LEGAL SECRETARY

10

Baltimore City OCSE

Office of Special Counsel

1 N.Charles Street

Baltimore MD 21201

This position performs legal administrative support duties in the Office of Special Counsel, Baltimore City Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) under the Office of Attorney General at the Department of Human Resources.

The incumbent in this position exercises independent responsibilities, analyzes information, prepares and schedules dockets for the Office of Special Counsel to include case organization and file management; maintains information through investigation and/or discovery and updates files and folders; assists attorneys with legal assignments, enabling them to provide advice and legal counsel to clients; and provides administrative support to the attorneys of the Office of Special Counsel and other staff within the division when necessary to meet the requirements and goals of the office.

Types and/or edits pleadings, correspondences, memorandas, affidavits, exhibits, and tables using word processing software; prepares boilerplate letters and motions related to the scheduling of cases and dockets in the Circuit Court; updates the Child Support Enforcement System and other computer systems as necessary; responds to client and public inquiries; proofreads correspondences, orders and pleadings; prepares statistical reports and charts; assists attorneys in preparing legal documents to be used in litigation and discovery, which include but are not limited to: organizing and maintaining legal documents, reviewing legal documents for privileged information, photocopying documents, redacting legal documents to protect confidentiality, and creating and maintaining legal database of information; performs fact finding and legal research to prepare for trial using internet and legal reference materials, which include but are not limited to: performing cite checks to ensure that accurate and up-to-date information is provided to the attorney; and printing cases, regulations, and statutes at the request of attorneys.

This position also delivers and files legal pleadings and exhibits with the Clerk's Office of the State and Federal court, witnesses, and opposing counsel within a timely manner, which includes but is not limited to, hand-delivery- delivers subpoenas to witnesses and parties of action involved in pending legal matters; serves as a point of contact with agency staff and private citizens, counsel and court personnel to obtain information or answer general questions; attends meetings or court proceedings when office representation is needed to take notes and reports findings back to attorneys; tracks incoming establishment case referrals from the OCSE; assists in the planning and implementation of revised programs, procedures, practices and organization; prepares Court Dockets and case folders for Court Action; reviews dockets, cases returning from court and/or documents action taken and needed for next hearing; forwards completed cases to the OCSE for monitoring or enforcement; and prepares Docket Disposition Sheet, statistical summary of the cases heard and their disposition.  

Please describe in detail any job duties relating to the minimum qualifications stated below and include any computer software experience (Excel, CHESSIE, PowerPoint, Word etc.) used in the each of the positions you held.

Education: Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: One year of experience AS A LEGAL SECRETARY to include keyboarding legal briefs, pleadings, affidavits, subpoenas and other legal documents; maintaining case files, schedules and logs and verifying legal citations and references. (IMPORTANT: Please clearly indicate all job duties related to the experience listed above on your application.)

Note: 

1. Additional secretarial or other clerical experience may be substituted on a year-for-year basis for the required education.

2. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a non-commissioned officer in Legalman classifications or Paralegal specialty codes in the administrative support field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience. 

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

1. Knowledge of legal terminology and its proper usage.

2. Skills in preparing legal brief, pleadings, affidavits, subpoenas, etc.

3. Experience with personal computer, Microsoft Office- Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, WordPerfect, Google Mail, MABS, MVA CSES and JUDICIAL SEARCH, intranet and internet, printer, telephone, fax machine, scanner, and photocopier.

4. Experience with Resource Materials/Research Databases: Annotated Code of Maryland; Code of Maryland Regulations, Maryland Rules, Federal Rules of Civil Procedures, Maryland Register, Maryland Lawyers Manual, State Phone Directory, Lexis, and Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER).

5. Strong written and oral communication skills.

6. Ability to prioritize and multi-task effectively.

7. Flexibility in a busy environment.

8. Strong time management, priority setting and problem-solving skills.

Please make sure that you provide sufficient information on your application (and on separate pages, if necessary) to show that you meet the qualifications for this recruitment. 

All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date. We will not consider information submitted after this date. 

Successful candidates will be ranked as Best Qualified, Better Qualified, or Qualified and placed on the employment (eligible) list for at least one year.

The assessment may consist of a rating of your education, training, and experience related to the requirements of the position. It is important that you provide complete and accurate information on your application. Please report all experience and education that is related to this position.

For education obtained outside the U.S., a copy of the equivalent American education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service must accompany the application.

All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date. We will not consider information submitted after this date.

STATE OF MARYLAND BENEFITS

Online applications are STRONGLY preferred.  If the online application process is not available, please send your paper application and supplemental questionnaire (if applicable) to:

DHR Examination Services Unit

Attention: Leslie Wigfield

311 W. Saratoga Street, First Floor

Baltimore, Maryland 21201

The paper application must be received by 5 PM on the closing date for the recruitment. 

Or email dhr.esu@maryland.gov; assistance via phone: 410-767-7414.

Do not submit unsolicited documentation.  Copies of diplomas, transcripts and resumes are not required for the application process.

TTY Users: call via Maryland Relay, 1-800-925-4434. Bilingual applicants are encouraged to apply.

We thank our Veterans for their service to our country, and encourage them to apply.

As an equal opportunity employer, Maryland is committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting employees who are reflective of the State’s diversity.