Legal Assistant I

County of Kittitas•Ellensburg, WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Legal Assistant is responsible for providing secretarial support to the Public Defense Attorneys within the Department of Public Defense. Must maintain courteous and cooperative working relationships with administrative and other County personnel, public agencies, and the general public, and work under the guidance of Local/State/Federal regulations and County policies/procedures. This position is considered open until filled with a first review after 5/22/2026. Candidates should apply as soon as possible for optimal consideration.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED equivalent.
0 – 5 years of experience in a legal office or related setting.
Valid Washington State driver’s license.
A criminal history and background check will be performed on qualified candidates.
Convictions may preclude candidates from employment in certain circumstances. Factors such as relativity to the position, age and time of the offense, seriousness and nature of the violation, and rehabilitation will be taken into account.

Responsibilities

Serve as initial point of contact for the public in a professional and courteous manner.
Answer and route calls to the appropriate staff or department.
Prepare a variety of legal documents, pleadings, notices, agreements, contracts, and correspondence under the direction of the Defense Attorneys and the Chief Administrator.
Prepare reports, briefs, and legal documents from hand-written notes, taped, dictation, and computer disk/cd.
Ensure documents are consistently prepared and completed in accordance with format rules of the Department of Public Defense.
Assist in maintaining a library of briefs and research materials for future use by others in the Department of Public Defense.
Enter all cases received into Case Management Software (unless otherwise instructed) and upload all documents that relate to each case (paperless – electronic files) so that the records are complete and accurate (Internal Software Program) to ensure tracking and logging for annual and internal reports as well as records management.
File and record legal documents with the appropriate officials and agencies in a timely manner and ensures correct dissemination to appropriate parties.
Maintain and organize all assigned cases (paper or electronic format).
Retrieve materials as necessary.
Add reminders to attorneys’ calendars with notifications.
Schedule meetings, make room arrangements, and send out schedule changes and notices.
Proofread documents and correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, legal terminology and format without altering meaning.
Process invoices and prepare weekly vouchers and submit to the Auditor’s office for payment.
Monitor and process records according to the department’s policies and procedures relating to the management of records and the Washington Secretary of State Archives records retention schedules (CORE).
Prepare paperwork based on job assignments and instruction from attorneys and supervisors as not otherwise provided in this job description.
Complete special projects as required.