Paralegal Specialist

The State of Connecticut, Department of Banking is hiring! We are seeking a qualified individual for the position of Paralegal Specialist to provide assistance to the department’s General Counsel, staff attorneys and the designated Hearing and Freedom of Information Act officer.

The Connecticut Department of Banking (Department) is the primary state regulator for state-chartered banks and credit unions, securities, and consumer credit. Its mission is to protect users of financial services from unlawful or improper practices by ensuring regulated entities and individuals adhere to state banking, consumer credit and securities laws. The Department accomplishes this through regular, thorough, and cost-effective examinations of the entities it supervises. The Department also engages the public and other stakeholders through a variety of media platforms, educational outreach initiatives, and press communications.

This position is located at 260 Constitution Plaza, Hartford, CT. The work schedule for this position is Monday - Friday, 40 hours per week.

To Apply:

• 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.
• 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.

Important Information After You Apply:

• 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.

Connect With Us:

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 jennifer.neumann@ct.gov.

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; as a resource regarding issues, procedures, process and timeframe as related to cases and presenting legal matters as needed.

The following is a list of some (but not limited to) example duties the successful candidates may be required to perform:
This position will:

• Perform legal research and analysis of law sources for the General Counsel and staff attorneys
• Assist the General Counsel and division attorneys in preparing and reviewing legal documents for highly complex fraud cases, settlements, regulatory approvals, advisory opinions, and proposed legislation
• Prepare for and assist the designated Hearing Officer at administrative hearings or through case presentation
• Oversee reproduction of legal records and exhibits for administrative hearings and on appeal
• Provide assistance and legal guidance to staff on Freedom of Information Act requests
• Manage legal case timetables
• Maintain and update legal files and case records
• Prepare legal and administrative reports
• Provide assistance and legal guidance to staff in processing license applications and with examination report findings
• Monitor state legislative developments having an impact on the Department of Banking and keep personnel apprised
• Follow relevant federal legislation and regulatory proposals
• Keep abreast of new regulation promulgation processes, ensuring that draft amendments are in proper format and contain no inconsistencies.
• Provide backup support services to Attorneys such as answering correspondence and telephone inquiries concerning Connecticut’s consumer credit and securities laws
• Update enforcement tracking systems
• Prepare drafts of various legal documents related to securities/consumer credit enforcement actions for attorney review such as subpoenas, affidavits and referral letters to the Office of the Attorney General
• Monitor respondents’ compliance with legal settlement terms and conditions and prepare reports on such compliance for management’s review and action
• Perform cite checks for briefs and memoranda of law (i.e. “blue booking”)
• Research, interpret and apply relevant statutes, regulations, precedents and policies.
• Other related duties can be found here

Considerable knowledge of legal processes and procedures; considerable knowledge of legal terminology and legal forms; considerable knowledge of legal research techniques; knowledge of relevant agency policies and procedures; knowledge of and the ability to interpret and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and legislation; considerable skill in fact finding techniques including interviewing clients and compiling evidence; considerable interpersonal skills; considerable oral and written communication skills; considerable ability to evaluate pertinent facts, cases and evidence and compile and assemble such legal data; considerable ability to compose correspondence and draft legal documents; ability to understand complex laws and related reports; ability to utilize computer software.

The General Experience is defined as one of the following:

1. A Bachelor’s degree in legal studies and one (1) year of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney.

2. An Associate’s degree in legal studies and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. A Law degree from an accredited Law School.

• Experience in financial services or consumer credit industries.
• Experience with consumer financial protection laws.
• Experience performing legal research and analysis.
• Experience processing documents for administrative hearings or court cases.
• Experience working as a paralegal for two or more attorneys.
• Experience communicating both verbally and in writing with all levels of the organization.

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.