Position Information

NY HELPYes

AgencyParks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Office of

TitleLegal Assistant 2 (NY HELPS) - Counsel's Office

Occupational CategoryLegal

Salary Grade17

Bargaining UnitPS&T - Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PEF)

Salary RangeFrom $63361 to $80655 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Permanent

Jurisdictional Class Competitive Class

Travel Percentage 0%

Schedule

Workweek Mon-Fri

"Other" Explanation Monday – Friday 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (subject to change as needed)

Hours Per Week 37.50

Workday

From 8 AM

To 5 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? Yes

Telecommuting allowed? Yes

Location

County Albany

Street Address Albany Main Office: 625 Broadway

City Albany

StateNY

Zip Code12238

Job Specifics

Duties Description The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (Parks) is seeking a Legal Assistant 2 to join its small and collaborative team within its Office of the General Counsel.

Parks oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, trails, beaches, pools, golf courses, and boat launches, among other recreational amenities, across New York State, and eleven distinct park regions, and is proud to have just celebrated the system’s centennial. Every employee demonstrates a commitment to serving the public, to protecting natural, historic and cultural resources, to providing creative and innovative programs and services, and to excellence and professionalism.

The Office of General Counsel provides legal advice, assistance, and guidance to Parks’ programs and administrative support divisions. Parks’ Program and divisions are as varied as its many parks and historic sites. They include Environmental Stewardship and Planning, Historic Preservation, Grants, Capital, Energy, Real Property, Finance & Contracts, Emergency Management, Health & Safety, Marine Services, Snowmobiles, Park Police, Concessions, and Partnerships, among others. The Office of General Counsel also manages the agency’s Freedom of Information Law requests and other records access inquiries and collaborates with the Office of the Attorney General on both affirmative and defensive civil litigation matters.

Working under the general supervision of the General Counsel and/or other senior attorney staff, the Legal Assistant 2 primarily support attorneys and administrative staff working on litigation and administrative proceedings, Freedom of Information Law responses, and procurement matters. The Legal Assistant 2 will:
• Assist attorneys with litigation and investigation proceedings, including by organizing witness files and documentary evidence; drafting subpoenas, notices, affidavits, stipulations, discovery requests, and other legal documents; coordinating document production and discovery responses; scheduling meetings, hearings, and witness interviews; maintaining case tracking and management systems; and tracking deadline and providing periodic status reporting;
• Assist Records Access Officer in responding to FOIL requests, including by reviewing records for responsiveness and identifying documents requiring attorney review; preparing document logs and assisting with document redactions; coordinating with agency program and regional staff to obtain responsive records; and tracking deadlines and providing periodic status reports;
• Assist attorneys with compliance review matters, including review of agency policies and guidance documents and regulatory reviews, and research and track legislative and regulatory updates affecting agency programs and operations;
• Assist attorneys and contract management staff with procurement reviews, bid protests, responsibility determinations, and procurement disputes;
• Conduct legal research of federal and state statutes, regulations, case law, administrative decisions and other sources to support attorneys;
• Assist with the development of training materials and legal presentations and standardized forms and templates
• Maintain electronic and paper legal files, organize confidential legal records, track retention schedules and records disposition requirements, and support implementation of electronic records management system(s);
• Assist in other program areas or participate in special projects, as needed;
• Provide back-up support to office administrative staff;
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the General Counsel or Supervising Attorney.

Minimum Qualifications If Civil Service Eligible list(s) exist, they will be canvassed. You may also apply if you are eligible for appointment or reinstatement by one of the following qualifications:

If you have previous or current employment at a NYS agency, to be considered for this position, a review of your state history is needed. Please provide the last four digits of your social security number in your email response or on your resume. If you are not comfortable providing this information in your response, a representative from our office may contact you.

NY HELPS or 55-b/c Qualifications:
This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).*

To be considered for appointment through NY HELPS, or 55-b/c, candidates must meet the open-competitive minimum qualifications for this position. The qualifications are:

Either 1: A bachelor's degree*** (or higher) in a paralegal/legal assistant program from a regionally accredited college or university, or college or university accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) or one approved by the American Bar Association (ABA); AND one year of subsequent full-time experience as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant.**

Or 2: An associate's degree*** (or higher) in a paralegal/legal assistant program OR a certificate in a paralegal/legal assistant program where either the degree or certificate was granted from a regionally accredited college or university accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) or one approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) AND two years of subsequent full-time experience as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant.**

**A Paralegal/Legal Assistant is someone who applies knowledge of the law and legal procedures in rendering direct assistance to lawyers, clients, and courts; prepares and interprets legal documents and forms; researches, compiles and uses information from legal materials to provide both written and verbal comments on their findings; and analyzes and handles routine procedural problems independently with minimal attorney oversight.

Substitution: Graduation from an accredited (ABA approved) law school with a degree required by New York State Bar admittance will be accepted as meeting the educational requirements.

