Paralegal Specialist (Confidential)

The State of Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management (OPM), located at 450 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT, is recruiting for a paralegal specialist (confidential) position. In this role you will provide paraprofessional legal assistance to OPM’s legal unit; act as an OPM liaison for the OPM Legal Unit and the Office of Labor Relations (OLR) with the Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC), the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO), the Connecticut Office of State Ethics (OSE), the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC), the Office of the Attorney General and the other Constitutional Officers, the State Auditors for Public Accounts, the Office of the Governor, Executive Branch agencies and quasi-public Agencies on matters concerning, but not limited to, collective bargaining, FOI, ethics, fraud, abuse and waste, legislation and budget initiatives, state contracting rules, and pending civil, criminal or internal investigations and litigation; process, track and assist in the review of regulations of executive branch agencies; and other related duties.

This position is first shift, forty (40) hours per week, Monday through Friday. This confidential position is exempt from collective bargaining.

Please ensure that your application is complete and have included a resume within the "Resume Tab" of your application. Candidates who do not submit the required documents above will not be considered.

Questions about these required documents should be directed to the hiring agency's human resources office: Carolyn Kozak at (860) 418-6324 or opm.recruitment@ct.gov.  
 
NOTE: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: performance reviews, supervisory references, college transcripts, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.

At the Office of Policy and Management, this class is accountable for providing legal research and the analysis of highly complex information and materials.

Performs legal research and analysis of law sources such as statutes, legal articles, legal decisions, opinions, rulings, memoranda and other legal material; interprets complex state statutes and federal regulations governing legal records and documents; determines and applies applicable state statute and/or regulation in preparing documentation; interprets court rules and state-wide policies and regulations; keeps abreast of the latest court rules and pending legislation; monitors and adheres to deadlines; reviews legal documents and may prepare legal documents; responds to requests and obtains information of sensitive nature; acts as liaison between agency, court system, relevant attorney’s offices and general public; serves as agency liaison regarding relevant policies and procedures; prepares legal and administrative reports; updates and maintains policy manuals and filing systems; assists the Office of Labor with hearing preparation and related special projects concerning collective bargaining issues; assists in contract negotiations by drafting proposals, gathering and analyzing data; assists in the drafting of proposed legislation; may perform business mathematical computations; performs related duties as required.

Considerable knowledge of legal processes and procedures; considerable knowledge of legal terminology and legal forms; considerable knowledge of legal research techniques; knowledge of relevant agency policies and procedures; knowledge of and the ability to interpret and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and legislation; knowledge of collective bargaining and labor relations; considerable interpersonal skills; considerable oral and written communication skills; considerable ability to evaluate pertinent facts, and compile and assemble such legal data; considerable ability to compose correspondence and draft legal documents; ability to understand complex laws and related reports; ability to utilize computer software.

The General Experience is defined as one of the following:

1. A Bachelor’s degree in legal studies and one (1) year of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney.

2.. Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program approved by the American Bar Association and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney.

3.. Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program consisting of a minimum of twenty-four (24) semester hours from an accredited college or university and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney.

4. Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program from a business school approved by the State of Connecticut, Office of Higher Education and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney.

5. A Law degree from an accredited Law School.

• Ability to handle confidential information and maintain strict confidentiality;
  
• Experience working in a legal environment;
  
• Ability to manage the schedules and phones of division attorneys;
  
• Critical reading, writing and copy editing skills;
  
• Experience with and ability to draft correspondence, meeting agendas, closing checklists, draft contracts and working with subject matter experts to develop and craft contract specifications and services;
  
• Extensive legal research knowledge and experience;
  
• Real estate and transactional closing experience;
  
• Experience in using computer software, including, but not limited to, Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe; and
  
• Knowledge of state freedom of information, ethics, contracting and record retention laws.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. If you are requesting special accommodations under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) please contact Carolyn Kozak at 860-418-6324 or carolyn.kozak@ct.gov.