Legal Assistant or Trainee; NY HELPS – Buffalo RO

Responsibilities

This Legal Assistant 1/Trainee position is located in the Buffalo Regional Office and performs the following duties.

• Assist Assistant Attorneys General (“AAGs”) as needed on all federal and state court matters, including filing pleadings and records using the respective court’s case filing systems.
• Assist AAGs in drafting various legal documents, including motions to dismiss, answers, attorney affirmations, affidavits, mandatory disclosures, interrogatories and document demand response, and prepare draft orders for submission to the court. Prepare and mail correspondence relating to the same.
• Assist AAGs with calendars pertaining to court conferences and proceedings, scheduling meetings, and tracking deadlines.
• Review new lawsuits pursuant to agency and office policies and procedures, and best practice guidelines to determine what agency records or documents need to be requested from clients and agencies in order to respond to a pleading, motion or discovery request.
• Arrange for service of pleadings and motions. Prepare the required affidavit of service following. Prepare and serve notice of entry. Prepare and transmit files for appellate matters.
• In accordance with agency and office policy and procedures, review incoming legal papers to determine steps to be taken under supervision of the assigned AAGs.
• Under direction of the assigned AAG, prepare draft answers and motions to dismiss for actions and proceedings filed by incarcerated individuals, including Article 78 proceedings and writs of habeas corpus, for review by an AAG. Communicate with court regarding same. Handle submission of documents to court.
• Request, obtain, and organize documents for discovery purposes from clients and the courts. Perform initial review and redact documents as instructed by AAGs. Coordinate with clients on discovery responses.
• Assist AAGs with trial preparation, including facilitating travel of witnesses, managing documents, and creating trial binders.
• Timely communicate with clients, agency staff and the courts in connection with legal proceedings.
• Manage, open, update and close files in the case management system (NY Matters) on a routine basis pursuant to agency and office policies and procedures, including preparing documents necessary to close files. Maintain accurate records of matters being handled, including case tracking spreadsheets. Perform conflict checks using NY Matters using recommended best practices.
• Organize and maintain case files, including paper and electronic records. Retrieve files for AAGs as needed. Archive files.
• Prepare tables of contents and authorities. Cite check and proofread briefs.
• Arrange video for conferences, depositions and any other meetings, including corresponding with court reporters, witnesses, and expert witnesses, as needed.
• Assist with administrative tasks as needed, including arrange travel and prepare and reconcile charges regarding same. Assist with scanning, copying, assembling Redweld folders, binders, and deposition exhibits.
• Provide coverage of office phones and opening, sorting, and routing office/interoffice mail, as needed.
• Maintain client confidences and safeguard confidential and sensitive information, documents, and records within office policies and best practices.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

NY HELPS:
This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply. At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination.

Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.…