Office of the Attorney General

GENERAL DESCRIPTION Performs legal assistant work for the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Tort Litigation Division. Work involves coordinating legal activities; researching, analyzing, investigating, and drafting legal documents; and assisting attorneys with case management. OAG employees enjoy excellent benefits along with tremendous opportunities to do important work at a large, dynamic state agency making a positive difference in the lives of Texans. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Legal Assistant I: Drafts, prepares, reviews and edits pleadings, motions, briefs, abstracts, legislative histories, petitions, summary judgments, rules, and other administrative and agency procedures; Participates in coordinating discovery, including the drafting, responding, and calendaring of interrogatories, requests for production, requests for admissions and other information in accordance with local, state, federal and agency rules and procedures Assists with coordinating, assembling, and preparing evidence, exhibits, affidavits, and other documents for use in legal proceedings; assists in all phases of trial preparation, including setting hearings/depositions/meetings, ordering medical records, coordinating discovery requests with client agencies, organizing trial notebooks and exhibits and preparing witnesses for trial; files pleadings with court Maintains calendar/docket, files, case openings and closings; maintains case information on electronic litigation case management system Researches and analyzes legal sources such as statutes, case law, administrative records, opinions, land titles, abstracts and rules and regulations; prepares memoranda on research findings; Reviews citations, quotations, footnotes, and references for accuracy Participates in managing attorneys’ caseloads including scheduling, prioritizing, preparing chronologies, fact summaries filing, case management; maintains calendar/docket, files, case openings and closings Prepares documents; organizes documents in litigation; prepares and coordinates service of subpoenas, notices of deposition and other legal documents to witnesses and parties to actions Performs related work as assigned Maintains relevant knowledge necessary to perform essential job functions Attends work regularly in compliance with agreed-upon work schedule Ensures security and confidentiality of sensitive and/or protected information Complies with all agency policies and procedures, including those pertaining to ethics and integrity Legal Assistant II: All of the above functions for a Legal Assistant I, Plus: Assembles, and prepares evidence, exhibits, affidavits, and documents for use in legal proceedings. Schedules and prioritizes attorney caseloads; organizes case files; attends initial interviews and depositions; conducts investigations; and prepares chronologies, fact summaries, and witness files. Schedules and drafts interrogatories, requests for production, requests for admissions, and requests for information. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Legal Assistant I: Education: Graduation from high school or equivalent Experience: Three years full-time experience as a legal assistant, legal secretary, or general office experience in a legal environment; may substitute ninety credit hours from an accredited college or university with coursework in law or a related field on a year-for-year basis. Knowledge of office procedures in a legal setting Knowledge of and familiarity with legal documents Knowledge of Westlaw, Lexis Nexis, or other legal research tools Skill in handling multiple tasks, prioritizing, and meeting deadlines Skill in effective oral and written communication Skill in exercising sound judgment and effective decision making Skill in cite-checking Ability to receive and respond positively to constructive feedback Ability to work cooperatively with others in a professional office environment Ability to provide excellent customer service Ability to work in person at assigned OAG work location, perform all assigned tasks at designated OAG work space within OAG work location, and perform in-person work with coworkers (e.g., collaborating, training, mentoring) for the entirety of every work week (unless on approved leave) Ability to arrange for personal transportation for business-related travel Ability to work more than 40 hours as needed and in compliance with the FLSA Ability to lift and relocate 30 lbs. Ability to travel (including overnight travel) up to 5% Legal Assistant II – All the above qualifications for a Legal Assistant I, Plus: Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; experience in the following (or closely related) fields may be substituted for the require, ed education on a year-for year basis: legal assistant, legal secretary, or general office experience in a legal environment. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Education: Graduation from a course of study for legal assistants [Copy of certificate required at time of interview]; Experience: Legal Assistant experience in civil litigation with the TX Attorney General or other state agency Experience: MS Word 2013, Adobe Acrobat XI Pro, Excel 2013 and LCMS Experience: File &Serve Xpress electronic filing Experience: Westlaw, Westlaw Next, Lexis Nexis and other related computerized legal research tools Experience with redacting confidential documents Knowledge of the Texas Tort Claims Act and Texas Workers’ Compensation Act Knowledge of legal terminology and principles Knowledge of electronic discovery TO APPLY To apply for a job with the OAG, submit a completed State of Texas job application through the OAG Job Postings Page. In addition, electronic applications can be submitted through either CAPPS Recruit or Work in Texas. A State of Texas application must be completed to be considered, and paper applications are not accepted. For further instructions on how to apply through the OAG Job Postings Page, see our How to Apply page. Your application for this position may subject you to a criminal background check pursuant to the Texas Government Code. Military Crosswalk information can be accessed at http://www.hr.sao.state.tx.us/Compensation/MilitaryCrosswalk/MOSC_Legal.pdf. THE OAG IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER