Legal Assistant II - County Attorney

Williamson County (TX)•Georgetown, TX

38d•Onsite

About The Position

Reporting directly to a Division Chief, responsible for providing advanced legal assistance to assigned legal staff, and acts as a liaison between attorneys, courts, witnesses, law enforcement agencies, other agencies, and the public. Assists legal staff by drafting all necessary legal documents.

Requirements

Associate degree in a related field and one (1) year of legal experience; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
Valid driver's license
Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) certification
Texas Crime Information Center (TCIC) certification
Texas Notary Public Commission

Nice To Haves

Paralegal certification
Working knowledge of Odyssey, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Sign, Laserfiche, Kronos, Alice, and Jabber
Bilingual: Spanish

Responsibilities

Prepares petitions, motions, orders, and other legal documents
Requests hearing dates, mediation dates, and other settings
Prepares and sends notice of court hearing
Research case information
Files, makes copies, and mails notices
Arranges and coordinates witnesses
Notarizes legal documents
Attends court to assist attorneys, as needed
Assists with the preparation of discovery, subpoenas, briefs, bench warrants, and other time sensitive legal documents
Assists with records management and filing, including e-filing and use of the County's electronic case management system
Maintains calendar, case files, and dockets
Assimilates legal discovery
Processes and distributes Public Information Requests
Serves as back up to other Legal Assistants as needed
Maintains division's central email inbox, responds to inquiries, monitors E-file notifications, and takes action as required
Communicates with the County Attorney's Office staff/prosecutors, private attorneys, local mental health authority counselors, jail staff, courthouse personnel, citizens, and outside agencies
Reviews and evaluates legal documents and information received by the division, determines the appropriate action or response necessary, and after confirmation with the civil prosecutor, responds, takes action, and/or drafts any legal documents or creates materials necessary for review by an attorney
Provides regular subject matter support for technology and business process development and applicable software
Facilitates interagency transfer of documents that the County Attorney's office is in custody or control of
Prepares trial notebooks for prosecutors and assists with court room technology for displaying evidence
Attends all meetings and trainings, as required
Performs special duties as assigned
Schedules depositions
Assists in the process of settlement of damage claims
Works closely with the Local Mental Health Authority, social/case workers, local/state hospitals, and the Health and Human Services Commission
Obtains updated medical records from mental health hospitals, as needed, prior to probable cause or commitment proceedings
Coordinates with out of county hospitals and Crisis Intervention Team on transfers from Williamson County, and obtain necessary paperwork from them
Serves as the first point of contact for intake of applications involving persons in need of involuntary commitments or other mental health related matters; attends commitment hearings as necessary
Receives and uploads waivers from court-appointed attorneys for Probable Cause hearings
Communicates regularly with mental health hospitals regarding potential filings, discharges, and patient status
Processes, analyzes, and organizes all responsive information received from various county departments and agencies for Public Information Act requests
Organizes, drafts, and compiles all exhibits for briefs submission to the Attorney General's Office
Maintains calendar of all deadlines and mails all 10-day letters and 15-day briefs to the Attorney General's Office for Public Information Act requests
Assists with cost estimates for Public Information Requests, as needed and distributes to requestors
Organizes and creates secure online links to distribute responsive information to requestors
Oversees auto-redactions of responsive information and sends to attorney for review
Reconciles Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) and submits paper records to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for criminal history reporting
Processes juvenile referrals, including data entry, legal document preparation, requesting court and/or jury dates, and notifying counsel and schools
Reviews sex offender registration status, completes CJIS reporting information for each referral and calculates child support and restitution
Sets up each case received in database, ensuring that all pertinent identifying information of case and juvenile is entered, including correct DPS offense codes and entry of TRN (DPS tracking number for the offense arrest/detainment)
Performs daily reporting on DPS Electronic Disposition Reporting (EDR) website regarding any action taken by prosecutor on each case (petition filed, sent to juvenile services for deferred, sent to juvenile services for discretionary disposition, declined case, etc.)
Coordinates detention hearings
Prepares transfer paperwork for a juvenile to be certified as an adult to the District Attorney's Office
Prepares appointment/court setting notices to schools and attorneys
Processes general juvenile related telephone calls and emails from probation staff, court staff, law enforcement agencies, parents, attorneys, and school officials
Contacts law enforcement agencies to obtain missing information as needed
Prepares and sends collection letters
Drafts judicial confessions, writs of attachment, and applications for grand jury subpoenas
Routes paperwork for various assessments, releases from detention, furloughs, adjudication documents, transfer documents, disposition documents, deferred dispositions, and trial documents
Files enforcement actions
Provides written updates to Juvenile Services of actions taken on all cases and disposition outcomes
Calculates child support as needed
Contacts Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS) for case information and status
Works closely with outside agencies including TDFPS, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and The Office of the Attorney General
Arranges mediations; prepares and sends out notice of mediation
Drafts and coordinates with respondents and/or attorneys for the execution of Affidavits for Relinquishment of Parental Rights
Requests birth certificate verifications and reviews pleadings to ensure accuracy of information
Requests TDPFS visitation plans and ensures attachment to the appropriate order
Monitors, responds to, and notifies attorneys of legal intervention requests
Coordinates with court staff and clerk's office for new case filings
Conducts conflict check to ensure appropriate appointment of attorneys
Reads TDFPS affidavits and determines appropriate pleadings and orders needed based upon included information and in consultation with attorneys; drafts documents for attorney review
Prepares letters requesting Issuance of Citation and Precept and E-files
Requests and reviews criminal history information and compiles certified copies of documents from each jurisdiction; notifies attorneys of possible aggravated circumstances that warrant further pleadings as appropriate based on the criminal history
Creates case shells for all protective order inquiries
Conducts conflict checks across divisions and records
Runs criminal histories and locates information in CJIS databases
Assists law enforcement with evidence being properly obtained and distributed to the protective order file
Works closely with the victim assistance coordinator and investigator assigned to protective orders
Obtains non-law enforcement records such as medical records, phone records, and certified records from County and District Clerk's Offices nationwide.
Creates and organizes service packets and assists in coordination with process serving agencies
Assists in the data entry of necessary information into CJIS databases
Drafts and files all necessary paperwork, to include but not limited to, applications for protective order, temporary ex parte protective orders, affidavits, temporary ex parte protective order extensions, and final protective orders
Compiles, organizes, and prepare all exhibits for presentation to the Court