Law Office Assistant

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

This position provides support to the Office of Public Advocacy’s Appeals and Statewide Defense section in Anchorage through experienced administrative and communication skills combined with a strong work ethic. The position provides administrative support with the following tasks:

• Filing legal documents with the court and serving parties. Format, edit, proofread and revise documents for correct caption, syntax, punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
• Processing incoming and outgoing mail and discovery;
• Monitoring the shared office email inbox for incoming pleadings, orders, and discovery;
• Organizing paper files for multiple types of cases;
• Calendaring deadlines for attorneys;
• Running a daily calendar with each attorney’s hearings for the next day;
• Answering incoming phone calls;
• Managing daily office needs such as maintaining office equipment and ordering office supplies.

The Office of Public Advocacy (OPA) provides legal advocacy and guardianship services to indigent and vulnerable Alaskans. The Appeals and Statewide Defense section provides representation for indigent criminal defendants and civil litigants in a wide range of cases: felony and misdemeanor trials, criminal appeals, post-conviction relief proceedings, juvenile delinquency cases, protective guardianship proceedings for incapacitated adults, and Child in Need of Aid cases.

OPA is a fast-paced work environment comprising individuals who care deeply about their responsibilities to our clients to whom the Agency is appointed.

Our office presents the opportunity to work as part of a strong team providing advocacy on behalf of indigent and vulnerable Alaskans while enhancing your administrative skills and legal acumen.

The Appeals and Statewide Defense office is located in downtown Anchorage. Free parking is available. The office is next to the courthouse and near many restaurants and shops. The Law Office Assistant position is the sole law office assistant for the unit’s seven attorneys and one investigator. Administrative support is also provided by one paralegal.

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

• Adaptability: adjusts planned work by gathering relevant information and applying critical thinking to address multiple demands and competing priorities in a changing environment.
• Attention to Detail:
  Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
• Clerical:
  Knowledge of filing, typing, entering data, maintaining records, taking shorthand, and using and completing forms.
• Computer
  
  Skills:
  
  Uses computers, software applications, databases, and automated systems to accomplish work.

PI01A2 – Law Office Assistant 2

One year of specific experience as a Law Office Assistant 1 with the State of Alaska;

OR

Successful completion of training under a formally established Law Office Assistant 1-2 flexible staffing training plan with the State of Alaska;

OR

One year of experience in a law office, or other administrative experience that includes the regular, proficient use of electronic management information systems and word processing and other standard business software applications for preparing, reviewing, or processing legal documents such as affidavits, court reports, demand letters, discovery requests or responses, entries of appearances, hearing transcripts, memoranda of advice/instruction, motions, legal opinions, subpoenas, and/or writs.

Substitutions:

A bachelor’s degree in a legal field of study may substitute for the required experience.

An associate’s degree or specific vocational-technical certification in a legal support career area (e.g., paralegal, Law Office Assistant, legal secretary, or criminal justice) may substitute for up to 6 months of the required experience.

Post‑secondary education from an accredited college or university in a non‑legal field of study may substitute for up to 6 months of…