Legal Secretary

The State of Montana has a decentralized human resources (HR) system. Each agency is responsible for its own recruitment and selection. Anyone who needs a reasonable accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the agency's HR staff identified on the job listing or by dialing the Montana Relay tana Job Service Offices also offer services including assistance with submitting an online application.

State government does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth or medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, creed, political beliefs or affiliation, veteran status, military service, retaliation, or any other factor not related to merit and qualifications of an employee or applicant.

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• One year of directly related office experience of performing a variety of office support or clerical work.
• Other combinations of directly related education and experience may be considered on a case‑by‑case basis.

• Knowledge of the functions, procedures and organization of a law office and the principles and practices of legal research; court and law enforcement systems and understanding of different aspects of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement and jail procedures as well as legal terminology.

The Legal Secretary is instrumental in ensuring the effective operations of Public Defender offices by performing a variety of high level administrative and legal office support activities. This position’s responsibilities are to ensure the smooth and effective operations of the office which include but are not limited to data input and maintaining files, scheduling appointments, providing correspondence, assisting clients and office staff with information requests, and that all court requirements are met throughout the designated location.

The Legal Secretary provides exceptional customer services to all clients, courts and internal customers in support of Public Defender Offices and reports to the Administrative Support Manager.

• Manages and provides information regarding requests from clients, courts and office staff.
• Arranges meetings, conferences and schedules appointments for clients, staff and management; coordinates office functions with other state and local government offices.
• Creates, reviews and maintains court calendars and provides complete and factual court calendars to appropriate parties and makes sure attorneys are notified.
• Receives and screens office visitors and telephone calls.
• Formats, drafts, prepares a wide variety of time sensitive and official legal documents such as legal pleadings, affidavits, warrants, motions and orders, summonses, subpoenas, correspondence, briefs, complaints, appeals, and pretrial agreements, stipulations, finding of facts, judgments, dismissals, and related documents in criminal cases and other public defender cases in accordance with instructions established in policies and procedures.
• Reads and analyzes incoming correspondence, faxes, e‑mail, memos, submissions, and reports to determine their significance and plan their distribution.
• Reviews and distributes mail includes mailing, fax, or arranging delivery of legal correspondence to clients, witnesses, and court officials.
• Prepares open cases and submits referrals to the conflict Defender Office.
• Establishes and maintains case files and ensures that such files are complete, up to date and in proper format and order, for criminal, dependent neglect, mental, and juvenile cases; retrieves legal documents, records, and reports.
• Inputs data into Case Management System concerning all clients, case information, closes cases and runs reports from the OPD Case Management System.
• Scans or copies correspondence, documents, evidence, and other printed material and enters into Case Management System.
• Prepares invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements and other…