Legal Office Assistant | Labor and Industries Division | Olympia

State of Washington•Thurston County – Tumwater, WA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Attorney General’s Office is recruiting for a permanent full time Legal Office Assistant in the Labor and Industries Division. This position is located in Olympia, Washington, and is represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). The Labor & Industries (L&I) Division is comprised of 50 attorneys and 71 professional staff between Tumwater and Seattle. The Tumwater Division also provides litigation support to even more attorneys and staff in the seven Regional Service Offices. There is someone handling L&I litigation at every AGO location in the state, but the Division has primary responsibility for assigning cases and providing advice to the Department. The L&I Division represents and advises the Department regarding the state’s industrial insurance program, workers’ compensation benefits, questions about fair wages and prevailing wage requirements, workplace conditions, and safe work environments, contractor and building issues, crime victim claims and other issues for workers and employers. The division handles a wide variety of cases from entry level to highly complex matters, and has a robust appellate litigation program. The work touches all businesses and workers in Washington and is of central importance to the business economy of our state. Our attorneys defend L&I orders before the Board of Industrial Insurance appeals, Office of Administrative Hearings and state courts. These cases involve, but are not limited to injured worker’s seeking benefits; worker fraud; employer premiums; penalties assessed for violations of WISHA standards; industrial insurance discrimination; WISHA discrimination; contractor, plumbing and electrical citations; wage and hour citations, prevailing wage citations, employment standards, elevator citations/standards; apprenticeship programs, as well as provide client advice on these matters. With such a diverse practice, our professional staff are continuously engaged in challenging and interesting work. Opportunities to learn and achieve professional growth through experience, mentorship and training are encouraged and supported. Our teams consist of attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants.

Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent and two years of clerical experience including a minimum of six months of experience in a legal office environment.
One year of legal office experience.
A combination of two years of college education and/or relevant experience.
A two-year degree in Legal Secretary Studies, Paralegal studies or related field of study.

Nice To Haves

Incumbents assigned to a position designated as requiring dual language skills will receive a 5% Dual Language Requirement Pay stipend.

Responsibilities

Answer and screen telephone calls from the public, other state agencies, courts, clients, and attorneys.
Assist with answering basic or routine questions or directs the caller to the appropriate attorney or professional staff.
Takes messages and forwards to staff as needed.
Seek assistance for non-routine questions.
Process daily incoming mail per division procedures: open hard copy mail and review electronic mail, date stamp, scan, name, and docket into the Case Management System (CMS).
Prepares outgoing mail using USPS, FedEx and Legal Messenger Services following DES and AGO mailing guidelines.
Receives service of legal documents via USPS, FedEx, or Legal Messenger, reviews and consults the Case Management System (CMS) to determine who the matter is assigned to and immediately routes to the appropriate AAG or Paralegal.
Performs delivery/messenger services; serves and files legal documents and obtains signatures in order to meet critical deadlines.
Organize and maintain supply room.
Actively monitor and request office supplies as needed.
Regularly check safety supplies and replace expired items.
Keep track of inventory of electronic items, request replacements as needed.
As directed by the AOM, assist with new hires by using the onboarding check list maintained in OneNote.
Set up new office or work station and ensure supplies are available and equipment is clean.
Create office name plate and order employee ID tag, update phone lists, birthday lists, and gather emergency contact information from the employee.
Assists the AOM with division furniture requests and office moves by coordinating with the AGO Facilities team when a request is received.
Processes items for surplus on quarterly basis and coordinates with the AGO Facilities team to retrieve the surplus supplies for delivery to either DES or the AGO Warehouse.
Maintain division’s multi-function devices (MFD) and associated supplies such as paper and toner.
Routinely check devices and order supplies as needed.
Troubleshoot basic problems with the MFDs and ensures proper maintenance as recommended by the vendor.
Make service calls as needed and keeps the AOM apprised of the status.
Manage and maintain the archival process for the Division; types transmittals and prepares boxes for shipment to the Washington State Records Center; enters and updates records retention information into the Case Management System (CMS); calls back and returns files as requested.
Reviews files scheduled for destruction to pull transactional documents.
Schedule conference rooms, teleconference lines, and agency car reservations.
Backup travel arrangements (flights, hotel, and cars).

Benefits

Medical/Dental/Vision for employees & dependent(s)
Vacation, Sick, and Other Leave
11 Paid Holidays per year
Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) plans
Life Insurance
Dependent Care Assistance
Flexible Spending Accounts
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Tuition Waiver
Deferred Compensation
Employee Recognition Leave
Flexible schedules
part-time/hybrid telework options
A Wellness Program
an Infants in the Workplace Program
the Employee Assistance Program, which provides counseling, webinar, and other cost-free support resources
Numerous employee-driven affinity groups to foster community and connection, including Bereavement, Elder Care, Parenting, POC, LGBTQ+, Veterans and more.