About This Job
The Division of Administration/Office of General Counsel has a vacancy.
The Office of General Counsel provides professional legal services to the various offices within the Division of Administration. OGC’s trained team of attorneys, paralegals and support personnel also collaborate with legal representatives of other agencies, particularly in service areas provided by and through DOA.
The Division Of Administration Is The State Government’s Management Arm And The Hub Of Its Financial Operations. Division Offices Perform a Wide Variety Of Activities Including The Following:
- Overseeing the state’s capital construction program
- Working to provide state and federal grants for community development
- Development of the state budget
- Providing technology services
- Giving agencies guidance in the state purchasing and contracting process as they seek goods and services
- Administering a program that provides federal funds to help Louisiana residents recover from a series of devastating hurricanes
Minimum Qualifications
Completion of an approved Paralegal or Legal Assistant program approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), or at an accredited college or university; OR
Possession of a Certified Paralegal (CP) certification issued by the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc.; OR
A Juris Doctorate.
Note:
Disbarred attorneys and those who have permanently resigned from the practice of law in lieu of discipline may not be hired in any position in connection with the practice of law. Suspended attorneys or an attorney transferred to disability inactive status during the period of suspension may not be hired in any position in connection with the practice of law unless such hiring is first preceded by the submission of a fully executed registration statement to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, on a registration form provided by the Louisiana Disciplinary Board and approved by the Louisiana Supreme Court. See Rule 5.5(e)(1) of the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct; In Re Davenport, 2021-01371 (La. 11/3/21) and 326 So.3d 882; In re Sharp, 2012- 2463 (La. 1/11/13), 106 So.3d 105. The hiring agency is responsible for conducting the necessary background checks prior to appointment.
Job Specification
The official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here.
Job Duties:
Job Duties and Other Information
COMPLEX LITIGATION SUPPORT:
The position is responsible for summarizing legal documents and requires meaningful legal knowledge in the areas of complex litigation management; administrative appeals; litigation, mediation, and arbitration involving Construction Law, Public Bid Law, and the Public Works Act; Cooperative Endeavor Agreements; group health claims administration, including federal and state HIPAA laws; public records law; and the legislative process. The incumbent is responsible for reviewing and drafting of legal documents, e-filing, performing various case management duties, and trial preparation. The position performs legal research using various tools, including, but not limited to, the Louisiana Legislature’s website and the OGC-purchased legal research tool, such as Westlaw or LexisNexis.
PUBLIC RECORDS REVIEW SUPPORT:
Under the direction of an assigned attorney responsible for responding to the Public Records Request (PRR), the position reviews public records forwarded to OGC from DOA offices, ensuring the forwarded records are responsive to the request and applying redactions to any responsive documents to protect any exempt, privileged, or confidential information contained therein.
PAYROLL/PERSONNEL LIAISON FUNCTION:
Incumbent is responsible for collecting and reporting OGC staff attendance and for reconciling all generated reports. Incumbent assists OGC staff as regarding all employment matters including payroll and leave.
SAFETY/SECURITY FUNCTION:
The position is responsible for conducting required safety meetings and for complying with all safety reporting requirements. Position is responsible for seeing that DOA security policies are carried out in the OGC. This position is also the assigned Floor Warden, requiring familiarity with all emergency protocols, and is responsible to account for all employees in the case of an emergency.
1678 And 1672.2 SUPPORT:
The Commissioner or his delegee—the DOA General Counsel—has authority to ratify contracts under La. R.S. 39:1678 and to settle claims or contract controversies under La. R.S. 39:1672.2. The position prepares the appropriate document for signature, and tracks and disseminates all documents for review, until a final determination is made. This involves interaction with the Attorney General’s office.
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT:
Incumbent assists with opening and organizing files. This position also assists all OGC staff with scanning, copying, mailing, or emailing and, therefore, the position requires proficiency in all software and hardware used for those tasks.
MAIL OPERATIONS FUNCTION:
Incumbent is responsible for all OGC mail operations. This responsibility includes opening and logging all mail received by the OGC in an electronic database, and reviewing and appropriately distributing all mail to staff; preparing letters, envelopes, and self-addressed stamped envelopes, and arranging for proper postage; and as needed, utilizing and managing other methods of mail delivery, such as Federal Express. This function includes timely and correctly depositing checks received by OGC, except for payments for answering garnishment interrogatories.
OGC RECORDS COORDINATOR:
Incumbent is responsible for OGC’s file room, including organizing and maintaining files.
