PARALEGAL

Orange County Public Schools • Orlando, FL

3d

About The Position

Under the supervision of an attorney, the purpose of this position is to provide legal assistance to the school district’s legal staff. The work of a paralegal includes a wide variety of administrative and legal tasks, which require the application of knowledge of laws, rules and regulations, policies and procedures. This position requires confidentiality, discretion, critical thinking, excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to research and work independently and meet deadlines, while maintaining the highest quality standards.

Requirements

• Associate’s degree from an accredited institution with course work emphasis in paralegal studies; and one (1) year of verifiable legal experience; or any equivalent combination of related education, training and/or experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential job functions.
• Proficiency in all MS Office products such as Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with case management software is strongly desired.

Responsibilities

• Responds to internal and external customers in a timely, accurate, courteous and empathetic manner representing OCPS in a positive light.
• Prepares and finalizes drafts of documents including, but not limited to correspondence, pleadings, motions, other court related documents or filings, contracts, policies, resolutions or other school district documents as directed by the supervising attorney; performs other assigned secretarial duties.
• Interviews staff and other witnesses, be affiliated with a particular case or matter in pending claims against the district; summarizes and reports findings to attorney.
• Assists attorneys in all phases of legal research, background investigations and case management. Gathers and analyzes information; indexes various materials that have been compiled.
• Assists the attorney in the review of miscellaneous legal documents to ascertain their accuracy and conformance to established policies and standards.
• Works with the attorney in coordinating and overseeing document production associated with assigned cases.
• Researches legal information in statutes, legal opinions, court rulings, pleadings, and official guidance via conventional and computer-based methods, independently or at the direction of an attorney.
• Opens, organizes and/or maintains both physical case/matter files and those maintained via any electronic case management system(s).
• Maintains attorney calendar and master docket calendar for legal deadlines; schedules all appointments, tracks work in progress, and monitors cases through final disposition.
• Serves as an ambassador for OCPS and the Office of Legal Services in communications with parents and community members, representatives of other organizations and staff in response to claims, requests, complaints, and other matters of a legal/technical nature.
• Prepares hearing notebooks and arranges for attendance of witnesses at hearings or internal investigations.
• Coordinates the scheduling of administrative hearings for student disciplinary hearings, including preparatory witness meetings and evidence review.
• Assists in providing technical support for various district departments and schools concerning legal issues such as custody issues.
• Maintains confidentiality regarding schools and workplace matters.
• Tracks new developments in the legal field; maintains familiarity with applicable laws, rules, policies and regulations.
• Assists with preparation of school board legal agenda items for board meetings.
• Demonstrates initiative in the performance of assigned responsibilities.
• Follows adopted policies and procedures in accordance with School Board priorities.
• Conducts oneself in the best interest of students, in accordance with the highest traditions of public education and in support of the District’s Mission Statement.
• Responsible for keeping up-to-date on current technology being used by OCPS.
• With the support of the district, attends training to ensure skill level in various technologies is at the level required to perform in current position.
• Responsible for timely and accurate information they maintain as part of their job responsibilities.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: Associate degree