Legal Aide

Office of the New York State Comptroller•Albany, NY

About The Position

The Legal Aide assists attorneys with legal research involving the Abandoned Property Law, Banking Law, Estates, Powers and Trusts Law, the Surrogates Court Procedure Act, Domestic Relations Law, and Mental Hygiene Law. The position drafts legal memoranda and reviews abandoned property claims and motion papers concerning abandoned-property funds. The role also conducts legal research and analyzes legal decisions, opinions, rulings, and memoranda; compiles information on laws and legal subjects; maintains case records and indices; checks citations; tracks legislation and court or hearing calendars; prepares preliminary legal drafts and routine correspondence; and may conduct preliminary witness interviews or assist with the agency law library. This is a temporary, part-time position in the Legal Services Bureau. The work week is Monday through Friday, with a day schedule of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telecommuting is allowed subject to agency policy and approval.

Requirements

Currently enrolled as a full-time student at a law school recognized by the New York State Education Department.
Submit a resume, cover letter, and college transcripts.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in LexisNexis or Westlaw legal research.
Advanced legal writing skills.
Strong organizational skills to manage a varied workload in a timely fashion.
Careful attention to detail.
Ability to digest and analyze novel questions of law.

Responsibilities

Conduct legal research and analyze legal decisions, opinions, rulings, and memoranda, identifying legal principles and preparing digests of points of law.
Select, assemble, and compile information on statutes, procedural rules, regulations, other legal instruments, and specific legal subjects.
Assist attorneys with legal research involving the Abandoned Property Law, Banking Law, Estates, Powers and Trusts Law, the Surrogates Court Procedure Act, Domestic Relations Law, and Mental Hygiene Law.
Draft legal memoranda.
Review abandoned property claims and motion papers related to abandoned-property funds.
Maintain records and indices of law cases.
Shepardize cases and statutes using Shepard’s Citations.
Obtain legislative bills and track proposed legislation of interest to the agency.
Obtain information about court sessions, court calendars, and administrative hearing calendars, and inform legal staff when cases will be called.
Prepare preliminary drafts of agreements, resolutions, pleadings, opinions, and deposition extracts.
May conduct preliminary interviews of witnesses.
May help maintain the agency law library by locating or re-shelving books and adding new materials.
Compose routine legal correspondence.