Paralegal Specialist

The State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families' (DCF) mission is partnering with communities and empowering families to raise resilient children who thrive. We are proud of our diverse and dedicated workforce who strive every day to meet the needs of those we encounter.  

We are actively recruiting for two dynamic Paralegal Specialist positions in our Meriden and Middletown offices. These are full-time, 40 hours per week, Monday-Friday, 8 am to 5 pm positions. These location assignments may be subject to change at the discretion of the Agency.  

You will discover the opportunity to:

• Engage is a rewarding career;
• Conduct legal reviews and represent the Department at administrative hearings;
• Thrive in an exciting fast paced environment;
• Provide support to a division that is passionate about the work we do;
• Respond to requests from clients, attorneys, judges, Family Relations, the State’s Attorney’s Office, law enforcement and other parties;
• Assist with drafting legal pleadings and forms for abuse/neglect proceedings in Superior Court;
• Make a difference in the public sector;
• Work together in a collaborative team environment.  

What’s in it for You – Leading Comprehensive Benefit Offerings:

• Industry leading health benefits, including medical and dental coverage; 
• Comprehensive pension plan and supplemental retirement offerings; 
• Paid time off; 
• Professional growth and development opportunities; 
• Ability to serve the citizens of Connecticut;
• A healthy work life balance to all employees.  

We hope you take this opportunity to make an impact by serving your state!  

Check out our latest YouTube video to see what it is like to be a State employee:

Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening and specify their qualifications on their application. Please ensure that your application is complete and you have included your resume in the “Resume Tab” of your application as you will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application into the JobAps system.  

Applicants invited to interview may be required to submit additional documentation supporting their qualification(s). These documents may include: performance reviews, supervisory references, college transcripts, licensure, etc. at the discretion of the agency.  

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQ’s) which will be sent to you via email after the closing date.  The email notification will include an expiration date by which you must submit (Finish) your responses.  Please regularly check your email for notifications.  Please check your SPAM and or Junk folders, as emails could end up there in error.    

Applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies.  

The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.            

Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Julie Barker, at Julie.Barker@ct.gov.

In a state agency, this class is accountable for providing advanced paralegal support in a highly complex legal unit. This class provides advanced technical leadership, research and consultation in the areas of preparing draft legal documents and draft decisions of highly complex cases; as a resource regarding issues, procedures, process and timeframe as related to cases and presenting legal matters as needed.

Performs highly complex paralegal duties as defined in one or both of the following areas:

LEGAL OFFICE OPERATIONS: 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 agency policies and regulations; keeps abreast of the latest court rules, calendar changes and pending legislation; monitors and adheres to court deadlines; reviews legal documents and prepares legal documents such as briefs, writs and pleadings for court filings; responds to relevant case information requests from courts; performs legal research and analysis of law sources such as statutes, legal articles, legal decisions, opinions, rulings, memoranda and other legal material; prepares draft legal documents; provides assistance in the discovery process; provides paralegal assistance by interpreting applicable legal provisions, regulations, precedents and policies; 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 case records, pleadings, policy manuals and filing systems; assists in the drafting of proposed legislation and advisory opinions; provides training and assistance to staff; may perform business mathematical computations; performs related duties as required.

CASE PRESENTATION OR HEARING: Analyzes highly complex cases; develops positions and strategies to settle or litigate cases at formal or informal hearings; prepares for and represents State’s interest at hearings or through case presentation; researches and gathers relevant evidence and documentation; interviews witnesses and clients; drafts legal documents, complaints, stipulations, detailed memoranda, letters and proposed findings and awards reviews substantiation appeals and provides recommendation to management regarding the legal sufficiency of substantiation findings; 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; considerable skill in fact finding techniques including interviewing clients and compiling evidence; considerable interpersonal skills; considerable oral and written communication skills; considerable ability to evaluate pertinent facts, cases and evidence 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. An Associate’s degree in legal studies and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. A Law degree from an accredited Law School.

Preference will be given to candidates who possess:

• Experience with administrative hearings under the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act;
• Experience redacting confidential information from documents;
• Experience working in a high volume, fast paced legal environment, managing competing priorities;
• Experience working with computer software such as Microsoft Excel, Adobe Pro, and web-based collaborative forums, e.g., SharePoint;
• Experience interpreting statutes and policy and applying them to factual scenarios;
• Experience drafting legal documents.

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.