Paralegal

This full-time position is located within the Office of Law and generally supports the litigation practice area. Work involves considerable knowledge of paralegal tasks, including legal research, drafting and reviewing legal documents, interviewing witnesses, and performing related activities designed to conserve time and facilitate the work of the professional legal staff.

About the role

An employee in this class has considerable contact with County and court representatives and attorneys for the purpose of explaining legal matters or coordinating issues. Work is performed according to established procedures and special instructions for complex assignments. Supervision is received from a higher-level member of the legal staff, and work performance is evaluated based on quality, thoroughness, and timeliness. The role is based in a normal office environment.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the preparation, electronic or manual filing, and tracking of legal documents, and maintain a comprehensive case and document management database, including case statuses, deadlines, and court filings.
• Explain and collect taxes or other debts owed to the County; research and document the transfer of property ownership; and confirm and collect debts owed to the County, including setting up payment plans.
• Use multiple data sources to obtain and reconcile substantive information between or within records and databases to ensure accuracy, including ownership of property, types and amounts of debt, or court decrees.
• Analyze existing information in County, Maryland, and nationwide databases.
• Assist in the preparation, proofing, finalizing, indexing, and organizing of appellate briefs, memoranda, and other court documents, including discovery requests and responses.
• Perform legal research and analysis to evaluate and summarize relevant information, including legislative history, case precedents, legal decisions, and opinions, to support case preparation.
• Perform searches, collections, and reviews of electronic data (e-discovery) in response to public information act requests, litigation hold requests, or other litigation cases.

Requirements

• Excellent skills in case management, including organization, prioritization of multiple assignments, coordination of competing tasks under tight deadlines, and meeting deadlines.
• Strong document management skills, including attention to detail, written and verbal communication, and adherence to information governance and security protocols.
• Proficiency in computer technology, including case and document management software, document processing, and legal research tools.
• Clear, effective, and professional collaboration and interaction.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major work in a related degree program or completion of training as a paralegal.
• Six or more months of experience in legal research and other phases of paralegal services.

Note: A background check is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three or more years of experience as a litigation paralegal.
• Three or more years of experience with online legal research platforms, such as Westlaw and Lexis.
• Three or more years of experience with judiciary filing platforms, such as MDEC and PACER.
• One or more years of experience with online legal case and document management platforms, such as HighQ.
• Extensive experience with Microsoft Office and Google Suite.

Benefits

• Medical/Health Insurance Plans:
  • BlueChoice Advantage EPO
  • BlueChoice Advantage PPO
• Dental Insurance:
  • CIGNA Dental PPO (Buy-Up)
  • CIGNA Dental PPO (CORE)
  • CIGNA Dental HMO (DHMO)
• Vision Insurance: EyeMed
• Employee Life Insurance: Term insurance of up to 2 times salary ($100,000 maximum) at no cost; ability to purchase Supplemental & Dependent Life Insurance.
• Disability Income Insurance
• Pension Plan: Normal retirement after 30 years of service or at Age 60 with 10 years of service; option to enroll in the Employees Retirement Savings Plan.
• Deferred Compensation: Section 457 Plan
• Direct Deposit
• Credit Union
• Holidays: Twelve days per year, thirteen in a general election year.
• Annual Leave:
  • Less than 3 years: 13 days
  • 3 to less than 15 years: 20 days
  • 15 years or more: 26 days
• Disability Leave: Accrual at a rate of 15 days a year.
• Personal Leave: 5 days per calendar year.
• Leave Sharing
• Employee Assistance Program: Free, confidential counseling for employees and family members (4x per year per problem); counseling on legal and financial issues; assistance in locating childcare and elder care.
• Flexible Spending Accounts:
  • Dependent Care Reimbursement
  • Health Care Reimbursement
• Voluntary Benefits: Opportunity to enroll in Universal Life Insurance with Long Term Care Rider or United Legal Benefits via payroll deduction.

Pay

Pay will be based on education and direct experience, generally within fifteen percent (15%) of the base pay. The pay scale shown represents full proficiency, not the starting range.