salary
$46,589.00 - $76,023.00 Annually
Location
Norfolk, VA
Job Type
Permanent Full-time
Job Number
12152
Department
City Attorney
Opening Date
05/23/2024
Closing Date
Continuous
Description
Benefits
Questions
Description
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.
Essential Functions
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.
Education/Experience
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.
Additional Information & Requirements
Regular full-time and permanent part-time employees may receive paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, employer paid pension plan, basic life insurance, voluntary participation in medical and dental, Section 457 deferred compensation, long-term disability, optional life insurance for self, spouse and children, medical and dependent care reimbursement plans, access to membership in credit union and employer provided parking.
Special project/grant employees are generally eligible for the same benefits of regular full-time employees; however, retirement, life insurance and participation in health plans vary depending upon funding and authorization.
Temporary/seasonal and part-time employees are generally only eligible for employer provided parking and access to membership in credit union.
Retirement
If you are hired October 5, 2010, or after to a position with City of Norfolk Retirement System benefits, you will be required to contribute five percent (5%) of your salary toward your retirement benefit. This will be a pre-tax payroll deduction.
If you are hired January 1, 2022, or after to a position with Virginia Retirement System (VRS) benefits, you will be required to contribute five percent (5%) of your salary toward your retirement benefit. This will be a pre-tax payroll deduction.
The Tuition Assistance Program is established to encourage employees toward continued self-development and education. Permanent full-time and permanent part-time classified, unclassified permanent, full-time special projects, and constitutional employees who have completed six months continuous service will be eligible to apply. The applicant’s school of enrollment must be an accredited institution.
NOTE:
The benefits described above are broad generalizations. The specific benefits that an employee may be eligible for are governed by City regulations, as applicable to job type.
Non-City
Positions listed with a job type designation of "Non-City" are not subject to the benefits descriptions above. Refer to the content of the job posting for information regarding these positions.
01
The following Supplemental Questions are specific to the position for which you have applied to assist the hiring manager in screening applications for specific experience being sought. Please be specific in answering these questions as they will be used to evaluate which applications will be given further consideration in the process. Do not answer "see resume" or "see application" as these are not valid answers. Please note that if you are invited to be interviewed by the department, your responses to the following questions may be subject to verification.
I understand and will answer the following supplemental questions completely and thoroughly.
02
Please select the highest level of education you have completed.
High School Diploma or quivalent
Some College
Vocational/Technical Degree
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree or higher
03
Please indicate your years of experience performing increasingly responsible legal secretarial work.
Less than one (1) year of experience
1 to 3 years of experience
3 to 5 years of experience
Five (5) or more years of experience
04
Please describe all experience identified in the above question as well as legal experience/functions/duties performed in relation to your work experience identified in question above as well as the employers for who this work was performed. If you do not have any experience, indicate N/A.
05
Please describe all legal experience in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court matters and years of experience.
06
Please describe all experience performing legal/paralegal functions specifically related to litigation. If you do not have any experience, indicate N/A.
07
Please describe all experience performing legal/paralegal functions unrelated to litigation. If you do not have any experience, indicate N/A.
08
If you possess an Associate's Degree or higher, is it related to paralegal studies, legal studies, law, criminal justice, or other related field?
Yes
No
I do not possess an Associate's Degree or higher
09
If you answered "yes" to the above question, please specify what field your Associate's Degree or higher is in.
10
Please describe experience communicating (by email, telephone, fax, etc.) with outside attorneys/staff, City staff, and members of the public in a law office setting. If you do not have this experience, type N/A.
11
Please describe your experience with electronic filing with courts and/or administrative agencies. If you do not have this experience, please type N/A.
12
Please indicate which Microsoft Office products you use proficiently. Select all that apply.
Word
Excel
PowerPoint
Access
Microsoft Teams
One Drive
I do not use any of the above products at a proficient level
13
Please indicate the legal instruments that you have experience with preparing. (Select all that apply.)
Notices of Lien
Garnishment Dispositions
Satisfaction of Judgements
Warrants in Debt
Ordinances
Resolutions and Agreements
Summons
Interrogatories
Garnishments
Complaints
Bills of Particular
Requests for Production of Documents
Requests for Admissions
Subponeas
Grounds of defense
Motions
Pleas
Pleadings
None of the above
14
Have you received any post-educational training related to paralegal/legal assistant/legal secretary job functions?
Yes
No
15
Please describe any post-educational training related to paralegal/legal assistant/legal secretary you may have received. If you do not have any post-educational training, indicate N/A.
16
How many words per minute can you type?
17
Are you willing to take a typing test?
Yes
No
18
Are you a current or previous City of Norfolk employee?
Yes - I am a current City of Norfolk Employee
Yes - I am a previous City of Norfolk Employee
No - I am not a previous or current City of Norfolk employee
19
Do you currently reside in the City of Norfolk?
Yes
No
20
Please provide an explanation of any periods of unemployment that are 30 days or longer. Indicate N/A if you have not experienced any periods of unemployment.
21
Please provide a minimum of two professional references who can attest to your ability to perform the Essential Functions listed above.
22
Please acknowledge receipt of the following information: - This position is Unclassified and serves at the will of the City Attorney.
I acknowledge receipt of the information above
23
Please indicate your veteran status. (A copy of your long form DD-214 may be required)
I am not a Veteran
I am a Veteran
I am a Disabled Veteran
Required Question
Agency
City of Norfolk
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