Legal Assistant II
City of Gainesville, FL - Gainesville, FL
posted about 23 hours ago
About the position
As a Community Builder-an employee with the City of Gainesville- you will have a direct hand in building and improving your community and making a visible impact on the lives of your neighbors. Working for local government is more than a job, it's a chance to contribute to community success and to help enhance the Gainesville way of life. An employee in this class is responsible for performing technical and confidential legal work of considerable difficulty requiring initiative and independent judgment. Duties involve providing assistance to attorneys in the preparation of complex cases and/or transactional matters by investigating the facts, identifying appropriate laws, judicial decisions, legal articles, and other materials necessary to determine the merits of a proposed course of action; reviewing law files to determine if cases are appropriate for litigation, mediation or arbitration; preparing legal memoranda, general correspondence, reports, and legal instruments; and assisting in drafting pleadings, trial and appellate briefs, contracts, ordinances, resolutions, and land use and zoning documents.
Responsibilities
- Perform complex legal research, gather and analyze data and examine precedent and related cases specific to the area in which a particular issue falls.
- Perform investigations, including background investigations by gathering and analyzing public documents, court records, dockets of all courts and administrative agencies.
- Draft and edit correspondence, position statements, legal briefs, pleadings, motions, orders, and responses to discovery or public records requests.
- Prepare trial notebook(s), interview witnesses, attend and assist at hearings and trials, including administrative hearings, mediations, and arbitrations.
- Responsible for preparation of city commission agenda items, including gathering and analyzing information and legislative history.
- Review contracts including amendments, assignments and extensions, and agreements and releases to ensure required elements and provisions of the contract are included.
- Track Florida legislation specific to an attorney's practice area from beginning to end of session.
- Serve as Clerk to quasi-judicial boards and staff support to special purpose committees.
- Arrange for proper storage or disposal of documents in accord with the State of Florida General Records Schedule GS1-SL.
- Perform administrative duties such as answering calls, calendaring deadlines, scheduling, arranging travel, managing paper and electronic files for assigned attorney(s).
- Respond to and manage incoming requests for service from citizens and city departments.
Requirements
- Associate degree from an accredited college or university or equivalent vocational/technical training.
- Five (5) years of progressively responsible administrative and staff support experience, three (3) of which are in the legal field performing the duties of a Legal Assistant or Paralegal.
- Valid U.S. Driver License required upon appointment. Valid Florida Driver License required within 30 days of appointment.
Nice-to-haves
- Certification from the Association for Legal Professionals (NALS), National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA), Florida Association of Legal Support Specialists (FALSS), Florida Registered Paralegal (The Florida Bar), or other certification from an accredited institution as a legal professional.
Benefits
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid leave
- 11 paid holidays a year
- Pension plan
- Deferred compensation plan
- On-site fitness centers
- Tuition reimbursement
- On-site medical staff
- Wellness program
