Legal Assistant

Description

The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) has one (1) opening for a Legal Assistant. This is a classified, full-time, benefited position located at our Director’s Office in Boise, Idaho.

Salary Range is $33.00/hour +DOE and includes a competitive benefits package.

This position is a classified Legal Assistant within the Department of Lands (IDL) reporting to the Lead Counsel. IDL seeks talented people committed to delivering our land management, regulatory, and assistance missions and preparing IDL for future natural resource challenges.

The incumbent assists the Lead Counsel and Attorneys with legal research, documents, file management, administrative activities, and other related work.

IDL is the administrative arm of the Land Board and, under Land Board direction, delivers results to achieve a two-part mission:

To professionally and prudently manage Idaho’s endowment assets to maximize long-term financial returns to public schools and other trust beneficiaries and to provide professional assistance to the citizens of Idaho to use, protect and sustain their natural resources.

Attorneys at IDL, and the legal staff assisting them, can expect to work on administrative and advisory tasks plus litigation across a wide range of natural resource and land management topics including endowment land management and protection plus various regulatory and assistance activities. You will work with IDL staff with natural resource expertise, a commitment to results, and passion for their work.

You must possess all the minimum qualifications below. Please make sure your resume and work history support this. Failure to do so may disqualify you from being considered for this position.

Minimum Qualifications:

Experience interpreting and analyzing judicial decisions and statutes; identifying and preparing appropriate legal documents; applying facts to case law in analysis and briefs; drafting legal documents and related correspondence; using a tickler system and tracking documents on a computerized database.

Good knowledge of legal research methods, the court system and procedures, and legal ethics.

Desirable Qualifications:

Completion of a Certified Paralegal Program

Experience determining the next required action in a litigation case; preparing and filing pleadings, motions, and orders; preparing and answering discovery requests; preparing affidavits; and case management of litigation files.

Special Requirements:

• Travel up to 20%.
• Occasional long shifts and weekend work.
• Valid Driver’s License.

Examples of Duties (Typical Responsibilities):

Legal Activities

• Analyzes case documents, identifies legal issues, and drafts legal briefs, pleadings and motions.
• Identifies, researches and analyzes case law, statutes and legislative history regarding pertinent legal issues to determine case relevancy and applicability and drafts summaries.
• Researches various legal issues and drafts outlines for attorney use in preparing presentations.
• Identifies legal causes of action and determines existence of defenses available.
• Drafts and reviews legal documents including affidavits, stipulations, discovery, agreements, deeds, deposition summaries and related correspondence.

Develops query and uses WESTLAW, law library, and legislative library to research federal and state laws and rules, court decisions, legal periodicals, and administrative rules.

Administrative Activities

• Researches and responds to inquiries from clients, interested parties, attorneys, judicial and department staff regarding status of cases, legal processes, clarification of regulations and state statutes.
• Opens, maintains, tracks and closes case files.
• Reviews cases for deadlines and procedural compliance, completeness and accuracy.
• Identifies, investigates and develops solutions to problems with internal appellate procedures.
• Provides information on procedural options concerning complaints.
• Determines jurisdiction and files pleadings with appropriate state and federal courts.
• Notifies parties of actions taken and legal documents filed.
• Arranges for service of legal documents.
• Compiles and prepares reports of case data.
• Maintains law library.
• Monitors, reviews, and tracks proposed and enacted legislation to determine impact on department and informs appropriate staff.
• Takes notes during trial to be used in preparing cross-examination and closing arguments.

Computerized Legal Case System

· Assists data processing in designing, modifying and interfacing computerized database system of legal cases.

· Researches, reviews and indexes all department related Supreme Court decisions, legal citations and other pertinent court decisions for inclusion into computerized data bank.

· Develops, maintains and modifies instruction manual for use of database system.

· Establishes and maintains computerized data base system to track all cases and determines standards for data entry.

· Establishes and maintains computerized data base of briefs filed by attorneys indexing by issue and subject matter. 

How to Apply:

Online application must be submitted by June 14, 2024, at 5:00 pm MDT.

Email: [email protected]

Please contact Jenny Willis at (208) 334-0237 for further information.

Thank you for your interest in employment with the Idaho Department of Lands!

Benefits:

· We have one of the Nation's best state retirement systems (PERSI) that offers a lifetime benefit. 

· Excellent medical, dental and vision insurance- (full-time) employee only coverage for PPO $65/month for medical and vision & $11.80/month for dental.

· Generous vacation and sick leave accrual beginning as soon as you start.

· 11 paid holidays a year.

· Paid parental leave.

· Multiple savings plans, optional 401K, and optional 457.

· Basic life insurance for employee and family (employee covered at one time annual salary; spouse covered at $10,000; child covered at $5,000)

· Wellness programs 

· Ongoing training opportunities 

· An opportunity for student loan forgiveness

· And more!

*Benefits may not be applicable for temporary or seasonal positions.

Overtime/Vacation Accrual FLSA: Note: Check this for accuracy

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) code for this position is Covered Regular (C ), based on the FLSA code for this position. Vacation accrual is based on the FLSA code and accrual rates can be found at: https://dhr.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/Section2Vacation-1.pdf (Exception: Employees engaged in Fire Suppression activities for which overtime hours are earned will be paid at the rate of 1.5 times the hourly rate for each one hour of overtime worked. Payment will be made on the regular pay date corresponding to the pay period in which the overtime work occurred.) 

EEO/ADA/Veteran's Preference:

The State of Idaho is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, political affiliation or belief, sex, national origin, genetics, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.

The State of Idaho is committed to access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities, auxiliary aids and services are available upon request. If you require an accommodation at any step in our recruitment process, you are encouraged to contact (208) 334-2263 (TTY/TTD: 711), or email [email protected]. Preference may be given to veterans who qualify under state and federal laws and regulations.

About IDL:
Become part of an organization where you will work with dedicated people who are committed and skilled in managing and protecting Idaho's natural resources.

The Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) believes in its employees and values stewardship, service, accountability and cohesiveness. Our goals emphasize our people and processes, financial stewardship, and customer focus. We strive for a culture in which leadership equips, entrusts and expects employees to make decisions in fulfillment of our mission. View our Strategic Plan here.

Under the direction of the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners, IDL manages more than 2.5 million acres of state endowment trust land under a constitutional mandate to produce maximum long-term financial returns for public schools and several other State of Idaho institutions. Leases and other contracts are used to authorize revenue generating activities such as timber harvest, grazing, farming, mining, commercial use, residential use, and conservation in a prudent and sustainable manner.

Managing endowment trust lands is only part of our story. We also protect public resources such as water quality, fish, wildlife habitat, and recreation on navigable waterways, and ensure the protection of water quality and other resources by overseeing forestry and mining practices across all ownerships in the state. We also work to reclaim abandoned mines in Idaho. One of our most important resource protection responsibilities is fire prevention and suppression. We also provide assistance to landowners to manage their forest lands, work with communities to plant trees in urban settings, help keep working forests working through the Forest Legacy Program, and work with many partners to promote healthy forests on a landscape level. IDL also is the administrative arm of the Idaho Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.