Non-qualifying degrees: Non-qualifying degrees include but are not limited to degrees in Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, Liberal Arts, Political Science, Business Administration and Business Management.

Non-qualifying experience: Non-qualifying experience includes but is not limited to experience which is limited solely to general clerical or secretarial duties performed in a law office.

Important: Non-degree certificates of completion or diplomas awarded by a training institution or company not regionally accredited or accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) or approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) are not qualifying.

***Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education (https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home). If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States or its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. This information can be found at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. Candidates are responsible for the evaluation fee.

If you are a veteran or an individual with a disability and would like to apply for the Department of Civil Service’s 55-b/c Program, please visit https://www.cs.ny.gov/rp55/ for more information.

Subsequent 55-b/c Qualifications:
A subsequent 55-b/c appointment may be considered if you have at least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service and have a current Civil Service 55-b/c letter of eligibility.

52.6 Transfer Qualifications:
At least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service as a Grade 15 or higher. The service must be in a title that Civil Service has deemed transfer eligible to the position.

Note: The transfer cannot be a second consecutive transfer resulting in an advancement of more than two salary grades.

70.1 Transfer Qualifications:
At least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service as a Grade 14 or higher. The service must be in a title that Civil Service has deemed transfer eligible to the position.

Note: The transfer cannot be a second consecutive transfer resulting in an advancement of more than two salary grades.

For all transfers noted, a comprehensive list of titles approved for transfer is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/.

Additional Comments PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Have knowledge of New York State government operations and administrative law.
• Be familiar with New York Civil Practice Law and Rules, State Finance Law, and/or Public Officers Law (including the Freedom of Information Law and Code of Ethics).
• Have proficiency with Westlaw, Lexis or equivalent legal research platforms and with Microsoft Office (include Word, Excel and SharePoint)
• Have experience supporting attorneys in one or more of the following areas: litigation, administrative law, labor and employment, government contracts and procurement, FOIL, environmental law, ethics, real estate.
• Have strong written and verbal communication skills, the ability to organize large volumes of records and evidence, strong analytic and critical thinking skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while meeting strict deadlines.

NOTE ON TELECOMMUTING: Employees are required to apply and obtain approval through management to telecommute according to the agency’s Telecommuting Program Guidelines.

To learn about our benefits, visit: https://parks.ny.gov/employment/benefits.aspx

*NY HELPS PROGRAM:
For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a permanent 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 (within one year of permanent appointment), 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 a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

Employees appointed via the NY HELPS program are restricted for promotional appointment until their position is covered-in to the competitive class by the New York State Civil Service Commission (CSC), or they otherwise obtain permanent competitive status. The CSC has covered-in employees who were appointed via NY HELPS on a permanent or contingent permanent basis between June 26, 2024 and June 11, 2025. You may wish to apply if you received a permanent NY HELPS appointment to a qualifying title within these timeframes and are interested in this opportunity. Your eligibility for promotion will be reviewed by Human Resources. Employees with a permanent NY HELPS appointment occurring effective June 12, 2025 or later will be addressed with a subsequent cover-in.

This position may require a background check prior to appointment.

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

How to Apply

Name Personnel/KW

Telephone

Fax

Email Address employment@parks.ny.gov

Address

Street 625 Broadway

City Albany

State NY

Zip Code 12207

 

Notes on ApplyingAll candidates must submit a written resume and cover letter which clearly demonstrates how they meet the minimum qualifications for the position. Please submit your resume and cover letter as a Word or PDF attachment. We are unable to open documents from Google Docs, Google Drive, OneDrive, Apple Pages, and/or “the cloud”.

Your application must be received by September 14, 2026, and submitted via email to: employment@parks.ny.gov.
Please use the email subject line: Legal Assistant 2 - VID222879.

It is the responsibility of each applicant to accurately describe their experience and demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualifications. Failure to demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualifications and operating needs may result in your resume not being considered for this position.

Please be advised that New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation does not use E-Verify and does not offer sponsorship for employment visas statuses (i.e. H-1B, Self-Sponsorship, STEM OPT). Candidates sponsored for employment by an organization should be aware of their sponsorship status and the relevant expiration date(s) of that sponsorship before applying to this position.

Candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to ensuring equal opportunity for persons with disabilities and workplace diversity.

New York State (NYS) is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. NYS Law prohibits discrimination because of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, domestic violence victim status, carrier status, gender identity or prior conviction records, or prior arrests, youthful offender adjudications or sealed records unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Executive Order 31 commits New York State government to becoming a model employer for people with disabilities, increasing the participation of people with disabilities in state service, and ensuring equal access to opportunities. OPRHP encourages people with disabilities to apply. We provide reasonable and religious accommodations for any part of the application and hiring process. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please send a request to the Equal Opportunity Unit at ReasonableAccommodation@parks.ny.gov or (518) 486-7754.