Paralegal Specialist 1 (PCN 031047)

Come join the State of Alaska! This job class uses Competency Based minimum qualifications (MQs). Please read the Competency Based MQ instructions below to learn more.

The Department of Law, Division of Civil is recruiting for a Paralegal Specialist 1 in Anchorage or Juneau! This position is open to Alaska Residents only. Please check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.

What You Will Be Doing: The incumbent will directly supervise, train and mentor 3-4 paralegals assigned to support the Civil Division’s Resource Development sections – Environmental, Oil and Gas, Transportation, and Natural Resources. The incumbent will participate and contribute to onboarding and training new assistant attorneys general and paralegals on processes, policies and procedures for civil litigation in a government setting. In addition to supervisory responsibilities, the incumbent will carry their own workload, ranging from routine to the most complex or sensitive cases based on experience. The incumbent will assist agencies in the coordination and responses to all public records requests. This position also provides administrative support to each section supervisor for reporting and tracking requirements as needed.

Mission and Values/Culture: The Civil Division of the Department of Law provides legal counsel to the executive branch in all civil actions. The division defends and prosecutes civil litigation to which the state is a party; handles legal matters for and provides legal advice to the governor, executive branch agencies, and - upon request - the legislative and judicial branches; reviews regulations prepared by executive agencies, drafts legislation for introduction by the governor; and reviews all legislation before it is acted upon by the governor.

Benefits of Joining Our Team: Our paralegals are an integral part of our legal practice. They assist attorneys on all litigation, research, and administrative tasks. Within that, we offer opportunities to learn about the legal system, engage with the court, and prepare for hearings and trials. People who succeed and thrive in our office are those who can be reliable and present each day to work alongside their assigned attorneys tackling their various deadlines and legal issues. You can expect a 37.5-hour work week; 12 paid holidays; personal leave accrual starting at 6 hours per pay period (about 21 days annually) and increasing with years of service. Our office also offers an optional hybrid telework schedule following completion of the probationary period. The general office hours are 8:00am to 4:30pm but there is flexibility in establishing your regular hours around core business hours.

The Working Environment You Can Expect: Our Anchorage office is located in the Brady Building at 1031 W 4th Avenue. Our Juneau office is located in the Dimond Courthouse at 123 4th Ave. Both locations are in the heart of downtown, you are close to cafes, lunch spots, and parks. Employee parking is available close by. You can also expect a private office with this position.

Who We Are Looking For: We are interested in candidates who possess some or all of the following position specific competencies:

• Supervision: Plans, distributes, and monitors work assignments; sets task priorities; evaluates work performance and provides feedback to others on their performance; ensures that staff are appropriately selected, utilized, and developed, and that they are treated in a fair and equitable manner. Assignments include the authority and responsibility to recommend or independently take action to employ (i.e., appoint, transfer, promote), discipline or discharge, or adjudicate grievances of direct reports.

• Teaching Others: Helps others learn through formal or informal methods; identifies training needs; provides constructive feedback; coaches others on how to perform tasks; acts as a mentor.

To view the general description and example of duties for the position please go to the following link: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/Alaska/classspecs

If you can imagine yourself in this role, we encourage you to apply! Competency Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions This job class uses competency based minimum qualifications. Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.

Competency Description The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class. They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency. They typically list expectations, as opposed to specific tasks, and are to be used only as parameters and guidelines. A competency’s description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to successfully meet the competency, but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options as to how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Please ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports/demonstrates you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.

Minimum Qualifications: Paralegal Specialist 1 Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:

• Law: Knowledge of State and federal laws, including legal and court procedures, regulations, guidelines, precedents, admissibility of evidence, case preparation, and/or settlements for applicable areas of law practiced or supported.
• Compliance: Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with State and federal laws, regulations, and guidance.
• Leadership: Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.
• Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, legal practices and documents, Government regulations, Executive orders, agency rules, Government organization and functions, and the democratic political process.
• Technical Credibility: Understands and appropriately applies principles, procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise.

Equivalent to those typically gained by: Post-secondary and/or vocational education in a legal, paralegal, criminal justice, or similar legal support area and/or progressively responsible experience providing a variety of legal support in either the legal, law enforcement, legislative, or social service field; or practice in social service field with experience in either the legal, law enforcement or legislative field.

Special Note: Positions may 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 Alaska Public Safety Information Network (APSIN) and National Crime 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. “Competencies” means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation. “Paraprofessional” work is typically associated with and supportive of a professional field. It involves extensive practical knowledge gained through experience and/or specific formal or on-the-job training. Work in these occupations may involve substantial elements of the work of the professional or administrative field, but requires less than full knowledge of the field involved. “Professional experience” means work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment. “Progressively responsible” means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility. “Technical” means performing tasks, methods, procedures, and computations that are covered by established precedents or guidelines and often require a high degree of skill, care, and precision. “Training” and “education” in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs. “Typically gained by” means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY

DISCLOSURE OF PRIOR STATE EMPLOYMENT All employment with the State of Alaska, including but not limited to full-time, part-time, seasonal, temporary, on-call, etc. positions must be disclosed in your application. Failure to provide this information may result in the disqualification of your application.

REQUIRED OF ALL APPLICANTS At the time of the interview, please ensure that you provide the following materials:

• Include your last (3) most recent performance evaluations.
• A technical writing sample. Your writing sample should showcase your grammar, clarity, and ability to communicate technical details

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS For your application to be evaluated you must answer the Supplemental Questions. The State of Alaska (SOA) uses four levels of proficiency to measure and describe an applicant's level of competence in applying certain behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish a specific task. The proficiency levels are Mastery, Fluency, Literacy, and Discovery. You will need to rate your proficiency for each competency listed in the supplemental questions.

BARGAINING UNIT If you are a current state employee, please mark the union you are a member of at the time of application.

EDUCATION If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill in the Education section of the application. Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials and must be attached to your application upon submission. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, provided they include the URL and institution name.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION If education is completed in a foreign college or university, it 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 the 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. The omission of the required documentation listed will result in an incomplete application, and you will not receive further consideration.

WORK EXPERIENCE If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer 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. NOTE: Attaching a resume or curriculum vitae is not an alternative to filling out the application. Noting "see resume or CV" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination that your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.

APPLICATION NOTICE You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or via a hard copy application. If you accessed this recruitment bulletin through a job search portal such as AlaskaJobs or another database, you MUST use a Workplace Alaska online or hard-copy application to apply successfully. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska "How to Apply" webpage, found here: http://doa.alaska.gov/dop/workplace/help/

NOTICE Questions regarding the application process can be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465- 4095. If you choose to be contacted by email, please ensure that your email address is correct on your application and that your spam filter will permit emails from the 'governmentjobs.com' domain. For information on allowing emails from the 'governmentjobs.com' domains, visit the Lost Password Help page at https://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword.

EEO STATEMENT The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities who require accommodations, auxiliary aids, or services, or alternative communication formats, please call 1-800-587-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at P.O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal-opportunity employer.

WORKPLACE ALASKA APPLICATION QUESTIONS & ASSISTANCE Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 1-800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465-4095 if you are in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to [email protected]

For assistance with applying for a password, please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/OnlineApplication/User/ResetPassword

Please be sure to check your junk folder for any messages that may be sent to you about this recruitment. For specific information in reference to the position please contact the hiring manager:

Kamie Willis, Paralegal Specialist 2 Phone: (907) 269-5232 Email: [email protected]