District Attorney’s Office – Legal Secretary

Job Title: Legal Secretary
Hours: Regular Full-Time/40 hours per week; Monday-Friday
Pay Range: $19.99 – 21.14 per hour, based on experience; plus, longevity, if applicable
Department: District Attorney’s Office
Reports to: District Attorney
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Position Summary: Works under the specific direction of the District Attorney. Prepares paperwork for criminal, traffic, and delinquency cases, maintains files, prepares operating budget as appropriate. Works with confidential information on a daily basis.

Qualifications:
• Associate Degree in Criminal Justice or paralegal or a related field with three to five years criminal justice experience or any combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills and abilities.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Ability to operate a variety of office equipment including computers, printers, typewriter, photocopier, calculator, transcribing equipment, and fax machine.
• Ability to prepare and maintain the budget for the District Attorney’s Office on a yearly basis.
• Comprehensive knowledge of office procedures including telephone answering, filing and other related office procedures.
• Ability to understand and accurately type and transcribe at a high rate of speed.
• Ability to understand and follow oral instructions.
• Ability to get along well with the public and other office personnel.
• Ability to recognize sensitive matters and handle such matters in confidence.
• Ability to make administrative decisions in accordance with regulations and departmental policy and procedures.
• Ability to make arithmetical calculations.
• Ability to comprehend and interpret a variety of documents including police reports, telephone messages, letters and other correspondence, criminal complaints, subpoenas, state, local and criminal codes, policies and procedures, etc.
• Ability to prepare a variety of documents including budgets, letters and other correspondence, criminal complaints and related documents, briefs, delinquency petitions and related documents, writs, and extradition paperwork.
• Ability to use and interpret legal and basic accounting terminology.
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, with court personnel, police agencies, Division of Community Corrections, crime victim services, attorneys and judges, sales representatives, and others.

Essential Functions:
• Assist the District Attorney in the orientation of new office staff regarding office procedures.
• Participate in the interviewing and selection of new office personnel.
• Make decisions on administrative matters when the District Attorney is otherwise occupied in Court, at conferences, meetings, etc.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel, as well as PROTECT, and CCAP.
• Open and distribute incoming mail to the appropriate person.
• Log in new cases and enter into the PROTECT case management system.
• Receptionist for office – answer telephone, take messages, screen calls, handle general public coming into the office.
• Respond to a variety of contacts from various law enforcement agencies, county board supervisors, general public, victims, complainants, and other county departments and determines the purpose of their visits.
• Preparation of all legal documents for criminal cases such as letters, memorandum, motions, criminal complaints, plea agreements, warrants, summons, Informations, briefs, jury instructions, discovery, and other documents.
• Preparation of subpoenas for upcoming court hearings, contact officers, and work with the Victim/Witness Office in making arrangements for victims/witnesses to come in and meet with the District Attorney.
• Preparation of legal documents for juvenile delinquency cases such as delinquency petitions, dispositional orders, consent decrees, orders for examination, affidavits of mailing, and notice of hearings, as well as legal notification to the parties involved.
• Work closely with police officers, police departments, Sheriff’s Departments, and Division of Community Corrections regarding defendants and necessary paperwork in cases.
• Prepare, process and work with law enforcement regarding writs.
• Prepare and process search warrants and affidavits for law enforcement.
• Prepare and process subpoenas for documents requested by various law enforcement agencies.
• Coordinate and prepare the necessary legal documents regarding extradition paperwork and work with other State’s police departments and State’s Attorney’s offices, as well as our Governor’s Office regarding extraditions.
• Prepare, index and file correspondence, legal documents, memorandums, reports, complaints, traffic and ordinance matters according to office procedures.
• Prepare and maintain case files and court sheets.
• Prepare vouchers and keep track of office expenses.
• Assist in preparing annual budget and monitor the same throughout the budget year.
• Work with attorneys and court to schedule/reschedule court appearances
• Send reports and complaints to Division of Community Corrections for presentence investigations and when defendants are placed of probation.
• Obtain traffic tickets from Clerk of Courts Office after traffic court and prepare files and get police reports from various police departments.
• Implement office record retention procedures.
• Maintain records and inventory pertaining to items purchased by the office and order office supplies and equipment as needed.
• Prepare Special Prosecutor forms and contact replacements for when the District Attorney is out of the office.
• Coordinate handling of files with the Victim/Witness Coordinator.

Physical Demands
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 required to have ordinary ambulatory skills sufficient to visit other locations; and the ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and manipulate (lift, carry, move) light to medium weights of up to 25 pounds. Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm, hand and finger dexterity, including ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard, operate equipment and read document information. The associate frequently is required to sit, reach with hands and arms, talk and hear.

Work Environment:
This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

Disclaimer Clause:
Job descriptions are not intended and should not be construed to be exhaustive lists of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with a job; they are intended to be accurate reflections of those principal job elements. It is not intended to limit or modify the rights of any manager to assign, direct and control the work of employees under supervision. Lafayette County retains and serves any or all rights to change, modify, amend, add to or delete from any section of this document, as it deems in its judgment, to be proper. Other duties may be assigned.

https://www.lafayettecountywi.org/hr/job-opening/district-attorneys-office-legal-secretary-0

Deadline Note: 11:59PM