***THIS RECRUITMENT MAY CLOSE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED. APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE***

Job Summary

The department of Indigent Defense is seeking to fill the position of Legal Secretary Trainee in Carson City. Legal Secretaries in the Public Defender's office are the first points of contact in our office, including greeting the public, answering telephones, screening and/or directing all incoming calls from attorneys, clients, and general public inquiries. The incumbent will ideally have prior clerical or secretarial experience in a legal environment, preferably criminal law. The incumbent must be able to download and process court documentation and discovery and district attorneys amongst multiple offices. Incumbents must have excellent communication skills in dealing with the public, as well as the ability to handle difficult people and situations. Microsoft Office 365 knowledge required. Knowledge of case management systems or legal database software is preferred. Incumbents should possess knowledge and proficiency sufficient to work independently, with additional training as necessary.

Essential Qualifications

Graduation from high school or equivalent education and one year of general clerical experience; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Job Duties

Maintain current knowledge of assigned caseload and status of cases; provide general information to the public, State and local governments, attorneys, court personnel, and various office personnel; act as liaison between professional legal staff, departmental personnel, and the public; determine what information may be provided and which requests must be referred to professional legal staff; refer calls to another office if necessary.

Provide clerical support  to assigned professional legal staff; receive and screen visitors and telephone  calls; respond to inquiries on a variety of matters such as the status  of pending cases; open and review incoming mail and determine priority of professional legal staff’s attention when routing; mail items according to postal and statutory requirements; maintain a calendar for professional legal  staff’s appointments, due dates for documents, court  appearances, conferences, meetings and other engagements; schedule meetings and training and make travel arrangements. 

Draft routine correspondence, reports/statistics and other materials requiring specific knowledge of operational methods, policies and procedures for professional staff review; prepare and type requisitions and purchase orders, as required; process requests for payment and travel claims.

Format, prepare and type legal documents and correspondence in final format according to jurisdictional requirements, from rough draft, electronic documents, Dictaphone, template or notes; proofread and review for proper citation format; prepare and attach exhibits, special sections such as indexes, table of points and authorities, certificates of service, and brief covers.

Process and file documents with appropriate courts or quasi-judicial bodies in accordance with the specific procedures of each body, including manner of filing and established timelines; track responses and receipts due upon or after submittals, and dates for other required actions subsequent to submittals. 

Gather, compile, organize, and prepare relevant material for professional staff to use in legal proceedings; review files and references to obtain information needed by professional legal staff; locate and verify/abstract information from legal files and records; and verify the accuracy of citations and quotations by checking legal sources.

Establish and maintain legal and general correspondence filing and cross-filing systems as necessary; record case inventory information in order to maintain accurate records and provide for efficient retrieval of information; prepare files for archiving and storage in compliance with established retention schedules.

Maintain a library of references including legal publications, law digests, reports, opinions and court decisions.

Distribute or assign appropriate clerical work to lower-level staff; provide instruction and guidance and review work completed by clerical personnel. 

Under immediate supervision, incumbents acquire skills and experience in performing the duties outlined in the series concept. This is the entry level in the series, and progression to the continuing trainee level may occur upon meeting the minimum qualifications, satisfactory job performance and with approval of the appointing authority.  

Perform related duties as assigned.  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Working knowledge of: Standard office procedures such as filing, typing, duplicating materials, answering telephones and distributing mail; data entry techniques; telephone etiquette; correct English usage, grammar and punctuation; proper spelling of commonly used words; operation of current computers and other modern office equipment; manual and computerized filing methods; basic math.

General knowledge of: Business English; basic customer service skills.

Ability to:  use computers, telephones, copiers, facsimile  machines and  other office equipment; apply and understand statutes, regulations, rules, policies and procedures related to a specific program  or service; read and understand manuals and other detailed written instructions; review documents for  completeness and conformance to established procedures and requirements;  maintain records  including manual and electronic files;  type proficiently at a rate of speed acceptable to the hiring authority; type, format and produce routine business correspondence, reports and other materials using a personal computer; understand and follow oral and written directions; communicate and work cooperatively with others including co-workers, clientele and the public; add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers accurately; schedule meetings and appointments; perform reception duties.

Skill in:  the operation and use of modern office equipment.    

Recruiter Contact Information: Danielle Whybrew – d.whybrew@admin.nv.gov

The State of Nevada is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to building diverse, inclusive, and innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, national origin, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, domestic partnership, genetic information (GINA), or compensation and/or wages.

Please send direct Inquiries or correspondence to the recruiter listed on this announcement.