Legal Specialist
JOB CODE: 2038
PAY GRADE: 1110
SALARY RANGE: $25,271 - $42,971
LOCATION OF WORK
Various City-Parish Departments
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Under the direction of a higher classification, performs responsible clerical work involving duties of a legal nature. Work may involve preparing and processing court records including accepting and recording traffic fines, issuing and recalling bench warrants and reassigning court dates. Employees of this classification should be familiar with legal terminology, legal format and legal forms. Independent judgment is exercised in the performance of assigned duties and incumbents are sometimes required to assist higher level employees in the courtroom or office. Performs other work as requested.
ESSENTIAL WORK TASKS
Advises traffic violators of procedures, alternatives and charges; accepts and records fines according to a fine schedule; issues and recalls bench warrants; forwards violators to proper location for assistance.
Reassigns court dates on traffic violations according to the schedule of officers assigned court dates; obtains records prior to court and arranges in order of dockets.
Prepares verification of court appearance for defendants; locates and forwards files to court; prepares arraignment files.
Makes a verbatim record of court proceedings on PC based digital recording system; arranges for the production of and prepares written transcripts; prepares case records to be lodged with the Appellate Court; catalogues CD tapes, recordings, and log notes and maintains their storage.
Provides information to attorneys and the general public on court procedures.
Provides assistance to Senior Legal Specialists and Legal Secretaries as needed in the courtroom or Judges' office.
Provides assistance in preparation of court dockets for incarcerated defendants; scheduling appearance of incarcerated defendants; and typing commitments.
May rotate to different divisions periodically.
May be deputized in order to administer oaths to witnesses in accordance with the law.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
Knowledge of legal terminology and legal format.
Knowledge of court procedures and processes.
Knowledge of modern office practices, procedures and clerical techniques.
Skill in the operation and care of modern office equipment such as computer terminals and associated equipment.
Ability to make responsible decisions in accordance with established policies and procedures.
Ability to accurately record court proceedings at a reasonable rate of speed.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of records.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with superiors, co-workers and the general public.
Ability to apply good work habits such as punctuality, reliability, preciseness, and dependability in order to effectively complete assigned tasks and contribute to the smooth operation of the department and division.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
High school diploma, GED, HiSET, or equivalent certificate of competency, and three years of experience in progressively responsible clerical duties of a legal nature.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Any equivalent combination of education and experience.
CERTIFICATIONS / LICENSES / REGISTRATIONS
(Unless otherwise specified below, must possess at the time of appointment and must be maintained current throughout employment in this classification.) Position(s) may require the ability to obtain a Certified Digital Reporter Certificate (CDR).
OTHER JOB ASPECTS
Position(s) may require passing a typing (45 words per minute), word processing, spreadsheet and/or other computer skill test(s).
NOTE:
The work examples described in this specification are intended only as an illustration of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from job performance requirements if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the job.