Legal Assistant 2 (Non-Permanent), Regulatory & Education Division - Internal Only

State of Washington•Multiple Locations Statewide, WA

2d•Remote

About The Position

The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) is seeking to fill two non-permanent Legal Assistant 2 (LA2) positions within its Regulatory & Education Division (REG). These roles will provide crucial support to the Work Zone Speed Camera (WZSC) caseload. The LA2 position is vital to OAH's mission, contributing by offering legal support services. This includes tasks such as scheduling, case management, arranging for interpreters or court reporters, formatting and developing orders, creating and processing case-related documents, transmitting records, ensuring timely and proper service of legal documents, managing case documents, data entry, and supporting parties and Administrative Law Judges (ALJs). This is a represented position under the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE)-General Government collective bargaining agreement. The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) was established in 1981 by the Legislature to provide an independent, fair, and neutral forum for administrative hearings on disputed matters referred by state and local government agencies. OAH operates with 230 employees, including 120 Administrative Law Judges (ALJs), across field offices in Olympia, Tacoma, and Spokane Valley. The agency presides over administrative hearings for a wide range of matters, including unemployment insurance benefits, child support, food assistance, medical benefits, and business and professional licensing, serving over 30 agencies and 160 programs. Key referring agencies include the Employment Security Department (ESD), Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), Health Care Authority (HCA), Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB), Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). OAH's mission is to independently and impartially resolve disputes between the public and state agencies through an accessible process. Their vision is for all people in Washington to meaningfully participate in and understand their hearings. OAH's values include fairness, independence, diversity, equity, inclusion, respect, performance excellence, and integrity. The agency's goals focus on performance excellence, convenience and accessibility, diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect, and being good stewards of resources.

Requirements

A high school diploma or equivalent AND two (2) years of experience in a legal environment supporting an attorney, Administrative Law Judge, Industrial Insurance Appeals Judge, review judge, or equivalent.
One (1) year of experience as a Legal Assistant 1 for the State of Washington.
A two-year degree in Legal Secretary Studies, Paralegal Studies or related field AND one (1) year of legal office experience.
A combination of four (4) years of college education and/or relevant experience.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated skills in keyboarding/typing, filing, proofreading, grammar, spelling, and use of office equipment.
Familiarity with the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), Washington Administrative Code (WAC), the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), and knowledge of citations, case type regulations and procedures, and various legal form requirements.
Active listening skills: Listens attentively, asks clarifying questions, confirms understanding, and responds with empathy.
Customer focus: Provides services that meet or exceed customer expectations.
Decision making and judgment: Makes timely, informed decisions using relevant data and standards, and demonstrates sound judgment through consistent, responsible, and thoughtful actions.
Initiative: Proactively addresses tasks and problems with sound judgment and minimal supervision.
Interpersonal effectiveness: Builds positive relationships and works effectively with diverse perspectives and teams.
Knowledge retention: Effectively learns, retains, and applies new or updated information and procedures.
Legal terms and citations: Understands and correctly uses legal terms, rules, and citation formats.
Organization: Maintains a structured and orderly approach to managing tasks, information, and materials to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and timely completion of work. Efficiently maintains accurate records and effectively manages documents and schedules.
Proofreading: Consistently identifies and corrects grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Ensures content accuracy and clarity.
Reliable attendance: Maintains consistent attendance with minimal unplanned absences.
Technology effectiveness: Uses technology accurately and effectively for communication, documentation, and workload management. Uses state-owned technology resources appropriately and ethically.
Workload management: Handles tasks efficiently and independently, maintaining high-quality output.

Responsibilities

Process incoming requests for hearing, accurately inputting case and party information into the OAH case management system (PRISM).
Schedule hearings and other case events, ensuring that hearings can be conducted and have decisions issued timely according to caseload requirements.
Contact agency representatives and attorneys to determine availability and possible scheduling conflicts.
Handle and process complex appeals, including analyzing information to determine the proper processes.
Ensure each case party receives the necessary documents both prior and after their hearing.
Plan, organize, and schedule workload.
Make changes to scheduling and workflow processes in order to meet goals set by management.
Processes requests from participants, parties, and ALJs.
Track and organize incoming documents, and exercise independent judgment in reading documents received to assess the next appropriate action to be taken.
Ensure all case information is accurate in PRISM and in all case files, and make appropriate and accurate case notes in PRISM to reflect current case status and case documents.
Interpret office rules, WACs and RCWs for the caseload ensuring that all processes are followed and deadlines are met.
Maintain constant, clear, and open communication with agency representatives, parties, attorneys and ALJs regarding case-related issues and scheduling changes.
Take appropriate case action when return mail is received.
Ensure that case files are prepared and complete prior to the hearing, with enough time for the ALJ to prepare for the hearing.
Assist Legal Assistant 3 (LA3) in maintaining desk manual for assigned caseloads so that manuals are easy for back-up staff to use when needed.
Notify Office Manager of potential high-profile cases where media attention is a possibility.
Route all documents requiring ALJ attention to the appropriate ALJ.
Refer all ALJ complaints and other miscellaneous documents requiring supervisory review to appropriate supervising ALJ or Division Chief.
Generate notices of hearing and notices of pre-hearing conference for all parties, ensuring that all notices are served timely according to caseload and agency requirements.
Proof orders for punctuation, dates, headers/footers, names, etc. tracking errors and proofing data for ALJs.
Provide back-up to Legal Office Assistants (LOAs) when needed to process outgoing notices, as well as publish initial decisions, defaults, dismissals, subpoenas, postponements, and other case-related documents.
Ensure the hearing calendars are up-to-date and accurate.
Monitor case deadlines and utilize PRISM dashboard for tracking case status.
Schedule conference rooms and other locations for in-person hearings.
Coordinate in-person hearings when needed.
Arrange and manage interpreters, court reporters, or note-takers as needed for hearing following guidelines put forth by OAH Headquarters.
Coordinate ADA accommodation requests with the agency ADA Coordinator.
Ensure that all interpreter, court reporter, and note-taker information is accurately entered and updated in PRISM.
When needed, work with the LA3 or Office Manager to set up safety and/or accessibility to OAH facilities.