Legal Assistant 1/Tr 1 and 2 - NY HELPS - New York State Civil Service

NY HELP Yes






Agency Environmental Conservation, Department of






Title Legal Assistant 1/Tr 1 and 2 - NY HELPS






Occupational Category Legal






Salary Grade NS






Bargaining Unit ASU - Administrative Services Unit (CSEA)






Salary Range From $46306 to $66634 Annually






Employment Type Full-Time






Appointment Type Permanent






Jurisdictional Class Competitive Class






Travel Percentage 5%













Workweek Mon-Fri



Hours Per Week 37.5




Workday




From 8:30 AM






To 5 PM






Flextime allowed? No






Mandatory overtime? No






Compressed workweek allowed? No






Telecommuting allowed? Yes













County Erie






Street Address 700 Delaware Avenue










City Buffalo






State NY






Zip Code 14209













Minimum Qualifications This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply. At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.Reassignment - Currently in the title and an employee of DEC orReinstatement Eligible - Previously held the title on a permanent competitive basis Transfer Eligible –One year of permanent competitive service in a title eligible for transfer under Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law or eligible for transfer under Section 70.4 of the Civil Service Law (of which candidate must meet the open competitive minimum qualifications below).55-b/55-c Candidates - must meet the open competitive minimum qualifications below and include with resume or application, a copy of the letter from Civil Service which indicates approval for the 55-b/55-c program.Open competitive minimum qualifications (provided for 55b/c candidates, 70.4 transfer eligible or NY HELPS appointment): "Two years of full-time experience as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant (see “definition” below) OR an associate degree (or higher) in a paralegal/legal assistant/legal studies program or a certificate in a paralegal/legal assistant program, where either the degree or certificate was granted from a regionally accredited college or university, or one approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) OR “definition” below). Definition: a Paralegal/Legal Assistant is someone who applies knowledge of the law and legal procedures in rendering direct assistance to lawyers, clients, and courts; prepares and interprets legal documents and forms; researches, compiles, and uses information from legal materials to provide both written and verbal comments on their findings; and analyzes and handles routine procedural problems independently with minimal attorney oversight.Examples of non-qualifying experience: receptionist, records clerk, bookkeeper, office manager."ORAn associate degree (or higher) in any field, where the degree was granted from a regionally accredited college or university, or one approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) OR Graduation from an accredited (ABA approved) law school with a degree required for NYS Bar will be accepted as meeting the educational requirements for this title AND one year of experience as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant (see definition in MQs).Legal Assistant TraineeThis position may also be filled at the Trainee level by appointment of a candidate reachable on the Legal Assistant Trainee list or in a title eligible to transfer to Legal Assistant Trainee 1. If filled as a trainee, the selected candidate must successfully complete a two-year traineeship. Trainees will be required to successfully complete courses in specific areas, in addition to on-the-job training activities, prior to completing the traineeship. All trainees are required to successfully complete six course in paralegal studies and related skills from an accredited college or university. In addition, one or more college or training courses in writing skills will be required.






Duties Description The Legal Assistant 1, under the direction of Regional Attorney, is responsible for supporting staff attorneys, and as directed, the Regional Enforcement coordinator. As directed, the Legal Assistant 1 shall be responsible for the following: FOIL• Develop proficiency with DEC’s GovQA FOIL system.• Assist with daily processing of regional non-high priority FOIL requests, including distributing new requests and closing completed requests by required deadlines.• If legal review of documents is needed, provide review and determine appropriate information to redact; provide redacted version to requestor.• Assist with checking R9 FOIL email box associated with R9GovQA FOIL requests.• Perform timely and accurate review of documents for relevance and whether to release or withhold.• Demonstrate an understanding of when to consult with the Regional Attorney regarding any ambiguous applications of Public Officers Law and obtain concurrence regarding release of documents related to potentially sensitive matters. • Work with Staff to understand how they organize their documents and provide assistance as needed.• Contact requestors to ask for clarification or refinement of their requests when needed.• Work with Staff to resolve issues related to procedures for processing FOIL.• Answer questions from Staff and the public regarding the FOIL process.Enforcement• Review files as assigned to ensure they include all evidence and documents needed to establish a violation.• Reviewing case referrals for sufficiency (especially DOS searches to ensure the proper entity is listed as the respondent).• Obtain documents and information from Staff as necessary to complete the files for attorney review.• Draft consent orders, complaints and other documents in correct form and content within a reasonable time of being assigned. • Engage in limited negotiations under parameters set by Regional Attorney to obtain settlement of the cases. • Organize exhibits for hearings. • Find and organize materials for responses to discovery requests.General • Perform legal research as assigned by the Regional Attorney finding and citing relevant authorities. • Obtain public records from County Clerks’ offices, Department of State, NYS Archives and other repositories.• Develop a working knowledge of the laws and regulations implemented by the Department and key terms of art for each program.• Learn to use computer programs necessary to execute job functions efficiently. These programs include but are not limited to Adobe Acrobat Pro, Microsoft Word, LATS, CTS, Internet Explorer, Firefox. • Demonstrate proficiency in legal research using Westlaw as well as printed materials. • Perform legal research and draft memoranda completely and accurately relying on relevant legal authority with citations, rationally applying the facts to the law. Memos should be completed in a timely manner taking into account the complexity of the issues and the priority of the task as assigned by the Regional Attorney.






Additional Comments Must have a valid driver’s license or demonstrate the ability to meet the transportation needs of the position. Travel may be required. Telecommuting may be available, will be discussed at interview.We offer a work-life balance and a generous benefits package, worth 65% of salary, including:• Holiday & Paid Time Off• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)• Pension from New York State Employees’ Retirement System• Shift & Geographic pay differentials• Affordable Health Care options• Family dental and vision benefits at no additional cost• NYS Deferred Compensation plan• Access to NY 529 and NY ABLE College Savings Programs, and U.S. Savings Bonds• And many more...For new State employees appointed to graded positions, the annual salary is the hiring rate (beginning of the Salary Range) of the position. Promotion salaries are calculated by the NYS Office of the State Comptroller in accordance with NYS Civil Service Law, OSC Payroll rules and regulations and negotiated union contracts.DEC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.






Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.










Name Megan Miller






Telephone 518-402-9273






Fax 518-402-9038






Email Address PostingResponses@dec.ny.gov




Address




Street 625 Broadway










City Albany






State NY






Zip Code 12233













Notes on Applying Please email/mail your resume to the above. Be sure to include Posting #24-167997 on your resume or it may not accepted. Include a copy of your college transcript. An unofficial copy is acceptable.