Paralegal

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

What You Will Be Doing

This position works in the Public Defender Agency’s Kenai office and is responsible for providing litigation assistance to attorneys representing clients in criminal, civil, child in need of aid, and commitment cases. This position is also responsible for assisting attorneys in organizing and managing cases, providing direct client assistance, and utilizing the internal case management system to draft letters and pleadings among other duties.

The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to counsel in many types of cases and the Public Defender Agency is appointed by the Court to represent people who are unable to afford counsel on their own. Paralegals are an integral part of providing that representation and protecting our clients’ rights. Paralegals work closely with attorneys and other Agency staff to acquire complete records and transcripts, provide high-level assistance on litigation preparation, and communicate with clients frequently in writing and over the phone.

This position is essential to the success of this section by providing advanced administrative and legal support.

Support staff at the Public Defender Agency have the opportunity to learn about the legal system and hone their administrative skills to further their career development in the legal field. Most importantly, they get to do this while working as a team to provide meaningful contributions to Alaska, as the work we do impacts people’s lives and protects the constitutional rights of all Alaskans.

This important work helps improve case outcomes for individuals charged with crimes, helps re‑unify families, and provides the foundation for successful re‑entry into communities. Many paralegals use the skills and experience they gain to transition to investigative and administrative management positions within the Agency, the State of Alaska, or the private sector.

Your first 12 months in the Agency are probationary and considered a training period, with formal and on‑the‑job training with your supervisor and your colleagues.

The office is located in Kenai, Alaska. The hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM with an hour lunch  position interacts and works closely with attorneys, investigators, paralegals, and law office assistants in the Kenai office and communicates regularly with co‑workers across the state, clients of the Agency, and court system staff.

This job class uses competency based minimum qualifications. Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience, 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.

The competency descriptions 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.

Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:

• Attention to Detail:
  Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
• Interpersonal
  
  Skills:
  
  Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult,…