Civil Legal Assistant

City of Great Falls•Great Falls MT, MT

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Responsibility for assisting Civil Division of the City Legal Department with highly varied legal department office and operations functions including office work-flow management, processing public records requests, contract compliance review, administration of small works roster, along with reception, filing, calendaring, and customer service. Work is performed under the direction of the City Attorney.

Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent.
Five years of legal office experience.
Ability to effectively support the operation and continuous improvement of legal operations systems and workflows, including the ability to identify process inefficiencies, understand operational needs, learn and apply new technologies, and work collaboratively with attorneys, staff, IT personnel, and other City departments to develop practical solutions.
Ability to work constructively and collaboratively with others while maintaining respectful, professional relationships with co-workers, supervisors, outside attorneys, court officials, and the general public, including effectively handling difficult situations.
Ability to read and interpret general business mail
Ability to write reports and business correspondence
Proficiency in editing, grammar and spelling.
Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from City departments, elected officials, and the general public.
Ability to work independently, to adapt to change in the workplace, including unexpected delays or events, and to react well under pressure.
Ability to understand and adhere to strict confidentiality guidelines and demonstrate integrity in handling confidential information.
Ability to adhere to applicable ethical standards and policies.

Nice To Haves

Employee must possess or have the ability to obtain valid Montana driver’s license.

Responsibilities

Administering and continuously improving the department’s system for intake, tracking, and capturing of legal matters and legal work. Ensures that new matters are appropriately received, categorized, assigned, and recorded; maintains accurate matter and workload information; supports automated workflows for collecting and routing information; and ensures that substantive legal advice and work product are captured, organized, and stored for future retrieval and reuse.
Completes or facilitates the completion and processing of record requests, formal documents, applications, notices, and invoices to ensure the appropriate information and internal processes have applied.
Prepares legal documents such as briefs, pleadings, and other documents for review, approval and use by the attorneys.
Assists with records management, including filing, retention, destruction and organization procedures and requirements.
Prepares documents for third party distribution by ensuring private or confidential information is protected and provided to attorneys for review before distribution.
Identifies opportunities to improve intake, tracking, reporting, knowledge capture, and workflow processes through automation and other technology.
Evaluates and refers information requests that are complex or sensitive to another employee for action; takes messages and directs to the proper source for assistance. Sorts and delivers mail; prepares materials for mailing or internal distribution.
Assists attorneys in preparing, calendaring, and scheduling for hearings, closings, trials, and other functions as needed.
Completes processing accounts, accounts payable, accounts receivable and miscellaneous billing for the Legal Department and in compliance with financial policies and procedures.
Serves as principal budget support staff by managing and reconciling legal department yearly budget for review for the City Attorney.
Maintains and runs Small Works Roster for the City.
Reviews all City contracts for insurance requirements.
Provides reception to callers and visitors to City Attorney’s office, answering or directing inquiries from the public or other departments.
Composes and types letters, agreements, reports, documents and other written material, requiring formatting, data collection or tabulation in accordance with the request of the originator.
Files legal documents with court clerks.