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Paralegal

City of Clarksville

City of Clarksville

Legal
Clarksville, TN, USA · Clarksville, TN, USA
Posted on Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Description
CLASS SUMMARY
This is a stand-alone classification. The Paralegal assists with legal administrative duties such as drafting and analyzing legal documents; document preparation and review; case planning, development, and management; legal research, client interviews and fact gathering; retrieving information; and collecting, compiling, and utilizing technical information to make recommendations to legal staff and other applicable City personnel.

***PLEASE NOTE: IN ADDITION TO A COMPLETED APPLICATION, APPLICANTS MUST INCLUDE A COVER LETTER AND ATTACH A RESUME TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION. A PARALEGAL CERTIFICATE FROM AN AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION ACCREDITED PROGRAM IS PREFERRED. THIS POSITION WILL REMAIN OPEN THROUGH OCTOBER 24, 2023, OR UNTIL FILLED.*** 
Example of Duties
TYPICAL CLASS ESSENTIAL DUTIES: (These duties are a representative sample; position assignments may vary.)
  • Drafts legal documents and correspondence, including routine pleadings and motions, formal discovery requests and responses, notices, affidavits, and interrogatories; files motions and pleadings according to judicial procedures.
  • Meets with City attorneys, Mayoral staff, department heads, City Council, and other applicable stakeholders to discuss cases or projects.
  • Accepts, documents, responds to, and manages open records requests.
  • Prepares, organizes, stores, and retrieves case files which may include evidence, exhibits, depositions, pleadings, and other items.
  • Acts as a liaison among all parties including the legal staff, the Mayor’s office, other City departments, the court system, and other stakeholders for scheduling and sharing information.
  • Researches and analyzes statues, case law, regulations, legal articles, judicial decisions, and other legal sources and provides written analysis to legal staff.
  • Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.
Typical Qualifications
TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE (positions in this class typically require):
Associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies or a related field, and two years of significant and substantive litigation experience as a paralegal/legal assistant in a law office setting, or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above.
Supplemental Information
LICENSING REQUIREMENTS (positions in this class typically require):
Licensing Requirements: 
  • Paralegal certificate from an American Bar Association accredited program preferred.
  • Valid driver’s license.
KNOWLEDGE (position requirements at entry):
Knowledge of:
  • Applicable Federal, State, and local laws, rules, regulations, codes, and/or statutes; 
  • Basic principles, concepts and methodology of legal proceedings and legal research;
  • Principles of legal writing;
  • The Tennessee Public Records Act and the exceptions thereof;
  • Understanding of legal language and principles, the court system, attorney/client privilege and ethical rules, research methods, court pleadings, processes, and other related matters;
  • Problem identification, analysis, and evaluation;
  • Principles of effective writing and verbal presentation;
  • Computerized information and database recordkeeping systems;
  • Computer information systems, including personal computer applications, work processing, and spreadsheets.
SKILLS (position requirements at entry):
Skill in:
  • Superior verbal and written communication;
  • Drafting, cite-checking, and correcting legal briefs;
  • Proficiency with Google Suite and Microsoft Office software applications and legal research tools such as Westlaw;
  • Managing medium to large-scale document productions;
  • Clear understanding of legal language and principles, research methods, court pleadings and processes, and other related matters;
  • Legal research and investigation;
  • Organization, keen attention to detail, and time management with a proven ability to meet deadlines and prioritize workload and assignments;
  • Ability to function well in a high-paced, and at times, stressful environment;
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality and to exercise discretion and good judgment;
  • Analyzing and solving problems;
  • Applying Federal, State, and local laws, rules, and regulations;
  • Computers and related software;
  • Communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with subordinates, coworkers, supervisor, the general public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
 Positions in this class typically require: reaching, standing, walking, fingering, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, seeing, and repetitive motions.
 
Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time, Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.
NOTE:  
The above job description is intended to represent only the key areas of responsibilities; specific position assignments will vary depending on the business needs of the department.