Senior Paralegal - Augusta

State of Maine•Augusta, ME

2d•$47,174 - $65,832•Hybrid

About The Position

This is paraprofessional services work of a technical nature involving the conduct of advanced complex legal investigation, research, and evaluation providing specialized legal support for in-house Attorneys, Legal Counsel, Legal Administrators, and other legal staff requiring advanced legal knowledge, seasoning, and experience in the research and application of laws and advanced principles, theories, and practices in an assigned legal area or specialty. Responsibilities include serving as the assigned lead paralegal/lead worker, primary legal resource, and subject matter expert. This classification assists the Legal Administrator by its contributory role in meeting operational needs. Work is performed under limited supervision

Requirements

Knowledge of state and federal laws governing property, eminent domain, estates and probate, or other laws pertinent to assigned field of work or assigned specialty.
Knowledge of various types of legal documents, court procedures, and rules of evidence.
Knowledge of advanced legal terminology.
Knowledge of department mission, goals, objectives, and operating procedures.
Knowledge of advanced legal principles, practices, and theories pertaining to an assigned area or specialty.
Knowledge of judicial decisions, court jurisdiction, and procedures for assigned legal area or specialty.
Knowledge and familiarity with advanced complex legal investigation, research, analysis, and evaluation.
Ability to take direction from and interact with in-house attorneys, legal counsel, and various legal partners in an effective and efficient manner.
Ability to research and apply laws and advanced principles, theories, and practices in an assigned legal area or specialty.
Ability to research, analyze, and evaluate abstracted legal material pertaining to advanced complex legal work.
Ability to conduct comprehensive in-depth research on advanced complex legal issues.
Ability to prepare comprehensive legal draft reports and summaries.
Ability to review legal briefs for conformance and compliance with established standards.
Ability to prioritize work, cases, and assignments to meet strict time frames and manage case assignments.
Ability to organize large amounts of data, both hardcopy and electronic, into easily retrievable systems.
Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Ability to serve as a lead worker, mentor, coach, and guide other legal staff members.
Ability to represent the Department by providing information and testifying at legal proceedings and hearings.
Ability to read and comprehend complex technical material pertaining to assigned legal area or legal specialty.
Ability to serve as database administrator (maintenance, updates, configuration, layout, and troubleshooting).
Ability to use and instruct others in the use of applicable modern office computer systems, program, devices, and databases.
A Bachelors Degree and three (3) years of paralegal experience in a law firm, court, or legal services agency -OR- an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.

Responsibilities

Serves as the assigned lead paralegal/lead worker to provide technical assistance and support to in-house Attorneys, Legal Counsel, and Legal Administrators within an assigned area or specialty by applying in-depth knowledge of law and advanced principles, theories, and practices in order to address and solve advanced complex legal matters.
Serves as the primary legal resource and subject matter expert by providing technical assistance and support to paralegal and assistant paralegal staff in order to ensure consistent application of the Department’s directives, policies, practices, and procedures.
Assists the Legal Administrator by performing advanced complex legal administrative and support activities pertaining to document preparation, document review, document management (archive, storage, and retrieval), advanced legal research, complex case management, and database management in order to support the delivery of comprehensive in-house legal services.
Assists the Legal Administrator by scheduling, planning work flows, determining priorities, assigning work, providing direction, and monitoring work in order to accomplish daily operational activities.
Leads, guides, coaches, mentors, and trains paralegal and paralegal assistant staff in order to build staff competencies, identify training needs, improve employee proficiency, and provide input to performance evaluations.
Coordinates with internal and external partners, customers, and stakeholders in order to ensure deliverables meet the established legal requirements and satisfy the needs of in-house Attorneys, Legal Counsel, Legal Administrators, and senior leadership.
Investigates facts, cases of law, and searches pertinent sources, such as public records and internet sources in order to determine causes and make determinations for appropriate legal action by in-house Attorneys, Legal Counsel, and/or Legal Administrators.
Uses sound logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Identifies and assesses problems and deficiencies in procedures and guidelines in order to recommend changes for improving operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Researches, analyzes, evaluates, and writes comprehensive reports requiring an interpretation of law to make legal determinations in order to assist in-house Attorneys, Legal Counsel, and/or Legal Administrators in completing complex legal case work.
Conducts in-depth research and writes reports on complex law and other legal issues for an assigned legal area or specialty in order to assist with case management.
Analyzes information, investigates, and researches advanced complex legal matters in order to draft pleadings, motions, legal documents, and reports.
Attends pre-hearing conferences and administrative and court hearings in order to represent the Department and provide information.
Provides substantive legal support (e.g. gathering, analyzing, researching statutes, decisions, legal articles, codes, and documents, etc.) to in-house Attorneys, Legal Counsel, and/or Legal Administrators in order to prepare information for legal proceedings and hearings.
Keeps and monitors legal volumes (hardcopy and/or electronic) to ensure that law library is up-to-date.

Benefits

Work-Life Balance – Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave.
Health Insurance Coverage – The State of Maine pays 85%-100% of employee-only premiums ($11,857.68-$13,950.24 annual value), depending on salary.
Health Insurance Premium Credit – Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%.
Dental Insurance – The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($365.28 annual value).
Retirement Plan – The State of Maine contributes 14.11% of pay to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS), on behalf of the employee.
Gym Membership Reimbursement – Improve overall health with regular exercise and receive up to $40 per month to offset this expense.
Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts – Set aside money pre-tax to help pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses and/or daycare expenses.
Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness – The State of Maine is a qualified employer for this federal program.
Living Resources Program – Navigate challenging work and life situations with our employee assistance program.
Parental leave is one of the most important benefits for any working parent. All employees who are welcoming a child—including fathers and adoptive parents—receive forty-two (42) consecutive calendar days of fully paid parental leave. Additional, unpaid leave may also be available, under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Voluntary Deferred Compensation – Save additional pre-tax funds for retirement in a MaineSaves 457(b) account through payroll deductions.
State employees are eligible for an extensive and highly competitive benefits package, covering many aspects of wellness.