Paralegal Specialist
Hybrid
Recruitment #231117-6142AR-001
| Location |
Hartford, CT
|
|---|---|
| Date Opened | 11/22/2023 12:00:00 AM |
| Salary | $72,926* - $94,374/year (*New state employees start at the minimum.) |
| Job Type | Open to the Public |
| Close Date | 12/5/2023 11:59:00 PM |
Introduction
The State of Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is looking to hire a Paralegal Specialist. This is a great role for someone interested in performing highly complex paralegal duties and legal research and preparing analysis of information gathered!
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
- Work for a Forbes top company - ‘Forbes’: State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule
- A competitive starting salary
- A Platinum Healthcare Plan, the nation’s best for state employees and dependents, according to a report by Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform an article by Ellen Andrews, Ph.D., along with comprehensive benefit offerings
- Generous paid time off, including vacation, sick, and personal leave accruals
- Retirement plan options, group life insurance, and other supplemental benefits
- Alternate work schedules
- A culture that encourages work-life balance
- State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service. Click here for more information.
ABOUT US
The OEC is a unique state agency in CT that helps families with young children achieve better life outcomes. As a relatively new state agency, OEC is mandated in its enabling statutes to be data-driven, human-centered, and results-focused. We touch the lives of over 200,000 young children, parents, and caregivers annually through our integrated focus on early care and education programs and safety supports, our home visiting programs, and other critical early childhood services. By scale of funding, OEC is one of the largest departments of CT state government, deploying and leveraging approximately half a billion dollars each year in service of vulnerable families and communities. CT is a leader in the coordination of early childhood programs throughout the country. Whereas early childhood programming in most states is fragmented across multiple programs families must navigate, only a handful of states have created agencies dedicated to integrating support families with young children require and only CT has a clear data-driven mandate. New parenthood and early childhood are extremely important moments in a person's life and experiences during this time can have significant and long lasting impacts. OEC acts on the overwhelming evidence that intervention early in life is the most promising way to break the cycle of poverty.
POSITION HIGHLIGHTS
- Monday - Friday
- Full-time
- First shift
- Location: Hartford, CT
- Hybrid work environment (combination of on-site and remote work)
View the video below to learn what it's like to be a State of CT employee!
Selection Plan
To Apply:
Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Frank DeCusati at frank.decusati@ct.gov.
- In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on this job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.
- The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
- Ensure that your application is complete and detailed before submitting it. In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. You will not be able to make revisions once your application is submitted into the JobAps system.
- Please select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift.
- In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the Talent Acquisition Professional listed on this job posting.
- All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
- This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the questionnaire's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
- Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
- Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
- Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
- The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Frank DeCusati at frank.decusati@ct.gov.
PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)
In a state agency this class is accountable for providing advanced paralegal support in a highly complex legal unit. This class provides advanced technical leadership, research and consultation in the areas of preparing draft legal documents and draft decisions of highly complex cases, and is a resource regarding issues, procedures, process and timeframe as related to cases and presenting legal matters as needed.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES
Performs highly complex paralegal duties as defined in one or both of the following areas:
LEGAL OFFICE OPERATIONS
- Interprets complex state statutes governing legal records and documents;
- Performs legal research and analysis of law sources such as statutes, legal articles, legal decisions, opinions, rulings, memoranda and other legal material;
- Prepares draft legal documents;
- Provides paralegal assistance by interpreting applicable legal provisions, regulations, precedents and policies;
- Reviews and responds to Freedom of Information Act requests;
- Acts as hearing clerk and serves as liaison among agency, relevant attorney’s offices and general public;
- Serves as agency liaison with E-regulations portal; and
- Performs related duties as required.
- Analyzes highly complex cases;
- Assists with the development of positions and strategies to settle or litigate cases at administrative hearings;
- Reviews legal documents and assists with preparation of legal documents such as briefs for administrative proceedings;
- Assists with case preparation at administrative hearings;
- Serves as Care for Kids administrative hearing officer;
- Researches and gathers relevant evidence and documentation;
- Assists with witness interviews; and
- Performs related duties as required.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY
- Considerable knowledge of
- legal processes and procedures;
- legal terminology and legal forms;
- legal research techniques;
- Knowledge of
- relevant agency policies and procedures;
- and the ability to interpret and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and legislation;
- Considerable
- interpersonal skills;
- oral and written communication skills;
- skill in fact finding techniques including interviewing clients and compiling evidence;
- Considerable ability to
- evaluate pertinent facts, cases and evidence and compile and assemble such legal data;
- compose correspondence and draft legal documents;
- Ability to
- understand complex laws and related reports;
- utilize computer software.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE
The General Experience is defined as one of the following:
- A Bachelor’s degree in legal studies and one (1) year of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR
- An Associate’s degree in legal studies and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR
- Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program approved by the American Bar Association and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR
- Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program consisting of a minimum of twenty-four (24) semester hours from an accredited college or university and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR
- Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program from a business school approved by the State of Connecticut, Office of Higher Education and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR
- A Law degree from an accredited Law School.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience analyzing statutes, regulations and documents directly related to administrative law
- Experience drafting, reviewing, and editing legal documents
- Experience responding to Freedom of Information Act requests
- Experience meeting deadlines with competing priorities
- Experience collaborating as a team with internal and external stakeholders
Conclusion
AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.
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