Law Office Assistant 1 (02-N07035)

About the role

This position is open to Alaska Residents only. Please check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.

To apply for this position, please send your resume, and other pertinent documents to: Please do not apply through Workplace Alaska. The following additional documents are requierd:

College transcripts (if using education to meet the minimum qualifications)

Three professional references, two who have had supervisory experience over you, including current email and/or daytime phone number

What You Will Be Doing

• This position is a non-permanent on-call postion that provides clerical support to attorneys and Agency administrators.
• No prior legal experience is required, this is an exciting opportunity for those looking to start their career or move into a new job field.
• Many of our Law Office Assistants do not have any legal experience and we provide on the job training to ensure your success.

Law Office Assistants maintain case file information digitally and in physical files, process police reports and evidence, answer phones, file pleadings with the Court and opposing counsel, prepare routine legal documents, and assist clients. Law Office Assistants play a significant role in ensuring that administrative tasks are handled effectively and the office runs smoothly and our on-call positions provide coverage for vacant positions, leave, and assist with special projects. These positions can be part-time or full-time based on the applicant’s availability and Agency need.

Our Organization, Mission, and Culture

The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to counsel in many types of cases and the Public Defender Agency is appointed by the Court to represent people who are unable to afford counsel on their own. Law Office Assistants are an integral part of providing that representation and protecting our clients' rights. Law Office Assistants work closely with attorneys and other Agency staff to make sure evidence and case materials are processed and distributed quickly. They often serve as important points of contact for the Court system, opposing counsel, and the public.

The Benefits of Joining Our Team

Support staff at the Public Defender Agency have the opportunity to learn about the legal system and hone their administrative and clerical skills to further their career development in the legal field. Most importantly, they get to do this while working as a team to provide meaningful contributions to Alaska, as the work we do impacts people’s lives and protects the constitutional rights of all Alaskans.

This important work helps improve case outcomes for individuals charged with crimes, helps re-unify families, and provides the foundation for successful re-entry into communities. This is an entry level position and many Law Office Assistants use the skills and experience they gain to promote to paralegal, investigative, and administrative management positions within the Agency, the State of Alaska, or the private sector.

The Working Environment You Can Expect

The office is located in downtown Anchorage near the Nesbett and Boney courthouses. The hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM with an hour lunch at noon. The position interacts works closely with attorneys, investigators, paralegals, and law office assistants in the Anchorage office and communicates regularly with co-workers across the state, clients of the Agency, and court system staff.

PI01A1 – Law Office Assistant 1

One year of experience that involves some combination of providing significant customer service contact; eliciting or exchanging information as related to requirements or procedures necessary to secure services, authorizations, or goods on behalf of the client; and/or performing standard administrative tasks such as preparing correspondence or reports, filing, entering data, receiving payments, and/or maintaining logs and includes the regular, proficient use of electronic management information systems and word processing and other standard business software applications.

Substitutions

• Any combination of post-secondary education from an accredited college or university (2.67 semester hours or 4 quarter hours equal one month) in any area of study and/or applicable experience, as defined above, may substitute for the required experience.
• An associate’s degree or specific vocational-technical certification in a legal support career area (e.g., paralegal, legal assistant, legal secretary, or criminal justice) may substitute for the required experience.
• Vocational-technical certification in a generalized business support career area (e.g., administrative office technology, business and marketing management, entrepreneurship, or office assistance) may substitute for up to 6 months of the required experience.

Special Note (All Levels)

Most positions 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 APSIN and National Crim 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.

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.

ACOMS Clearance

Due to the nature of the work of the Public Defender Agency and access to ACOMS at the workplace, the individual who is selected for this position will be required to pass a background investigation and may be re-fingerprinted. Full disclosure of ALL past criminal convictions (both misdemeanor and felony including suspended impositions of sentence) at the time of application is required. Convictions may lead to disqualification due to the requirements necessary to access these systems.

Education

• If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, 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 if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position.
• Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or within 48 hours of the close of this recruitment to the contact person listed below.

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.