Legal Secretary Ii

Base Pay: $18.23 Hourly


SUMMARY:
Performs moderately complex and technical legal secretarial functions which require some independent judgment and knowledge of legal terminology, documents and procedures.

The employee is required to be on duty before, during, and after natural disasters and emergencies, as directed by the Department Head.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following.

Other duties may be assigned.

Depending upon division or department to which assigned, performs any combination of the following duties:
Composes, types and processes a variety of legal documents and/or letters.

Obtains information needed in the prosecution of a criminal case or processing of a civil case from individuals and agencies; or obtains information needed to assist attorney in drafting or reviewing legal documents relating to the business of the county.

Checks and monitors docket and prepares files and other materials for attorney's use in court.

Uses the computer to process, retrieve and disseminate information and documents, including word processing functions for letters, memoranda and legal documents.

Prepares case files for filing with District or County Clerk.

Responds to inquiries from law enforcement agencies, defense attorneys, prosecutors and the public regarding the status of certain cases.

Responds to clients regarding the status of contract and opinion preparations.

Supervises and coordinates court dockets, maintains accurate information on all court settings and dockets and coordinates pre-trial docket settings.

Logs cases filed or new files opened to reflect file numbers and dates assigned.

May maintain tickler calendar for follow-ups.

Maintains accurate files on assigned cases, including opening new files which reflect file numbers and dates assigned.

Compiles and types of statistical reports and/or keeps monthly statistics on cases or files pending.

May set appointments for supervisor(s) and/or attorneys in the division or unit.

May perform notary public services.

May transcribe legal and other technical dictation.

May screen walk-in and telephone callers or complainants and assist them directly or refer them to the appropriate office or person.

May aid in locating witnesses.

May act as a resource to other legal secretaries and may train new secretaries.

May substitute for Senior Administrative Clerk or for other clerical employees, in their absences.

May perform duties of deputy clerk, i.e., issue summons, subpoenas, citations and notices, certify authenticity of copies of court documents, date, stamp and file legal documents with the court.

May perform duties of court clerk, i.e., swear in witnesses, make and maintain electronic recordings of court proceedings, file exhibits and prepare transcripts as needed.

Performs such other duties as may be assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Any employee who drives a vehicle on official business must have a driving record which meets standards set by the County and the County’s insurance carrier.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
High school diploma or general education degree (GED) with courses in typing and computers and three years of responsible clerical work experience; at least one year of legal secretarial experience with a governmental entity is preferred.

Any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities, may be considered for current Nueces County employees only.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.

Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.

Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

Ability to compute rate, ratio and percent.

REASONING ABILITY:
Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:
Texas Operator's Driver's License.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.

Ability to proofread for accuracy.

Considerable knowledge of justice system procedures and functions, modern office practices, legal documents and terminology.

Ability to work independently on difficult or complex clerical tasks and to prepare, verify and correct legal documents and complicated legal instruments.

Ability to train and serve as a resource to other clerical and/or secretarial employees.

Ability to type accurate