LEGAL SECRETARY - OAHU

Duties Summary

Responsible for providing secretarial, legal clerical and general office services for the attorney who administers a division and is responsible for planning a professional legal services program and supervising attorneys and support staff.

In addition to providing secretarial services and minor administrative support to the attorney who serves as chief of a legal services division, a position in this class is responsible for maintaining office operations and work flow for a division which includes supervising the work of a staff of legal clerks and other clerical staff who provide legal support and office services for attorneys in the division; and perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

• Legal Authorization To Work: The State of Hawaii requires all persons seeking employment with the government of the State shall be citizens, nationals, or permanent resident aliens of the United States, or eligible under federal law for unrestricted employment in the United States.
• Prerequisite Knowledge And Abilities Required:
  • Knowledge of: Legal terminology; function of courts; format, content and the use of legal documents; various types of court actions and associated processes and procedures; legal and office practices and procedures; grammar, spelling, word usage and sentence construction; legal documents preparation, processing and filing practices and procedures; and procedures for processing and filing legal and court documents with courts, boards and commissions.
  • Ability to: Plan, organize and carry out secretarial functions; organize legal clerical work activities and conduct office services functions; assign, direct, review and evaluate the work of others; communicate effectively with others and maintain harmonious working relationships; accurately prepare, type, process and file a variety of complex legal and court documents in proper format, in accordance with established procedures and within prescribed deadlines, with the appropriate court, board or commission; check citations and quotations from legal sources; carry out legal office clerical routines; and type accurately (using a computer, word processing and/or other software applications) at the rate of 40 net words per minute.
• Specialized Experience: Three years of progressively responsible legal clerical work experience which involved preparing, typing, processing and filing legal documents and which demonstrated the prerequisite knowledge and abilities described above. In addition, either concurrently or separately from the Specialized Experience, there must be demonstrated ability to carry out procedures in clerical work systems and to perform secretarial tasks as described in the Minimum Qualification Requirements.
• Supervisory Aptitude: Supervisory aptitude rather than actual supervisory experience may be accepted. This requirement will be considered to have been met when there is strong affirmative evidence of the necessary supervisory abilities and/ or potential.
• Substitutions Allowed: Relevant substitutions as described in the Minimum Qualification Requirements, will apply.
• Skilled Typing Requirement: Applicants must be able to type accurately, using a typewriter or word processor, at the rate of 40 net words per minute. Your proficiency may be tested by the appointing authority. Failure to demonstrate at least the minimum typing and/or keyboarding skill as noted above may result in corrective action, including the removal of your name from the list of eligibles for employment consideration.

Other Information

• The State of Hawai'i complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities.
• To qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, the individual must have made 120 qualifying payments while employed by a qualifying employer.
• The Department of Human Resources Development (HRD) will use electronic mail (email) to notify applicants of important information relating to the status and processing of their applications as part of our ongoing efforts to increase operational efficiency, promote the conservation of green resources, and minimize delays and costs.
• If in-person interviews and/or further testing is a requirement, applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are referred to the vacancy must be available to participate in person and at their own expense in this required phase of the selection process.
• Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible. In addition to employment availability and score, the referral of qualified applicants may be based upon other factors including date of receipt of application.

Testing Information

The examination for this recruitment will be conducted on an unassembled basis where the examination score is based on an evaluation and rating of your education and experience. It is therefore important that your employment application provide a clear and detailed description of the duties and responsibilities of each position you held. In-person interviews and/or further testing in Hawaii may be required at the discretion of the hiring agency.