Paralegal 1 - Criminal
Full job description
Basic Function
JURISDICTION:
The City of SeaTac was incorporated in 1++0 and as of July 1, 2022, has a population of 30,525 residents. The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, located within the city limits of SeaTac, served 45.+ million air passengers in 2022. The SeaTac City Attorney’s Office provides prosecution services to the residents for the City, working directly with two law enforcement agencies: the SeaTac Police Department and the Port of Seattle Police Department.
BASIC FUNCTION:
Under the supervision of the Senior Assistant City Attorney, perform complex legal office operations of a paralegal for the criminal division of the City Attorney’s Office as authorized by state law and court rules; perform technical clerical and administrative duties; prepare, maintain and generate a variety of technical legal forms and documents; provide assistance and support prosecuting attorneys while maintaining confidentiality of department operations with a substantial amount of independence, judgment, and initiative.
Representative Duties
All responsibilities listed under this section are considered essential functions of the job.
Provide a variety of paralegal and complex clerical, technical, and support duties to the prosecuting attorneys , including: case management of all cases filed in SeaTac municipal court by the SeaTac and Port of Seattle police agency; respond to discovery requests from opposing counsels, conduct legal research, draft complaints, and contact potential witnesses; work with various law enforcement agencies in obtaining police reports, toxicology reports, evidence, and any relevant information for a successful criminal prosecution. E
Serve as a liaison between the prosecutors and the public, police, courts, defense counsels and other City departments and employees. Respond to citizens’ inquiries by providing information regarding legal and court procedures. E
Assist in the prosecution of criminal court cases that occurred in the City of SeaTac and the Port of Seattle. E
Retrieve, review, and disseminate police reports to prosecutors for filing decisions. Draft criminal complaints for prosecutor’s review and approval and file with the court. E
Prepare, upload and organize a comprehensive case file into an electronic filing system (Legal Files); process court orders in preparation for case disposition; manage and organize, both electronic and paper filing systems by purging, condensing adjudicated cases and update case logs. E
Prepare, review, and maintain case files for daily court calendars; gather information and evidence from multiple legal data base including but not limited to, Judicial Information Systems (JIS) applications, National Criminal Information Center (NCIC), Evidence.com, Department of Licensing, and various police agencies. E
Transfer, download and print all arraignment, pretrial, motion, review, and contested court calendars along with the corresponding court dockets, defendant case history and driving abstracts and update the written calendars for accuracy and completeness. E
Tracks deadlines and processing requirements and informs attorneys of legal timetables and deadlines. E
Prepares legal documents and gather evidence relevant to code enforcement, civil infraction and criminal court proceedings including, but not limited to, complaints, motions, legal pleadings, demand for discovery, subpoenas, declarations, jury instructions, and proof of service. E
Obtains, uploads, and provides discovery to attorneys, public defender, and defendants in accordance with legal requirements; confer with animal control staff, code enforcement officers, police department personnel, and others regarding cases pending or in process regarding appearances for court hearings and for follow-up on police reports as directed. E
Provide training to other personnel on office procedure specifically in relation to processing and managing various paralegal duties. E
Professionally communicates via telephone, email or in person with other departments, agencies, outside counsel, and cities. E
Supports the relationship between the City and the constituent population by demonstrating courteous and cooperative behavior when interacting with clients, visitors, and City staff; promotes City goals and priorities in compliance with all policies and procedures. E
Maintains a current understanding of court rules, statutes, and case law. E
Draft and issue written subpoena notices to victims, experts, and civilian witnesses. Assist in preparing witnesses for jury trials and civil infraction hearings by scheduling interviews and preparing them for court appearances. E
Provide in court support to the prosecutors during jury trials by meeting with witnesses to advise of the trial process and coordinate witness testimony. At the prosecutors’ request, obtains any additional evidence, case law, or documents for use in trial. E
Assists staff members regarding research and work assignments; provide support to civil attorneys as needed, including assistance with projects that may be confidential in nature; assist with special projects including but not limited to RALJ appeals and public disclosure requests as assigned. E
Reviews and transcribes specific court hearings; maintains and updates the Criminal Paralegal Procedure Manual. E
Attends meetings, seminars, conferences, and training as appropriate. E
Maintains and enforces confidentiality of work-related issues, client records, and City information. E
Perform related duties as assigned. E
E denotes an essential function of the job
Required Education and Experience
KNOWLEDGE OF:
Organization, principles, functions and activities of a legal department and municipal government.
Legal office and paralegal procedures and requirements.
Prosecutorial, police, and court functions, policies, and procedures.
Applicable local, State, and federal laws, codes, regulations, ordinances, policies, and procedures.
Principles, practices, and procedures of criminal law including court procedures and rules.
Legal and regulatory procedures.
Document formatting in accordance with court rules or established practice.
The Washington State retention and storage guidelines.
Legal research methodology.
Criminal law functions of the legal office and municipal court.
SKILL IN:
Preparation of legal documents and correspondence.
Drafting or preparing legal documents, including correspondence, memos, and court documents.
Oral and written communication skills, including the ability to coordinate with other agencies and law offices and discussion of legal issues with attorney staff.
Performing legal research and analysis.
Effectively using computer software, including word processing, graphics, spreadsheet, and Judicial Information Systems applications.
Reading, interpreting, and applying laws, codes, and regulations.
Maintaining complex interrelated files and records.
ABILITY TO:
Work independently and to tight deadlines.
Communicate effectively both orally and in writing using tact, patience, and courtesy.
Respond to a variety of inquiries.
Plan, organize, prioritize, and schedule work.
Become proficient in the use of judicial information system databases, including but not limited to: SECTOR, Westlaw, JIS, DISCIS, SCOMIS, FORS, JABS and DOL.
Meet schedules and timelines.
Work confidentially with discretion.
Understand and follow written and oral directions.
Establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others.
Read, interpret, explain, and apply rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
Licenses and Other Requirements
Associate degree in paralegal or legal administrative arts or a related field.
Three (3) years of increasingly responsible legal assistant/paralegal experience is required.
Paralegal certification required.
OR
A combination of education, training and experience that provides the candidate with knowledge, skills, and abilities.