What are the responsibilities and job description for the Paralegal 1/2 position at State of Alaska?
What You Will Be Doing
The Commercial, Fair Business and Child Support Section of the Attorney General’s office is unique in its scope of representation. Where other sections focus on a single client agency or area of practice, CFB&CS provides legal support and advice to 17 different divisions, commissions, and public corporations within the Alaska Departments of Administration, Revenue, Education & Early Development, Natural Resources, and Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. The section also represents and gives advice to 20 professional licensing boards and commissions. Diverse though its practice may be, the section’s mission is clear and focused, using the skills of its attorneys and other professionals to protect the safety and improve the lives of Alaskans.
The Commercial, Fair Business and Child Support section represents a unique opportunity to serve a diverse range of clients in a variety of forums. Membership in this section provides its paralegals with the opportunity to develop diverse legal skills as they assist clients through advice, civil litigation, alternative dispute resolution, administrative litigation, regulatory law, and legislative work.
The section handles matters on behalf of the Child Support Division. This requires access to specialized databases containing a wide range of protected information from the IRS system. Due to the nature of this information, this position must submit, complete and pass to a background check. Authority for this background check is expressly provided by statute in AS 39.90.200-210.
Mission and Culture
The Department of Law upholds the rule of law, protects public safety, and provides high quality legal representation to executive branch agencies for the benefit of all Alaskans. The Department of Law is committed to excellence in our work. We will maintain the highest standards of ethics and professionalism to promote exceptional legal representation to the State through a valued and well-trained team of attorneys and administrative professionals dedicated to public service. Our team values integrity, success, positivity, creativity, collaboration, and empowerment. The applicant can expect to be relied on for their strengths as well as given opportunities for professional development as part of a focused team.
Benefits of Joining Our Team
Our paralegals are the attorneys’ right hand, helping them from top to bottom and beginning to end over the course of their cases. Within that, we offer opportunities to learn about the legal system, engage with the court, prepare for hearings and trials, and protect resources and vulnerable populations to the benefit of all Alaskans. People who succeed and thrive in our office are those who can be reliable and present each day to work alongside their assigned attorneys to tackle their various deadlines and legal puzzles.
You can expect a 37.5-hour work week; 12 paid holidays; personal leave accrual starting at 6 hours per pay period (about 21 days annually) and increasing with years of service. Our office also offers an optional hybrid telework schedule following completion of the probationary period. The general office hours are 8:00am to 4:30pm, but there is flexibility in establishing your regular hours around core business hours.
The Working Environment You Can Expect
We are offering this opportunity in either Anchorage or Juneau. Our Anchorage office is located in the Brady Building at 1031 W 4th Avenue. In the heart of downtown, you are close to cafes, lunch spots, the Coastal Trail, and parks. Employee parking is available close by.
Our Juneau office is located in the Dimond Courthouse at 123 4th Street. It also is close to the cafes, eateries, good walking spots, and parks. The building offers comfort, privacy, and good lighting.
The staff in both locations are bright, collaborative, friendly, and diligent.
Who We Are Looking For
- Self-Management: Sets well-defined and realistic goals and displays a high level of initiative and effort. The ability to problem-solve, prioritize, and adjust to changing workplace dynamics to balance multiple projects and meet deadlines in an environment with frequent interruptions and changing priorities. Proven ability to work independently. Adjusts planned work by gathering relevant information and applying critical thinking to address multiple demands and competing priorities in a changing environment.
- Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
- Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, politeness to others.
- Leadership: Effectively delegates tasks; tactfully acts as project manager or committee leader; oversees team deadlines/checkpoints; demonstrates considerate decision-making; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed.
- Legal experience: Experience in working within the civil litigation practice including working knowledge of applicable court rules or rules of civil procedure
Competency Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions
This job class uses competency based minimum qualifications. Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), 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.
Minimum Qualifications
Competency Description
The competency description(s) 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.
Please ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports/demonstrates you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.
The competency description(s) 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.
Please ensure your application (through work history, training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports/demonstrates you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.
PI01B1 – Paralegal 1
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, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
- Reading: Understands and interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs, or tables; applies what is learned from written material to specific situations.
- Written Communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
Equivalent to those typically gained by:
Post-secondary and/or vocational education in a legal or legal support area and/or experience preparing, reviewing, or processing legal documents such as affidavits, court reports, demand letters, discovery requests or responses, hearing transcripts, memoranda of advice/instruction/understanding, letters of agreement, motions, legal opinions, subpoenas, and/or writs.
PI01B2 – Paralegal 2
Successful completion of training under a formally established Paralegal 1-2 flexible staffing training plan with the State of Alaska;
OR
Any combination of education and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in:
- Adaptability: adjusts planned work by gathering relevant information and applying critical thinking to address multiple demands and competing priorities in a changing environment.
- Administrative Law: Knowledge of State and federal administrative laws, including procedures, regulations, guidelines, and precedents related to case preparation and settlements.
- 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, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.
- Stress Tolerance: Deals calmly and effectively with high stress situations (for example, tight deadlines, hostile individuals, emergency situations, dangerous situations).
Equivalent to those typically gained by:
Post-secondary and/or vocational education in a legal, paralegal, criminal justice, or similar legal support area and/or experience performing paraprofessional legal investigation, discovery, and providing support in the preparation of legal cases, reports, documents, and exhibits.
Special Note (All Levels):
Positions may require incumbents to be able to obtain a Notary Public upon hire, and to be able to pass a criminal background check to meet security requirements for using criminal record networks such as Alaska Public Safety Information Network (APSIN) and National Crime Enforcement Information Center/National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NCIC/NLETS). If this requirement is present, it will be stated in the vacancy announcement.
