Legal Clerk II - SR-12

Duties Summary

Performs a wide variety of legal clerical work in support of staff attorneys to include preparing, checking, and processing legal forms, documents, and related materials; locating and abstracting information from legal files and records; and gathering and organizing relevant material for use in legal proceedings; and performs other related duties as required.

There are two (2) immediate vacancies with the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney:

• one (1) permanent full-time vacancy with the East Hawai'i Clerical Unit in Hilo. May be eligible to receive a $3,000 Recruitment Incentive. Conditions apply.
• one (1) permanent full-time vacancy with the Wet Hawai'i Clerical Unit in Kailua-Kona. May be eligible to receive a $5,000 Recruitment Incentive. Conditions apply.

Examples of Duties

• Prepares and processes standardized legal forms and documents such as subpoenas, motions, petitions, orders, complaints, affidavits, stipulations, and other court documents independently.
• Types from rough draft such materials as letters, memoranda, reports, legal opinions, briefs, proposed legislation, complaints, contracts, and other documents; reviews same for correct form, accuracy, and timeliness.
• Initiates and composes standardized legal forms routinely needed.
• Establishes and maintains case files and records.
• Prepares computer equipment to verify, input, update, correct, and extract data from information systems.
• Coordinates schedules with courts; maintains court calendars and reminds attorneys of court appearances and deadlines for submitting various actions or documents.
• Compiles and readies all relevant materials for use by attorneys in court proceedings.
• Coordinates with court personnel in making corrections to records.
• Researches files and references to obtain information needed by attorneys.
• Responds to inquiries over the phone and/or in person concerning the status of cases or disposition of completed cases.
• Prepares reports of assigned cases and their status.
• Assists in providing training to other employees.
• May take and transcribe dictation.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Training and Experience:
A combination of education and experience substantially equivalent to:

• graduation from high school, and
• two (2) years of legal clerical work experience involving the preparation, typing, and processing of a variety of legal forms and documents which required knowledge of common legal terminology, procedures, practices, forms, and documents, and
• possession of a State of Hawai`i driver's license (Class 3) or other comparable driver's license at time of filing, as applicable to the position. You will be required to submit your valid driver's license at time of hire, if the position requires a driver's license. (The immediate vacancies with the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney do not require a valid driver's license.)

Substitution of education for required legal clerical experience:

• Legal Secretary of Paralegal Certificate from an accredited college or university may be substituted for six (6) months of the required legal clerical experience;
• an Associates degree or higher from an accredited college or university may be substituted for lack of the required legal clerical experience on a year for year basis (examples: 30 college credits can be substituted for one (1) year of the required legal clerical experience, an Associates degree can be substituted for two (2) years of the required legal clerical experience, and a baccalaureate degree or higher can be substituted for four (4) years of the required legal clerical experience). (Scan and attach a copy of your official college transcript to be credited for the substitution of legal clerical experience.)

Note: Foreign transcripts must be accompanied by an official transcript or credential evaluation to determine U.S. equivalency. (Scan and attach a copy of your official transcript or credential evaluation to your application.)

Examination: All applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements will be assigned a score of 70 points. An education and experience evaluation will be conducted based on the applicant's training, education and experience as presented in the application.

Please read the minimum qualification requirements carefully. Be certain to list all pertinent training and experience, as this may be important in determining your examination score. It is essential that the applicant describe fully the duties and responsibilities of each position held, specify the date of each position held (from and to, month and year), and indicate the number of hours worked per week.

Attach all required documentation (e.g. official transcript, professional license(s)/certification(s), DD-214, etc.) at the time of submitting your application.

Note: In-person interviews and/or further testing in Hawai'i County may be required at the discretion of the hiring department/agency. If in-person interviews and/or further testing are required, applicants who are referred to the hiring department/agency must be available to participate in person and at their own expense at that phase of the selection process.

Knowledge of: legal terminology; form, content, and use of legal documents; legal processes and procedures; the various types of court actions and associated processes; filing methods and systems; grammar, spelling, and word usage; law office practices and procedures.

Ability to: prepare and type or keyboard documents, standard forms needed for specific legal actions, and other materials accurately; applicants may be required to demonstrate ability by satisfactorily passing a performance exercise at the time of interview; locate and abstract data from legal files and records; establish and maintain case files and systems of legal records; operate computer equipment to input, verify, update, and extract data from information systems; provide information to defendants, witnesses, attorneys, court personnel, and the public; explain legal processes, procedures, and/or departmental policies; work within constant time constraints and deadlines; as applicable to specific positions, take and transcribe notes accurately; applicants may be required to demonstrate ability by satisfactorily passing a performance exercise at the time of interview; deal effectively with employees, attorneys, court personnel, and the public.

Physical Requirements: Persons seeking appointment to positions in this class must meet the health and physical condition standards deemed necessary and proper to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.

Physical Effort Grouping: Light

Benefits of County employment: The County of Hawai‘i offers a competitive compensation package. Your total compensation is comprised of your salary and a generous range of valuable benefits, subject to eligibility requirements.

• Flexible Working Arrangements: Options may include alternate work schedules (4-10) and flexible working hours. (Not all Departments/Agencies participate and not all positions are eligible.)
• Vacation: Start accruing paid vacation time immediately upon hire – up to 21 days per year.
• Sick Leave: Start accruing paid sick leave time immediately upon hire – up to 21 days per year.
• Holidays: The County provides 13 paid holidays per year (plus General Election Day when applicable).
• Training and Development: The County has a variety of training and development opportunities for employees.
• County Tuition Reimbursement Program: This scholarship program rewards employees who take the initiative to advance their education and learning.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program: You may be eligible for this federal program which forgives portions of federal student loans for individuals working in public service.
• Retirement Plan: The Employees’ Retirement System is a qualified defined benefit public pension plan that provides retirement, disability, survivor and other benefits to all eligible full-time and part-time county employees in the State of Hawaii as well as their beneficiaries.
• Deferred Compensation: Save additional money for retirement - this voluntary supplemental retirement savings plan allows for the investment of tax-deferred contributions.
• Flexible Spending Plan: Use pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified dependent care and/or medical expenses, as well as insurance premiums.
• Health Benefit Plans: The County of Hawai‘i offers a variety of health benefit plans for eligible employees.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): This voluntary assistance program provides employees and their family members with free professional and confidential assistance in overcoming personal and work-related problems.
• Group Life Insurance: Free life insurance policy for active employees.
• Credit Union Membership
• Other Leaves: You may be eligible for other leaves, including Family Leave, Funeral Leave, Leave Sharing, Military Leave, Donor Leave, Victims Protection Leave, as well as leave for Parent-Teacher Conferences, Disaster Relief, Blood Bank Donations, and Jury Duty.

All benefits are subject to eligibility requirements and change due to legislative actions and/or changes negotiated through collective bargaining. Please check out the benefits tab for additional information.

Supplemental Information

Please scan and attach these supporting documents to your on-line application, if required:

• an official college transcript,
• a valid driver's license,
• a temporary assignment verification,
• professional licenses, and/or
• certificates.

Veterans applying for veteran's preference points shall also scan and attach their DD-214 form and as needed, their VA claim letter to the on-line application.

ELECTRONIC NOTIFICATION TO APPLICANTS:
Please ensure that the email address and mobile phone number you provide is current, secure, and readily accessible to you. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our emails and text messages or fail to check your email box or NEOGOV account INBOX in a timely manner. Checking your NEOGOV account INBOX daily is recommended and is the most secure method to check on notices sent to you. This is a new feature created by our vendor, NEOGOV.

Please add info@governmentjobs.com to your contact list. Open your NEOGOV account using your user name and password. In the upper right hand corner of the account is your name, and under your name, click on INBOX to view all notices sent you. The notices will appear here in the INBOX even in the event you don't receive it on your cell phone, computer, or other electronic device. This is the best way to check and view all notices sent to you.

You will receive a confirmation email upon successfully submitting your application. Failure to receive this confirmation email, indicates that your application was not submitted.

Benefits of County employment: The County of Hawai‘i offers a competitive compensation package. Your total compensation is comprised of your salary and a generous range of valuable benefits, subject to eligibility requirements.

• Flexible Working Arrangements: Options may include alternate work schedules (4-10) and flexible working hours. (Not all Departments/Agencies participate and not all positions are eligible.)
• Vacation: Employees start accruing paid vacation time immediately upon hire. 14 hours are earned after a full month of service, which equals to 21 days per year, with a maximum accumulation of 90 working days.
• Sick Leave: Employees start accruing paid sick leave time immediately upon hire. 14 hours are earned after a full month of service, which equals to 21 days per year, with no limitation on the amount of sick leave that may be accumulated.
• Holidays: The County provides 13 paid holidays per year (plus General Election Day when applicable).
• Training and Development: The County provides a variety of training and development opportunities for employees.
• County Tuition Reimbursement Program: Scholarship program for employees who take the initiative to advance their education and learning, subject to eligibility requirements and reimbursement limits.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program: A federal program forgiving the balance of federal student loans for individuals working in public service. For program requirements and additional information, please visit https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service
• Retirement Plan: The Employees’ Retirement System is a qualified defined benefit public pension plan covered under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. It provides retirement, disability, survivor and other benefits to all eligible full-time and part-time county employees in the State of Hawaii as well as their beneficiaries. For more information visit https://ers.ehawaii.gov
• Deferred Compensation: Eligible employees may participate in the Island Savings Plan (a deferred compensation plan as provided under Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code.) This is a voluntary supplemental retirement savings plan that allows for the investment of tax-deferred contributions into a variety of investment options.
• Flexible Spending Plan: Eligible employees can use pre-tax dollars to pay for their portion of insurance premiums, qualified dependent care and/or medical expenses.
• Health Benefit Plans: The County of Hawai‘i offers the following health benefit plans for eligible employees:
  • Medical Plan (HMO or PPO)
  • Vision Plan
  • Dental Plan
  • Prescription Drug Plan

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): The County offers a voluntary assistance program which provides its employees and their family members with free professional and confidential assistance in overcoming personal and work-related problems.
• Group Life Insurance: The County provides a free life insurance policy for active employees.
• Credit Union Membership
• Other Leaves: You may be eligible for other leaves, such as: Family Leave, Funeral Leave, Leave Sharing, Military Leave, Victims Protection Leave, Parent-Teacher Conferences, Disaster Relief, Blood Bank Donations, Donor Leave, and Jury Duty.