Administrative Technician-Office of Law, Paralegal

Howard County: Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community. Howard County Government: Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, best practices and sustainability. It is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2024, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 63 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) - the most awards in the state of Maryland, and the fifth highest in the nation, as compared to more than 3000 counties. NACo Achievement Awards are the premier national honor to recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policy making. What are we looking for? We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations. What you'll like most about working at Howard County Government: We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government. We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs. As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work. POSITION SUMMARY: Performs paraprofessional legal work in the Office of Law by assisting teams of transactional and litigation attorneys. This position serves in a confidential capacity within the definition of Howard County labor relations law and is ineligible for membership in a collective bargaining unit. STARTING SALARY HIRING RANGE: $26.31 - $32.46 $54,714 - $67,513 CLASS DESCRIPTION: Performs senior secretarial or routine paralegal work, which may include supervisory responsibility, under general supervision from an administrative or technical superior. Work typically involves independent and confidential secretarial work as the appointed secretary to a Circuit Court Judge; or work may involve writing briefs, conducting research and providing other paralegal support to a legal staff. Include the following. Other related duties may be assigned. Under supervision and review by an attorney, identifies problems of law or fact, researches and locates cases, statutes, regulations and other laws on assigned topics using print materials, electronic services like Westlaw and other resources. Proofreads legal memoranda, including checking citations for conformity with Bluebook style, checking case references and quotations for correctness, and using Shepard's or similar resource to validate cited cases, proposed deeds and contracts, including for accuracy, completeness and grammatical errors. Assist multiple transactional attorneys handling wide variety of transactions for Howard County Government, including, but not limited to: Real Estate Transactions; Financing Transactions; Land Development Agreements & Easements; Grant Applications and Grant Agreements for federal, State, and County grants; Purchasing Agreements with vendors; and Memoranda of Understanding and other agreements with governmental agencies and third-parties. Review and proofread proposed deeds, plats, contracts, etc. for accuracy, completeness, and grammatical errors. Research records in State and Federal databases, including but not limited to databases for the State Department of Assessments and Taxation, land records, MDEC, Maryland Case Judiciary, and PACER. Assists litigation attorneys in preparing for trial, including preparing exhibits, organizing files, copying documents, drafting discovery requests and responses, preparing deposition summaries, and attending and assisting at trial as necessary. Travel and retrieve records on file with circuit court, government agencies, and third-parties. Open, organize, maintain, and close files. Maintain Office of Law databases. Prepare and organize all documentation required for litigation matters and transactional deals, including litigation and closing binders. Handle bankruptcy and collection claims, including case work-up; communications with debtor and court; service of court process; and under supervision and review of an attorney, file suit and other court papers and enforce judgments, etc. Under supervision and review of an attorney, handles collection matters and civil citation matters. Interacts and communicates with the public, employees, officers and officials of County, state and federal governments and court systems. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: This job has no supervisory responsibilities.Associates Degree and three (3) years related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES: Paralegal certificate or degree from program certified by the American Bar Association, is preferred. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Excellent organizational skills. Strong analytical skills. Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, etc. Attention to detail. Ability to work well under pressure and meet competing time demands. Ability to work independently and collaboratively with a team. Ability to communicate, cooperate, and work well with a wide variety of individuals, including office co-workers, County personnel, court personnel, members of the public, other parties to County transactions and their attorneys, civil litigation defendants and their attorneys, etc. PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and depth perception. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND REASONING ABILITY: Ability to read and interpret legal and technical documents, statutes, regulations and case law. Ability to draft legal documents reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization. Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages. Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.