The New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the country with a mission of combating municipal corruption. It serves the people of New York City by acting as an independent and nonpartisan watchdog for New York City government, City agencies, and City employees, vendors with City contracts, individuals and entities that receive City funds.
DOI's General Counsel Unit seeks a Paralegal who will provide administrative and legal support to the General Counsel's office. The Paralegal will be responsible for a variety of tasks, including processing Freedom of Information Law requests, conducting legal and investigative research, drafting memoranda, preparing meeting agendas and writing minutes. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter, highly organized, detail-oriented, and possess excellent written and verbal communication skills. This position could be filled by a recent college graduate, an individual with some paralegal experience, or a well-organized individual looking to support attorneys in an investigative agency.
Responsibilities Will Include
- Process FOIL requests, including maintaining the FOIL database and tracking deadlines, searching for and reviewing responsive records, coordinating with the appropriate squads for responses, and communicating with requesters as needed
- Conduct legal research and prepare memoranda
- Draft legal documents
- Provide administrative support to attorneys, such as preparing presentations
- Perform data entry, mail merges, copying, scanning, filing and other tasks to support attorney case work and other organizational efforts.
- Perform other tasks and assignments as directed.
If selected, the candidate will be fingerprinted and undergo a background investigation.
Minimum Qualifications
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U.S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA); or
- An associate degree or completion of 60 semester credits from an accredited college, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U.S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and two years of full-time satisfactory experience, acquired in the United States, in the performance of paralegal (legal assistant) services; or
- A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and four years of full-time satisfactory experience, acquired in the United States, in the performance of paralegal (legal assistant) services; or
- A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1", "2" or "3" above. Paralegal Certification obtained in the United States from an accredited program or from a program approved by the American Bar Association can be substituted for 12 months of experience. Undergraduate credit can be substituted for experience on the basis of 30 semester credits from an accredited college for 12 months of experience. However, all candidates must have at least a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization.
To be acceptable, experience in paralegal (legal assistant) services must have involved the American Legal System.
Experience which is primarily legal secretarial or includes only incidental paralegal (legal assistant) services is not acceptable.
Special Note
Individuals must have one additional year of pertinent paralegal experience or have a baccalaureate degree in addition to the requirements listed above to be eligible for placement in Assignment Level II duties and pay of Paralegal Aide.
Preferred Skills
- Excellent verbal, written and professional interpersonal communication skills.- Strong analytical and organizational skills with a high level of attention to detail.- Excellent judgment, discretion, and ability to appropriately handle legal issues, highly sensitive documents, privileged and confidential information.- Able to meet competing deadlines and maintain the flexibility to shift priorities quickly, effectively and with accuracy.- Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs (e.g. Outlook, Excel, Word PowerPoint and SharePoint are pluses), Adobe Acrobat Professional software work with PDF documents and files and as well as with a variety of online resources.- At least one year of experience working with attorneys such as in a legal assistant, paralegal, project management position is preferred but not required.
55a Program
This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.
Residency Requirement
New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.
Additional Information
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
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