Paralegal

Los Angeles Unified School District

1d • Onsite

About The Position

LAUSD is at the forefront of innovation in public education, focused on ensuring students graduate ready for college, career, and life. As the second largest school district in the nation, LAUSD serves nearly 575,000 students across 710 square miles, with over 1,190 schools and educational centers, employing over 74,000 individuals. The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) of the Los Angeles Unified School District aims to be the best public law office in Los Angeles County. The OGC is an ethical, high-performance legal department with high professional standards and integrity, providing first-class legal service to teachers, supervisors, and administrators who support the District's students. The OGC advises and counsels schools and administrative offices, recognizing that their ultimate clients are the students and their families, working to support the District's vision for college and career readiness. A Paralegal in this office assists attorneys and other legal professionals with legal research, drafts reports and pleadings, and performs specialized and confidential support duties.

Requirements

• Graduation from high school or evidence of equivalent educational proficiency
• Certification as a Paralegal or an associate’s degree in paralegal studies from an accredited post-secondary institution, preferably by a program approved by the American Bar Association
• A Juris Doctor degree or equivalent from an American or California Bar Association accredited institution can be substituted for all the above educational requirements
• A bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree in any subject, a minimum of one year of law-related experience under the supervision of an attorney who has been an active member of the State Bar of California for at least the preceding three years or who has practiced in the federal courts of this state for at least the preceding three years, and a written declaration from this attorney stating that the person is qualified to perform paralegal tasks as required by the California Business and Professions Code 6450
• One year of legal secretarial or paralegal experience
• A valid driver’s license to legally operate a motor vehicle in the State of California and the use of a motor vehicle
• All Paralegals shall be required to certify completion every two years of four hours of mandatory continuing legal education in legal ethics
• Every two years, all Paralegals shall be required to certify completion of four hours of mandatory continuing education in either general law or in a specialized area of law
• At least six (6) or more months of experience assisting with civil litigation matters, including supporting the drafting and filing of pleadings and motions in State and/or federal court; assisting with discovery and trial preparation; preparing deposition summaries; maintaining litigation calendars; and supporting attorneys with court-related activities (for selective certification)
• At least six (6) or more months of experience assisting with transactional matters, business disputes, and/or Public Records Act compliance, including reviewing agreements; conducting legal research; preparing draft memoranda; organizing records; and supporting responses to internal or external information requests (for selective certification)

Nice To Haves

• Six or more months experience in one or more of the following areas: a) construction/real estate; b) litigation; c) contracts/business services/information technology; d) labor and employment; e) special education/legal compliance; and f) school-district law
• Strong civil litigation experience and has the ability to draft, edit, and file complicated court documents (for Litigation Team)
• Understands court rules and procedures, including formatting and deadlines (for Litigation Team)
• Has supported attorneys through discovery, depositions, and trial preparation (for Litigation Team)
• Demonstrates resilience and composure in high-pressure situations (for Litigation Team)
• Communicates clearly and professionally with attorneys, court personnel, outside counsel, and District stakeholders (for Litigation Team)
• Brings a strong work ethic and public service mindset (for Litigation Team)
• Has experience supporting attorneys in transactional and business litigation matters, and/or in responding to public records act requests (for Business & Government Legal Services Team)
• Is skilled in drafting, reviewing, and organizing agreements, legal memoranda, and supporting documentation (for Business & Government Legal Services Team)
• Can manage and track multiple assignments simultaneously while meeting tight deadlines (for Business & Government Legal Services Team)
• Has experience reviewing and organizing large sets of documents for compliance, information requests, or records review (for Business & Government Legal Services Team)
• Is comfortable supporting attorneys with legal research and summarizing findings clearly and concisely (for Business & Government Legal Services Team)
• Pays close attention to detail and ensures accuracy in document preparation and record management (for Business & Government Legal Services Team)
• Communicates effectively with internal clients and maintains professionalism when responding to requests (for Business & Government Legal Services Team)
• Is dependable, hardworking, and motivated by contributing to the effective operation of a public agency legal office (for Business & Government Legal Services Team)

Responsibilities

• Using law library facilities and resources to investigate assigned subjects
• Developing data and preparing pleadings, reports, or memoranda that are related to problems assigned to study
• Preparing fact analyses and assembling complicated packages of documents, trial documents for federal and State court, and other materials
• Screening and/or responding to telephone requests for legal advice, legal representation, case law, pertinent sections of legal codes, District bulletins, etc.
• Arranging for depositions, interviews, and meetings
• Drafting, editing, filing, and locating correspondence, legal opinions, and court decisions as requested
• Assisting in maintaining a docket and calendar to show the status of pending litigation, requests for legal opinions, and other matters, and reminding staff attorneys of deadlines for preparing litigation
• Filing litigation documents in court and preparing requests for warrants for necessary filing fees
• Taking minutes at meetings as necessary and preparing transcripts
• Preparing indexes, fact memos, and transcript and deposition summaries
• Participating in discovery and trial activities, including document and witness preparation
• Working with outside law firms, when required, to coordinate discovery and other matters with District staff
• Participating in the training of non-lawyer District staff
• Oversees and tracks expenditures, balances imprest and other legal accounts payable, and prepares reports case-by-case, by lawyer, etc.
• Performs related duties as assigned

Benefits

• Paid premiums for your choice of several medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans
• Membership in the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS)
• Full-time employees earn up to two weeks of paid vacation to start. Three weeks after five years of year-round paid service
• Up to 13 days of paid holidays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees