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Paralegal III
Description
The City of Fort Myers strives to be an employer of choice and most of our employees turn jobs into long term careers. The salary shown in the job description is the full range for this position from entry to later career.
NEW EMPLOYEES ARE HIRED AT, OR NEAR THE ENTRY POINT SHOWN, DEPENDING ON QUALIFICATIONS AND RELEVANT EXPERIENCE.
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt Safety Sensitive: NO Level II Screening: NO
Under the general direction of the City Attorney, this position is responsible for researching legal issues, preparing, and evaluating legal documents and providing professional budget and administrative support for the City Attorney. Employee must possess specialized legal knowledge and have a strong command of legal terminology. Work at this level requires a high degree of professionalism due to the level of interaction with department directors, elected officials and judiciary entities. Position provides litigation support for the City Attorney’s Office in city-related litigation matters.
Carries out responsibilities at the direction of the City Attorney in accordance with the City’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include performing supervisory functions at the request of the City Attorney, budget preparation, advising, and mentoring other Paralegal staff members; assists with scheduling, planning, assigning, and directing work, addressing complaints and resolving problems.
Responsibilities and Reporting During an Emergency Situation:
Essential Employees may be required to work during a declared emergency. Depending on the nature of the emergency, this may require working around the clock for several days on short notice.
Non Essential Employees will not be required to work during a declared emergency. The employee’s Department Head will determine when the employee will be required to work.
Carries out responsibilities at the direction of the City Attorney in accordance with the City’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include performing supervisory functions at the request of the City Attorney, budget preparation, advising, and mentoring other Paralegal staff members; assists with scheduling, planning, assigning, and directing work, addressing complaints and resolving problems.
Responsibilities and Reporting During an Emergency Situation:
Essential Employees may be required to work during a declared emergency. Depending on the nature of the emergency, this may require working around the clock for several days on short notice.
Non Essential Employees will not be required to work during a declared emergency. The employee’s Department Head will determine when the employee will be required to work.
Duties/Responsibilities
- Perform file reviews.
- Coordinate and set hearings, depositions, mediations, and draft pleadings.
- Draft responses to discovery requests.
- Review medical records and draft medical summaries.
- Performs legal research as needed.
- Maintain trial calendar.
- Assist City Attorney in all aspects of trial preparation, including drafting of witness and exhibit lists and subpoenas, jury instructions, verdict form and motions.
- Prepare exhibits for trial.
- Schedule witnesses.
- Transcription of dictation in the form or pleadings, correspondence, legal opinions, memorandums, and briefs.
- Handle assignments of special projects and research.
- Draft audit inquiry responses to the City.
- This position requires regular and reliable attendance and the employee’s physical presence at the workplace.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
- Knowledge of effective supervisory principles and techniques.
- Knowledge of the general aspects of the law.
- Knowledge of legal terminology, and the application of such to various forms of legal documentation.
- Knowledge of the principles and practices applied in researching municipal/legal issues, and the various sources of available information.
- Proficient in the use of word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation software.
- Skill in written, verbal, electronic, and visual communications.
- Skill in organization, prioritization, and time management.
- Ability to review and organize work for efficient results and accuracy.
- Ability to adapt to performing under frequent deadlines and/or in response to emergencies.
- Ability to establish priorities and meet deadlines.
- Ability to speak clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
- Ability to operate necessary equipment, including computer, printer, copier, facsimile machine, calculator, and other standard office equipment.
Minimum Requirements
MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Legal Studies or closely related field, and eight years of progressively responsible legal assistant or paralegal experience, preferably in a governmental setting. Experience can be substituted for a degree on a year-for-year basis.
- Paralegal Certification by an accredited association or university.
Physical Demands and Working Conditions
This work typically requires the following physical activities to be performed.
- Balancing – maintain equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing, or crouching.
- Reaching – extending hands or arms in any direction.
- Repetitive Motion – substantial movements of wrists, hands, fingers.
- Speaking – expressing ideas with spoken word, convey detailed, important instructions accurately, concisely.
- Standing – for sustained periods of time
- Crouching – bending body forward by bending leg, spine.
- Feeling – perceiving attributes of objects by touch with skin, fingertips.
- Fingering – picking, pinching, typing, working with fingers rather than hand.
- Grasping – applying pressure to object with fingers, palm.
- Handling – picking, holding, or working with whole hand.
- Hearing 1 – perceiving sounds at normal speaking levels, receive information.
- Talking 1- expressing ideas by spoken word
- Visual Acuity 1 - prepare, analyze data, transcribing, computer terminal, extensive reading.
- Visual Acuity 3 - determine accuracy, neatness, observe facilities/structures.
- Visual Acuity 4 - operate motor vehicles/heavy equipment.
- Mental Acuity – ability to make rational decisions through sound logic, deductive reasoning.
- Walking - on foot to accomplish tasks, long distances, or site to site.
Work performed is primarily:
- Light work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force to move objects.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
- Contact with internal and external customers, vendors, outside agencies and the general public.
- Works in an office environment and sits for long periods of time
- May be required to work hours other than the regular schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions described herein. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.
Full-time regular City employee benefits:
- Health Insurance (Florida Blue)
- City paid employee coverage. HMO or PPO plans are available. Dependents can be added, Employee pays 30% of premium. Premium deductions are taken pre-tax.
- Basic Life Insurance (USAble Life)
- City paid. The benefit is equal to 1x the annual base pay, rounded to the nearest $1000.00.
- Optional Vision Insurance (VSP)
- Employee-paid insurance is available at group rates, and family plans are available to employees. Premium deductions are taken pre-tax.
- Optional Dental Insurance (Humana)
- Employee-paid insurance is available at group rates, and family plans are available to employees. Premium deductions are taken pre-tax.
- Supplemental Insurance
- Employees may purchase various types of supplemental insurance (life, AFLAC) at group rates through payroll deduction.
- Pension Plan (General) Administered by Resource Centers
- Pension Plan (Police and Fire) administered by Foster & Foster
- 401(a) (Mission Square)
- Certain management positions can opt out of the General Pension into a 401(a).
- Roth IRA (Mission Square)
- Offered through payroll deduction.
- Disability (USAble Life)
- Employee paid short & long-term disability insurance.
- Leave Time (Sick, Vacation)
- Paid Holidays
- City recognizes 13 holidays which include: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, Birthday Holiday and Floating Holiday.**Birthday and Float after 1-year of service.
- Deferred Compensation Programs (Mission Square) OR (Nationwide )
- Tax-deferred savings plan available for retirement purposes. Employee-only contributions.
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Employees can elect to use pre-tax dollars to cover un-reimbursed medical or dependent daycare expenses.
- Payroll Direct Deposit
- Available to any banking institution or credit union. Suncoast Federal Schools Credit Union membership is available to City employees.
- Employee Assistance Program (ESI)
- City-paid availability to licensed professional counselors for non-work related personal issues with 100% confidentiality.
Please note: Benefits do not apply to On-Call, Temporary, or Seasonal positions. Insurance Benefits only apply to regular Full-time positions.
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