Los Angeles Community College District

A Paralegal performs complex and difficult paralegal assignments under the direction of an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel.

Receives, analyzes, investigates, and recommends action to an attorney on submissions under various tort claim acts.

Reviews files and determines the need for additional information, independent surveys, evidence, and witnesses, and plans a comprehensive approach to obtain this information.

Conducts comprehensive investigations of the facts and circumstances related to cases which may include on-site visits, interviews, operational reviews, and record searches.

Analyzes the legal impact of legislative developments and administrative and judicial decisions, opinions, determinations, and rulings on District programs and activities and recommends positions and action to District administration.

Conducts research into legislative history, precedent cases, decisions, and opinions.

Prepares digests of legal decisions and opinions.

Reviews legal documents and forms for completeness and conformance to applicable legal codes and convention.

Verifies citations and legal references on prepared legal documents.

Calendars important dates related to the progress of cases, submission of documents, and court/hearing appearances.

Reviews a wide range of documents prepared by business, human resources, educational services, and college personnel for legal form and to identify potential legal problems and liabilities.

Summarizes, organizes, and indexes opinions, testimony, depositions, and documentary material and interrogatories.

Files, lodges, and transfers documents for courthouse and courtroom procedures.

Screens and/or responds to requests for information such as legal advice, legal representation, case law, and pertinent sections of legal codes.

Retrieves data in various digital formats and applies knowledge of legal requirements and software manipulation to extract the information necessary for distribution in public records requests, subpoenas, and information requests.

May appear in small claims matters as a legal representative of the District when an attorney's representation is prohibited.

Drafts and edits a variety of non-legal memoranda, reports, and correspondence.

Performs related duties as assigned.

A Paralegal/Paralegal, Litigation performs a wide range of paraprofessional legal research, investigation, document preparation, document processing, and scheduling related to legal matters/litigation brought by and against the District under the supervision of an attorney.

A Legal Secretary performs secretarial and clerical duties which require a knowledge of specialized practices, procedures, and terminology related to the operation of a law office.

General supervision is received from the General Counsel. Immediate supervision is received from an Associate or Assistant General Counsel. May exercise functional supervision over secretarial and clerical staff.

Knowledge of:

Principles, concepts, and methods of legal research

Legal reference sources and materials

Legal procedures

Practical knowledge of basic legal principles and concepts

Current Federal, State, and local laws applicable to the District's mission and activities

Techniques of fact finding, investigation, and problem analysis

Document control and security measures related to legal work

Proper business English, punctuation, spelling, and composition

Legal vocabulary, terminology, writing, form, and style

Capabilities of computer hardware, systems, and applications common to a law office such as Lexis

or Westlaw

Ability to:

Apply appropriate legal research methodology to a wide range of legal matters

Plan and conduct comprehensive fact finding and investigations

Recognize the critical elements of legal and business problems

Interpret and apply bodies of laws, regulations, precedents, and practices to legal actions

Write comprehensive, legally correct, and understandable reports, documents and communications

Make clear, concise, and effective oral presentations

Plan and organize work to meet critical deadlines

Critically review source data, detect, and correct errors

Perform complex assignments independently

Work effectively and cooperatively with administration, staff, and the public

Effectively utilize computer software typically found in a law office environment

Learn specialized computer applications

Education and Experience:

A. A Juris Doctor degree from an accredited American Bar Association school of law.

OR

B. A bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university with a major in paralegal, legal assistance, or a closely related field AND one year of recent, full-time paid experience as a paralegal working under the supervision of an attorney.

For the class of Paralegal (Litigation) the qualifying experience must include one year in the specialization of litigation.

OR

C. Completion of a paralegal or legal assistant certificate program at an accredited college or university that is approved by the American Bar Association AND two years of recent, full-time paid experience as a paralegal working under the supervision of an attorney.

For the class of Paralegal (Litigation) the qualifying experience must include two years in the specialization of litigation.

Special:

Pursuant to Section 6450(d) of the California Business and Professions Code, every two years, all Paralegals shall be required to certify completion of four hours of mandatory continuing legal education in legal ethics and four hours of mandatory continuing legal education in either general law or in an area of specialized law. All continuing education courses shall meet the requirements of Business and Professions Code Section 6070. Certification of these continuing education requirements shall be made with the Paralegal’s supervising attorney. The Paralegal shall be responsible for keeping a record of the Paralegal’s certification.

A valid Class “C” California driver's license may be required for some positions.

Travel to locations throughout the District may be required for some positions.

Our class specification generally describes the duties, responsibilities, and requirements characteristic of the position(s) within this job class. The duties, responsibilities, and requirements of a particular position within this class may vary from the duties of other positions within the class.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Los Angeles Community College District provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with covered disabilities on a case-by-case basis throughout the application, examination, and hiring processes and throughout employment. If an individual is in doubt about their ability to perform the duties and responsibilities of a position or possession of any other requirement noted in a class specification or job announcement, they should always apply for a position and request reasonable accommodation at the appropriate time.