Some positions are required to work regular overtime during the standard workweek, on weekends, and/or holidays to provide support to the assigned duty attorney. If this requirement is present, it will be stated in the vacancy announcement.
“Competencies” means a combination of interrelated knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that enable a person to act effectively in a job or situation.
“Paraprofessional” work is typically associated with and supportive of a professional field. It involves extensive practical knowledge gained through experience and/or specific formal or on-the-job training. Work in these occupations may involve substantial elements of the work of the professional or administrative field, but requires less than full knowledge of the field involved.
“Progressively responsible” means indicating growth and/or advancement in complexity, difficulty, or level of responsibility.
“Technical” means performing tasks, methods, procedures, and computations that are covered by established precedents or guidelines and often require a high degree of skill, care, and precision.
“Training” and “education” in this guidance are synonyms for the process of acquiring knowledge and skills through instruction. It includes instruction through formal and informal methods (such as classroom, on-line, self-study, and on-the-job), from accredited and unaccredited sources, and long-duration (such as a post-secondary degree) and short-duration (such as a seminar) programs.
“Typically gained by” means the prevalent, usual method of gaining the competencies expected for entry into the job.
Additional Required Information
**NOTE: PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY**
THIS RECRUITMENT IS FOR ALASKA RESIDENTS ONLY
This recruitment is open to Alaska Residents only. Applicants must meet Alaska Residency Requirements to be considered for employment at this time.
If selected for an interview, the applicant must provide the following:
- Last two (2) Performance Evaluations
- A writing sample that is less than 5 pages on any topic. This should be a technical or professional writing sample – not a personal statement or contain personal information. Your writing sample should showcase your grammar, clarity, and ability to communicate a topic or point.
Application Notice
You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or via a hardcopy application. If you accessed this recruitment bulletin through a job search portal, such as AlaskaJobs or any other database, you MUST use a Workplace Alaska online or hardcopy application to apply successfully. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska “How to Apply" page. Your application must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on the closing date.
Education
If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill in the Education section of the application. If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the number of units completed. Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position. Transcripts can be attached at the time of application or provided at the time of the interview.
Special Instructions for Foreign Education
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the minimum qualifications listed above. If utilizing this education, you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the post-secondary institution. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.
Work Experience
If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer’s name, job title, employment dates, and whether full or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and if minimum qualifications are clearly met. If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the recruitment interview and selection phase.
Note: Attaching a resume is not an alternative to filling out the application in its entirety. Noting, "see resume" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination that your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.
Bargaining Unit
If you are a current state employee, please mark the union you are a member of at the time of application. If you are not a current state employee, do not complete this question.
Multiple Locations
This position is being recruited in Anchorage and Juneau; the final location is dependent upon the location of the most qualified candidate. There is only ONE position to be filled.
Flexible Staffing
This position is flexibly staffed. The level of the job offer will be based on the selected candidate’s credibly possessed and proven competencies. If hired at the lower level, you will be promoted to the higher level after completing the training plan and demonstrating competency in the work.
EEO Statement
The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities, who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats, please call 1-800-587-0430 or 465-4095 in Juneau or (907) 465-3412 (TTY) or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at: P. O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal-opportunity employer.
Contact Information
Workplace Alaska Application Questions & Assistance
Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 1-800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465-4095 if you are in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to recruitment.services@alaska.gov.
For applicant password assistance, please visit the reset password page.
For specific information about this position, please contact the hiring manager at the following:
Kelly West
Administrative Operations Manager
Phone: 907-269-5100
Kelly.west@alaska.gov
Careers with the State of Alaska offer MANY benefits
The following information describes typical benefits available to employees of the State of Alaska. Actual benefits received may differ by bargaining unit or branch of government, position type, or be prorated for other than full time work.
For a quick breakdown of the insurance, health, and retirement benefits available for State Employees you can view an orientation video from Division of Retirement and Benefits. (Please note this video is specifically designed for new State Employees.)
Insurance Benefits
- Health insurance, which includes employer contributions toward medical/vision/dental
- The following employee groups are under AlaskaCare Benefits administered by the State: See https://drb.alaska.gov/help/plans.html for additional information.
- AVTEC
- Confidential
- Correctional Officers
- Marine Engineers
- Mt. Edgecumbe Teachers
- Supervisory
- Unlicensed Vessel Personnel/Inland Boatman's Union
- Exempt employees (not covered by collective bargaining)
- The following employee groups are covered by Union health trusts. Contact the appropriate Union for additional information.
- General Government
- Labor, Trades and Crafts
- Public Safety Employees Association
- Masters, Mates & Pilots
- The following employee groups are under AlaskaCare Benefits administered by the State: See https://drb.alaska.gov/help/plans.html for additional information.
- Employer paid Basic Life insurance with additional coverage available (amount depends on Bargaining Unit)
Optional Insurance Benefits
- Group-based insurance premiums for
- Term life (employee, spouse or qualified same sex partner, and dependents)
- Long-term and short-term disability
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment
- Long-term care (self and eligible family members)
- Supplemental Survivor Benefits
- Employee-funded flexible spending accounts for tax savings on eligible health care or dependent care expenses
Retirement Benefits
- Membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)/Teachers' Retirement System (TRS)
- Matching employer contribution into a defined contribution program (new employees)
- Employer contribution into a defined benefit or defined contribution program (current employees)
- Contributions to the Alaska Supplemental Annuity Plan in lieu of contributions to Social Security
- Option to enroll in the Alaska Deferred Compensation Program
- Note: The Defined Contribution Plan, Supplemental Annuity Plan and Deferred Compensation Program offer a variety of investment options
See https://drb.alaska.gov/retiree/ for additional information
Paid Leave & Other Benefits- Personal leave with an accrual rate increase based on time served
- Twelve (12) paid holidays a year