SUPPLY INVENTORY MANAGEMENT:
Incumbent is responsible for inventorying the OGC supply area, ensuring an organized supply area and notice to the OGC purchaser when supplies run low.
INVENTORY/PROPERTY CONTROL:
The incumbent is responsible for all property control for the OGC.
LAW LIBRARY MAINTENANCE:
The incumbent is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the OGC Law Library.
CONFERENCE ROOM MAINTENANCE:
The incumbent is responsible for the upkeep of the conference room, ensuring the teleconference phone is functioning, the table is clean, and the room is orderly for conducting meetings.
CALENDAR MAINTENANCE:
The incumbent maintains the OGC Calendar and OGC Conference Room Calendar in Microsoft Outlook to coordinate the comings and goings of the staff and office meetings.
GARNISHMENT PROGRAM BACKUP:
The incumbent is backup for facilitating the handling by OGC of garnishment matters concerning employees paid through the Office of State Uniform Payroll (OSUP) system.
The incumbent is responsible for maintaining assigned attorneys’ calendars for court appearances, hearings, depositions, meetings, conference calls; scheduling of depositions; and, court filings.
Other duties as assigned by the General Counsel, any Deputy General Counsel 2, or by OGC attorneys, including but not limited to, those attorneys specifically supported by this position according to the OGC organizational chart.
Position-Specific Details:
Appointment Type: This vacancy will be filled by a new hire or by promotion of a current permanent status classified employee.
Career Progression: This vacancy participates in a career progression group and may be filled from this recruitment as a Paralegal 1 or Paralegal 2.
Compensation: This position has a Special Entrance Rate (SER) as follows:
If filled as a Paralegal 1, the SER is $1,544.80 biweekly.
If filled as a Paralegal 2, the SER is $1,768.00 biweekly.
Louisiana is a "State as a Model Employer" for People with Disabilities.
How To Apply:
No Civil Service test score is required in order to be considered for this vacancy.
To apply for this vacancy, click on the “Apply” link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.
- Information to support your eligibility for this job title must be included in the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education). Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of the completed education and experience sections on your application. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.
A criminal history check may be conducted on all new hires as well as employees changing positions, including promotions, demotions, details, reassignments, and transfers. Also, prospective employees may be subject to pre-employment drug testing. New hires will be subject to employment eligibility verification via the federal government's E-verify system.
Applicants qualifying based on college training or receipt of a baccalaureate degree will be required to submit an official college transcript to verify credentials claimed prior to appointment. Please make every effort to attach a copy of your transcript to your application. The transcripts can be added as an attachment to your online application. The selected candidate will be required to submit original documentation upon hire.
For Further Information About This Posting, Please Contact:
Erica R. Gay
HR Specialist
Division of Administration/Office of Human Resources
email: Erica.Gay@la.gov
Louisiana State Government represents a wide variety of career options and offers an outstanding opportunity to
make a difference through public service. With an array of career opportunities in every major metropolitan center and in many rural areas, state employment provides an outstanding option to begin or continue your career.
As a State Employee, You Will Earn Competitive Pay, Choose From a Variety Of Benefits, And Have Access To a Great Professional Development Program:
Insurance Coverage More information can be found at https://info.groupbenefits.org/
Parental Leave – Up to six weeks paid parental leave
More information can be found at https://www.civilservice.louisiana.gov/Parental-Leave/Default.aspx
Holidays and Leave – State employees receive the following paid holidays each year:
- New Year's Day
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
- Mardi Gras,
- Good Friday,
- Memorial Day,
- Independence Day,
- Labor Day,
- Veteran's Day,
- Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
- Additional holidays may be proclaimed by the Governor
State employees earn sick and annual leave which can be accumulated and saved for future use. Your accrual rate increases as your years of service increase.
Retirement – State Of Louisiana Employees Are Eligible To Participate In Various Retirement Systems (based On The Type Of Appointment And Agency For Which An Employee Works). These Retirement Systems Provide Retirement Allowances And Other Benefits For State Officers And Employees And Their Beneficiaries. State Retirement Systems May Include (but Are Not Limited To):
- Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (www.lasersonline.org). LASERS has provided this video to give you more detailed information about their system
- Teacher's Retirement System of Louisiana (www.trsl.org),
- Louisiana School Employees Retirement System (www.lsers.net), among others
01
Have you completed an approved Paralegal or Legal Assistant program approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), or at an accredited college or university?
02
Do you have a Certified Paralegal (CP) certification issued by the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc?
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If you answered YES to the previous question, please give the original issue date of your certification and certificate number below. If you answered NO, enter N/A.
