Legal Secretary - Child Support

Join a team dedicated to supporting families and serving the public.

About the role

Provide technical legal and clerical support for the Child Support Agency staff and Assistant Corporation Counsel, delivering responsive, courteous, and efficient service to Dunn County residents and the general public.

Responsibilities

• From written dictation or verbal instructions, prepare various legal documents for both Circuit and Family Court actions regarding paternity, support, revisions, or the enforcement of existing orders, including summons and petitions, orders to show cause, and notices of motion.
• Obtain signatures for documents as required.
• Maintain e-filing queue; distribute documents to caseworker, provide copies to case participants, and enter case events in Kids Information Data System (KIDS).
• Maintain files, including those of a highly sensitive and confidential nature.
• Coordinate and schedule appointments, pre-hearing conferences, and court hearings with caseworkers, attorneys, and judges.
• Determine service of process requirements based on type of legal action, timeframe for court actions, and location of party(s) requiring services. Notify process service vendor, forward documents, and coordinate pre-payment if applicable. Personally serve parties in the Agency or county jail.
• Prepare weekly court calendar and notify Corporation Counsel, Child Support, Clerk of Courts, Family Court Commissioner, and Circuit Court Judges regarding scheduled hearings.
• Work with Emergency Management Service (EMS) to quash child support warrants. Annually reconcile the EMS list of warrants with KIDS to ensure continuity.
• Reconcile the court calendars of the judiciary with the Agency’s calendar, add or remove hearings as necessary, pull files, and generate payment records; confer with Assistance Corporation Counsel to accurately reflect the state’s appearance at all upcoming hearings.
• Coordinate with jail and prison staff to facilitate transports and set up video conferencing or phone appearances as needed. Enter participant protection in KIDS based on Injunction Orders issued involving case participants.
• Assist in establishing paternity for non-marital children either administratively or judicially; prepare summons, petitions, notices to parties, Guardian Ad Litem petition/order/consent documents.
• Schedule genetic testing appointments and prepare required documentation for the testing lab. Obtain DNA specimens, ensure chain of custody of the genetic material is maintained, and schedule express pick-up. Order and maintain inventory of genetic testing supplies.
• Prepare Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment forms and other required Vital Records forms to update birth records subsequent to a paternity adjudication.
• Provide applications for IVD services and create physical file folders for new cases.
• Process incoming agency mail and faxes; date stamp, enter in KIDS system, and route to appropriate staff. Prepare and process outgoing agency and interoffice mail.
• Answer calls and greet walk-in customers; determine case number and/or service needed, provide general information, and/or transfer to appropriate agency staff or take messages as appropriate.
• Provide general Child Support program information, explain court actions, penalties, costs, and provide resources for legal counsel and assistance programs.
• Perform records management duties within the office; prepare retention, destruction, and preservation schedules and coordinate arrangements for the proper treatment of records.
• Prepare Income Withholding Orders and Income Withholding Terminations for employers.
• Enter, retrieve, and update data using Microsoft Word and Excel software and the statewide child support system.
• Set up and provide assistance with audio/visual equipment.
• Provide office reception and perform general clerical duties including typing, data entry, copying, filing, scanning, faxing, preparing correspondence and charts.
• Order and maintain inventory of office supplies, Agency resource materials, program literature, forms, and ‘new case participant’ folders.
• Review and cross-reference the daily jail roster with KIDS; document jail bookings and notify the assigned caseworker.
• Track vendor services, reconcile vendor invoices, and enter vendor invoices in SAP as back-up to the Program Assistant.
• Maintain knowledge of and proficiency in multiple data systems, policies, and procedures. Maintain reference manuals, bulletins, policies, and procedures as needed to keep current with various legal document wording and program changes.
• Participate in staff meetings and attend training sessions as scheduled.
• Maintain accurate documentation on all client contacts in the Kids Information Data System (KIDS).
• Perform other duties of a comparable level/type, as assigned.

Requirements

• Associate’s Degree in Paralegal, Business Management, or other related field.
• Minimum of two (2) years of previous legal secretary experience.
• Prior to hire, a Department of Justice (DOJ) criminal background check and fingerprinting will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant’s suitability and competence to perform in the position.

Qualifications

• Thorough knowledge of related industry, organization, and department policies, practices, and procedures; legal guide, best practices, ordinance, and laws.
• Thorough knowledge of standard office equipment and standard office software.
• Knowledge of Wisconsin statutes pertaining to child support.
• Ability to manage time effectively handling multiple projects while adapting to constant changes in priority.
• Produce a high volume of work within established deadlines with minimal direction and supervision.
• Ability to prepare court documents timely and accurately.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of office files and records, use discretion with clients, possess a non-judgmental attitude, and maintain a professional demeanor.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective and professional working relationships with co-workers and the general public.
• Ability to follow Dunn County policies and procedures.
• Ability to work the allocated hours of the position.
• Ability to communicate effectively with other members of the staff, supervisor, and customers. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely in both written and verbal form.
• English skills (oral, written, and comprehension) sufficient to effectively communicate with all internal and external customers.
• Ability to understand and effectively carry out verbal and written instructions.
• Ability to work accurately with attention to detail.
• Ability to prepare and maintain accurate and concise records and reports.
• Moderate math skills; add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals; locate routine mathematical errors; compute rate, ratio, and percent.

Desired Qualifications

• Knowledge of Kids Information Data System (KIDS) preferred.
• Keyboarding skills of 65+ wpm.
• Notary Public eligible.

Physical and Work Environment

• Physical effort will typically require infrequent exertion of objects weighing up to 10 pounds.
• Continuous speaking or hearing and using hands to key, handle, or feel; frequent sitting; and occasional standing, walking, and reaching with hands and arms.
• Work has standard vision requirements.
• Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word.
• Hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels.
• Work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g., business office, light traffic).
• Work has no exposure to environmental conditions.

Pay

The anticipated starting wage is between $21.92/hr and $23.63/hr.