Review Vacancy
AgencyPublic Service, Department of
TitleLegal Assistant Trainee* OR Legal Assistant 1
Occupational CategoryOther Professional Careers
Bargaining UnitPS&T - Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PEF)
Salary RangeFrom $47695 to $68630 Annually
Duties Description The Legal Assistant 1, Grade 14, will work in the Office of General Counsel (OGC) and will perform duties that include, but are not limited to:
• Maintaining discovery logs in administrative litigation proceedings regarding utility rates. This involves ensuring logs accurately reflect the date discovery requests between parties, including DPS, the utility, and intervenors, were sent; contents of requests; response due dates; any deadline extensions; date responses are received; and whether any of the material is confidential.
• Sending and maintaining discovery requests; download, review, organize, and maintain discovery responses.
• Assisting in preparing and filing written testimony and exhibits in administrative litigation proceedings regarding utility rates.
• Assisting in the final preparation of legal documents for State, federal, and administrative litigation.
• Filing/uploading legal documents in court dockets, requiring familiarity with New York State Courts Electronic Filing (NSYCEF), Federal Court Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF), and Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) electronic filing systems, and applying knowledge of where to find relevant State and federal procedural and filing rules.
• Organizing and preparing comprehensive sets of documents such as administrative records for court filings, preparing indexes or table of contents for administrative or litigation records, and responding to subpoenas and other discovery requests; filing and serving “paper” documents when required.
• Performing legal or record research using Westlaw, online, and hardcopy sources.
• Assisting OGC attorneys in customer complaint appeal cases.
• Applying redaction software functions to protect information in particular contexts.
• Tracking relevant court dates and maintaining litigation calendar, which requires the ability to search and track case information in NYSCEF and the PACER service system for litigation filings.
• Using Microsoft Word and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) capabilities to assist in the preparation and filing of documents.
• Working independently and as part of a diverse, interdisciplinary team; prioritizing and managing different work streams and schedules.
• Interacting and coordinating with attorneys and support staff; reporting to attorneys and senior staff.
Minimum Qualifications General Public
Non-Competitive (NY HELPS)**:
For appointment to a Legal Assistant Trainee 1, you must have:
A high school or high school equivalency diploma AND one year of clerical, administrative, or paraprofessional experience OR an associate degree (or higher) in any field, where the degree was granted from a regionally accredited college or university, or one approved by the American Bar Association (ABA).
For appointment to a Legal Assistant 1, Grade 14, you must have:
Two years of full-time experience*** as a Paralegal or Legal Assistant, where you were responsible for applying knowledge of the law and legal procedures in rendering direct assistance to lawyers, clients, and courts; preparing and interpreting legal documents and forms; researching, compiling, and using information from legal materials to provide both written and verbal comments on their findings; and/or analyzing and handling routine procedural problems independently with minimal attorney oversight.
***Substitutions:
Either 1. An associate degree (or higher) in paralegal/legal assistant/legal studies program or a certificate in a paralegal/legal assistant/legal studies program where the degree was granted from a regionally accredited college or university, or one approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) OR
2. An associate degree in any field where the degree was granted from a regionally accredited college or university, or one approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) AND one year of experience as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant OR
3. Graduation from an accredited (ABA approved) law school with a degree required for NYS Bar will be accepted as meeting the educational and experience requirement for this title.
Preferred candidates would have proficiency with Microsoft applications, including SharePoint, Word, Excel, and Outlook, as well as Adobe Acrobat. Preferred candidates would have excellent time management skills, be comfortable working independently, have skill in prioritizing and managing multiple assignments, and have strong written and verbal communication skills.
55-b/c:
Candidates who are currently eligible, who meet the qualifications listed in the “Non-Competitive (NY HELPS)” section above are encouraged to apply. If interested in this position and applying using your 55-b/c status, please provide a copy of your current 55-b/c eligibility letter.
Civil Service List
Candidates on the appropriate Legal Assistant list(s) have been canvassed and do not need to apply to this posting.
Transfer
Current New York State employee with one year or more of permanent, competitive service, or 55-b/c service as a Legal Assistant 1, Grade 14; OR current New York State employee with one year or more of permanent, contingent permanent, or 55-b/c service in a qualifying title and eligible for transfer under section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law.
If you are a current New York State employee on the eligible list and not reachable, you may be eligible for transfer. Candidates are encouraged to access GOT-IT on the Civil Service website (www.cs.ny.gov) to determine transfer eligibility.
Additional Comments About the Department:
The New York State Department of Public Service (DPS or Department) works to: ensure safe, affordable, and reliable access to electric, gas, steam, water, and telecommunications services at just and reasonable rates for New York State customers, protect the natural environment, reduce greenhouse gas emissions via transmission and siting of renewable energy resources, and augment the resiliency of utility infrastructure. Learn more about DPS and how you can make a difference by checking out our video and more at: https://dps.ny.gov/employment-opportunities.
Additional Comments:
*Successful completion of the two-year traineeship leads to appointment as a Legal Assistant 1, Grade 14.
**This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.
At a future date, it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in an NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
The Department of Public Service is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by contacting the Designee for Reasonable Accommodations (DRA) and Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator which can be found under the Accessibility Link on the Department’s webpage at https://dps.ny.gov.
Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.