Paralegal

Description

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

This is a stand-alone classification. The Paralegal assists with legal administrative duties such as drafting and analyzing legal documents; document preparation and review; case planning, development, and management; legal research, client interviews and fact gathering; retrieving information; and collecting, compiling, and utilizing technical information to make recommendations to legal staff and other applicable City personnel.

***PLEASE NOTE: THIS POSITION WILL REMAIN OPEN THROUGH OCTOBER 22, 2026, OR UNTIL FILLED.***

Example of Duties

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions:

• Drafts legal documents and correspondence, including routine pleadings and motions, formal discovery requests and responses, notices, affidavits, and interrogatories; files motions and pleadings according to judicial procedures.
• Meets with City attorneys, Mayoral staff, department heads, City Council, and other applicable stakeholders to discuss cases or projects.
• Accepts, documents, responds to, and manages open records requests.
• Prepares, organizes, stores, and retrieves case files which may include evidence, exhibits, depositions, pleadings, and other items.
• Acts as a liaison among all parties including the legal staff, the Mayor’s office, other City departments, the court system, and other stakeholders for scheduling and sharing information.
• Researches and analyzes statues, case law, regulations, legal articles, judicial decisions, and other legal sources and provides written analysis to legal staff.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.

Typical Qualifications

MINIMUM EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Education and Experience

• Associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies or a related field.
• Two (2) years of significant and substantive litigation experience as a paralegal/legal assistant in a law office setting.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the job's essential duties.

License and Certifications

• Paralegal certificate from an American Bar Association accredited program. (Preferred)
• Possession of a valid driver's license.

Supplemental Information

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION AND STANDARDS REQUIRED

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Applicable Federal, State, and local laws, rules, regulations, codes, and/or statutes.
• Basic principles, concepts and methodology of legal proceedings and legal research.
• Principles of legal writing.
• The Tennessee Public Records Act and the exceptions thereof.
• Understanding of legal language and principles, the court system, attorney/client privilege and ethical rules, research methods, court pleadings, processes, and other related matters.
• Problem identification, analysis, and evaluation.
• Principles of effective writing and verbal presentation.
• Computerized information and database recordkeeping systems.
• Computer information systems, including personal computer applications, work processing, and spreadsheets.

Skill in:

• Superior verbal and written communication.
• Drafting, cite-checking, and correcting legal briefs.
• Proficiency with Google Suite and Microsoft Office software applications and legal research tools such as Westlaw.
• Managing medium to large-scale document productions.
• Clear understanding of legal language and principles, research methods, court pleadings and processes, and other related matters.
• Legal research and investigation.
• Organization, keen attention to detail, and time management with a proven ability to meet deadlines and prioritize workload and assignments.
• Ability to function well in a high-paced, and at times, stressful environment.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and to exercise discretion and good judgment.
• Analyzing and solving problems.
• Applying Federal, State, and local laws, rules, and regulations.
• Computers and related software.
• Communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with subordinates, coworkers, supervisor, the general public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.

Physical Requirements:

The work is sedentary work which requires exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

• Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination sound.
• Mental Acuity: Making rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Visual ability 1: sufficient to perform an activity like preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or move from one work site to another.