Introduction

The State of Connecticut, Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is recruiting for a Paralegal Specialist in Hartford, CT. This 40 hour per week position has a work schedule of Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm.What We Can Offer You: Visit our new State Employee Benefits Overview page! Competitive salary; Paid time off including 13 paid holidays per calendar year; A culture that encourages work/life balance; Professional growth and development opportunities; Work for a Forbes top company: State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 -� State of CT receives National Recognition for offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits and Flexible Schedule; State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service.� Click here for more information.Position Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week First (1st) shift Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm Hartford, CTDiscover the Opportunity To: Engage in a rewarding career; Work together in a collaborative team environment; Make a difference in the public sector!About Us:The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) was officially created by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1897.� The Connecticut Constitution and General Statutes authorize the Attorney General to represent the interests of the people of the State of Connecticut in all civil legal matters involving the state to protect the public interest, and to serve as legal counsel to all state agencies.

Selection Plan

For assistance in applying, please read or watch our 'Applicant Tips on How to Apply'To Apply: For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable when transferring into the Executive branch from another branch, but your state service credit will not be impacted. In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on this job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. Ensure that your application is complete and detailed before submitting it. In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. You will not be able to make revisions once your application is submitted into the JobAps system. All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to Sue Cavanaugh at susan.cavanaugh@ct.gov.After You Apply: This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the questionnaire's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam. Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency. Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.Connect With Us: Updates regarding the recruitment process will be available through your JobAps portal account.� Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position. Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees, which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics. Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Sue Cavanaugh at susan.cavanaugh@ct.gov or (860) 808-5325.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency this class is accountable for providing advanced paralegal support in a highly complex legal unit. This class provides advanced technical leadership, research and consultation in the areas of preparing draft legal documents and draft decisions of highly complex cases, and is a resource regarding issues, procedures, process and timeframe as related to cases and presenting legal matters as needed.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Performs highly complex paralegal duties as defined in one or both of the following areas:LEGAL OFFICE OPERATIONS Interprets complex state statutes and federal regulations governing legal records and documents;� Determines and applies applicable state statute and/or regulation in preparing documentation;� Interprets court rules and agency policies and regulations;� Keeps abreast of the latest court rules, calendar changes and pending legislation;� Monitors and adheres to court deadlines;� Reviews legal documents and prepares legal documents such as briefs, writs and pleadings for court filings;� Responds to relevant case information requests from courts;� Performs legal research and analysis of law sources such as statutes, legal articles, legal decisions, opinions, rulings, memoranda and other legal material;� Prepares draft legal documents;� Provides assistance in the discovery process;� Provides paralegal assistance by interpreting applicable legal provisions, regulations, precedents and policies;� Responds to requests and obtains information of sensitive nature;� Acts as liaison between agency, court system, relevant attorney’s offices and general public;� Serves as agency liaison regarding relevant policies and procedures;� Prepares legal and administrative reports;� Updates and maintains case records, pleadings, policy manuals and filing systems;� Assists in the drafting of proposed legislation and advisory opinions; provides training and assistance to staff;� May perform business mathematical computations;� Performs related duties as required.CASE PRESENTATION OR HEARING Analyzes highly complex cases;� Develops positions and strategies to settle or litigate cases at formal or informal hearings;� Prepares for and represents the state’s interest at hearings or through case presentation;� Researches and gathers relevant evidence and documentation;� Interviews witnesses and clients;� Drafts legal documents, complaints, stipulations, detailed memoranda, letters and proposed findings and awards reviews substantiation appeals and provides recommendation to management regarding the legal sufficiency of substantiation findings;� Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

Considerable knowledge of legal processes and procedures;� legal terminology and legal forms;� legal research techniques;� Knowledge of relevant agency policies and procedures;� and the ability to interpret and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and legislation;� Considerable interpersonal skills;� oral and written communication skills; skill in fact finding techniques including interviewing clients and compiling evidence;� Considerable ability to evaluate pertinent facts, cases and evidence and compile and assemble such legal data;� compose correspondence and draft legal documents;� Ability to understand complex laws and related reports;� utilize computer software.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

The General Experience is defined as one of the following: A Bachelor’s degree in legal studies and one (1) year of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR An Associate’s degree in legal studies and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program approved by the American Bar Association and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program consisting of a minimum of twenty-four (24) semester hours from an accredited college or university and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program from a business school approved by the State of Connecticut, Office of Higher Education and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney; OR A Law degree from an accredited Law School.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Previous paraprofessional-level legal experience supporting attorneys within civil litigation.�

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERThe State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes.� As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.