Legal Assistant, Constitutional and Complex Litigation / Torts Section | Civil Division

City of Seattle•Suite 2050 Seattle, WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

With more than 200 attorneys and professional staff, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office is one of the largest law offices in Seattle and is the third largest public law office in the state. Our office is committed to making Seattle a safe, healthy, empowered, and thriving community for everyone. The City Attorney’s Office has vacancies for skilled legal assistants in two sections: The Constitutional and Complex Litigation Section (“CCL”) of the Seattle City Attorney's Office (CAO) and the Torts Section are looking for experienced legal assistants to join their teams. The CCL position will provide administrative support to litigation attorneys who represent the City in both State and Federal courts and advise City departments in matters relating to federal response, police action, affirmative litigation, public records, and a variety of other subjects. The Torts position will provide administrative support to litigation attorneys who represent the City in State and Federal court and advise City departments on matters related to personal injury, property damage, nuisance, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and a variety of other subjects. Legal assistants are part of a dynamic team of problem solvers. The pace of work is generally deadline driven. The groups take a collaborative, team-oriented approach and seek to build effective and lasting relationships with City departments and their leadership. Legal assistants are critical of this professional philosophy and are valued members of our enthusiastic and experienced team. Legal assistants in the section are asked to think creatively and strategically. Legal assistants apply their knowledge of legal terminology, legal and regulatory procedures, proper document formatting, electronic filing systems, and general office practices in their daily work. That work requires them to be highly skilled with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Outlook, and Excel. The City Attorney’s Office heavily relies on electronic storage and filing. Legal assistants serve a critical role in these processes. The CAO offers a generous benefits program that includes health benefits, life insurance, paid leave, paid parental and family leave, and the opportunity to participate in a defined-benefit retirement program.

Requirements

Two years of post-secondary coursework in legal secretarial or business skills and one year of litigation support work demonstrating familiarity with legal forms, terminology, and documents (or a combination of education, training, and/or experience which provides evidence of the ability to perform the work of the class).
Effectively working on multiple projects simultaneously
Providing timely products with great attention to detail
Working collaboratively with other team members
Representing CAO professionally and ethically at all times
Professionally interacting with both employees and outside contacts
Working independently, with excellent judgment and initiative
Using a variety of software packages for litigation support, calendaring, and email-archiving
Maintaining a records database
Comprehensive knowledge of legal terminology
Legal procedure
Court calendaring practices
Court e-filing programs
Court rules
Expertise in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and other applications.

Responsibilities

Preparation of court documents for service and filing
Tracking and updating the status of court cases nationwide related to various issues of material interest to the section (CCL only)
Word processing, including proofreading and editing
Managing litigation and client advice files, including electronic files
Using a variety of applications for litigation support
Assisting with attorney calendars
Coordinating and arranging meetings
Learning and using new databases and software as needed
Tracking case assignments and deadlines
Serving a crucial role in enabling electronic storage and filing processes and supporting attorneys and paralegals.
Being an active participant in integrating the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative into both the work provided to clients as well as within the organization.