Legal Assistant 1 | Social & Health Services Division | Seattle

State of Washington•King County - Seattle - Downtown Business, WA

22h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Attorney General’s Office is recruiting for a permanent full time Legal Assistant 1 in the Social & Health Services Division. This position is located in Seattle, Washington, and is represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). The Social & Health Services Division provides legal support to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). Our division handles a variety of work including child abuse, neglect, and termination of parental rights proceedings; vulnerable adult protection and guardianship proceedings; foster care, child-care, and adult family home administrative proceedings; and appeals involving all of these cases. This is fast-paced, high-volume litigation. It requires excellent communication and time-management skills, as well as the ability to juggle competing priorities, think on your feet, and work effectively with a variety of people. Experience working in a law office environment and a commitment to child advocacy are preferred. This is a great opportunity to handle interesting and meaningful work in a supportive, team-oriented environment in beautiful downtown Seattle.

Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent and two years of clerical experience including a minimum of one year of experience in a legal environment
Two years of legal office experience
A combination of three years of college education and/or relevant experience
A two year degree in Legal Secretary Studies, Paralegal studies or related field of study
Integrity
Performance leadership
Organizational and political awareness
Results orientation and initiative
Accountability
Judgment
Decisiveness
Recognize and support the important of diversity and inclusion
Ability to work effectively on a team or independently
Ability to manage a heavy and diverse workload and manage the stress that accompanies that
Knowledge of court rules and effective use of related databases and software
Effectively organize electronic and hard copy records
Must communicate effectively
Must be able to adapt to rapidly changing needs and priorities

Nice To Haves

Experience working in a law office environment
Commitment to child advocacy
Familiarity with Juvenile abuse/neglect litigation, family law, or elder abuse/neglect cases

Responsibilities

Extract and verify case data for accurate and timely processing of legal documents and identification and/or entry of key dates and other data in the agency’s case management database
Mail and e-mail processing
Processing receipt of dependency petitions and screening referrals for termination of parental rights
Organize and send large certified mailings (ICWA) to numerous parties
Draft Expert and/or Lay Witness Contracts
Receive and distribute discovery via Managed File Transfer
Maintain multi-function devices
Determine if division has responsive documents for public record requests and/or Tort lawsuits
Draft notices and send to publishers for publication; tracks issuance and completion of publication and receipt of Affidavit of Publication
Process division invoices
Scan paper documents to electronic form for long-term record retention
Answer and route phone calls
Maintain knowledge of Seattle Office security procedures and act as Floor Warden
Other duties as assigned