This position is open to Alaska Residents only. Please check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.
What You Will Be Doing
The Office of Public Advocacy (OPA) is recruiting for a Paralegal 1 position in its Public Guardian unit located in Anchorage.
Responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:
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Opening new cases, including generating entries of appearance and introductory letters, and preparing paper and electronic (case management database) files;
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Processing incoming documents, including adding it to the paper and electronic files, providing it to the assigned guardian and/or attorney, and redacting as needed for clients;
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Closing cases, including ensuring that the paper and electronic files are complete, creating a closing memorandum, and archiving or electronically archiving the file;
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Requesting documents from the court system and other parties;
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Drafting and formatting pleadings as needed;
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Contacting clients, court staff, other attorneys, and experts as needed.
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Coordinating with Law Office Assistants to help as needed with filing documents with the court and serving parties; maintaining paper files; calendaring hearings; processing incoming and outgoing mail; answering phone calls; and managing daily office needs such as ordering office supplies.
Our Organization, Mission, and Culture
The Public Guardian section of the Office of Public Advocacy (OPA) provides legal advocacy, guardianship, and conservatorship services to vulnerable adults throughout Alaska. The section includes Public Guardians located in four regional offices, including Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, and Palmer.
The Benefits of Joining Our Team
The Public Guardian section of OPA is a fast-paced environment made up of individuals who care deeply about the well-being of our clients. We are the appointment of last resort for these vulnerable adults and a place where compassion and problem solving are highly valued. The position is eligible for generous health and retirement benefits.
The Working Environment You Can Expect
The office is located in beautiful downtown Anchorage, Alaska, near the courthouse. We offer free parking and are within walking distance of many great restaurants and coffee shops. The Paralegal 1 position is an important part of unit’s legal team, which includes three attorneys, a Paralegal 2, and multiple Law Office Assistants.
Competency-Based Minimum Qualifications InstructionsThis job class uses competency-based minimum qualifications. Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.
Competency Description
The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class. They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency. They typically list expectations instead of specific tasks and are to be used only as parameters and guidelines. A competency’s description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to meet the competency successfully, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.
Please ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports/demonstrates that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.
Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:
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Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
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Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
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Reading: Understands and interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs, or tables; applies what is learned from written material to specific situations.
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Written Communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
Equivalent to those typically gained by:
Post-secondary and/or vocational education in a legal or legal support area and/or experience preparing, reviewing, or processing legal documents such as affidavits, court reports, demand letters, discovery requests or responses, hearing transcripts, memoranda of advice/instruction/understanding, letters of agreement, motions, legal opinions, subpoenas, and/or writs.
Special Note (All Levels):
Positions may require incumbents to be able to obtain a Notary Public upon hire, and to be able to pass a criminal background check to meet security requirements for using criminal record networks such as Alaska Public Safety Information Network (APSIN) and National Crime Enforcement Information Center/National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NCIC/NLETS). If this requirement is present, it will be stated in the vacancy announcement.
Some positions are required to work regular overtime during the standard workweek, on weekends, and/or holidays to provide support to the assigned duty attorney. If this requirement is present, it will be stated in the vacancy announcement.
“Competencies” means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation.
“Paraprofessional” work is typically associated with and supportive of a professional field. It involves extensive practical knowledge gained through experience and/or specific formal or on-the-job training. Work in these occupations may involve substantial elements of the work of the professional or administrative field, but requires less than full knowledge of the field involved.
“Progressively responsible” means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility.
“Technical” means performing tasks, methods, procedures, and computations that are covered by established precedents or guidelines and often require a high degree of skill, care, and precision.
“Training” and “education” in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs.
“Typically gained by” means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.
Please read the below information carefully. This applies to your application submission.
THIS RECRUITMENT IS FOR ALASKA RESIDENTS ONLY
Please be sure to check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.
SPECIAL NOTES ABOUT THE POSITION
Formalized paralegal training resulting in a degree or certification, or equivalent experience in a legal environment, is preferred.
Incumbent must become a State of Alaska Notary Public.
EDUCATION
To verify education is being used to meet and/or support the required minimum qualifications/competencies, you must fill in the Education section of the application If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials used to meet or support the minimum qualifications/competencies for a position and are required with each application (Unofficial is okay; please ensure the institution/URL name is listed on the transcripts) Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or provided at the time of interview; if not, transcripts will be required before employment.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements, if applicable. If utilizing this education you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. state university reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the state university. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.
WORK EXPERIENCE
If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer’s name, your job title, dates of employment, and whether full-or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and minimum qualifications are clearly met. If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment.
NOTE: Attaching a resume or curriculum vitae is not an alternative to filling out the application in its entirety. Noting "see resume or CV" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.
APPLICATION NOTICE
You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or via hardcopy application. If you accessed this recruitment bulletin through a job search portal such as AlaskaJobs or any other database, you MUST use a Workplace Alaska online or hardcopy application to successfully apply. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska "How to Apply" webpage, found here:http://doa.alaska.gov/dop/workplace/help/
EEO STATEMENT
The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities, who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats, please call 1-800-587-0430 or (907) 465-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at: P.O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer.
NOTICE
If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure your email address is correct on your application and that the spam filter will permit email from the ‘govermentjobs.com’ domains. For information on allowing emails from the ‘governmentjobs.com’ domains, visit the Lost Password Help page located at https://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword.
WORKPLACE ALASKA APPLICATION QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE
Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 1-800-587-0430 (toll free) or (907) 465-4095 if you are located in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to [email protected]
For applicant password assistance please visit: https://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword
