Administrative Coordinator in Helena, Montana at Helena, City of (MT)

Under the direction and supervision of the Assistant City Attorney and City Attorney, supervise, plan, and perform a variety of financial, accounting, legal and highly confidential and complex administrative duties within the City Attorney’s Office ; plan, organize, and oversee the operations and functions of the office; and provide information, direction, and assistance to staff, other departments, outside agencies, and the general public.
Duty I: Legal Drafting and Review (30%)

• Assist attorneys and paralegal in the preparation of a variety of legal pleadings, including motions, witness notices, subpoenas, and bond and sentence revocations
• Assist attorneys and paralegal within the City Attorney’s Office with the preparation of ordinances, resolutions, deeds, easements, and other civil legal documents
• Assist attorneys and the paralegal in the coordination of discovery in criminal cases in both digital and paper format
• Initiate and assist in business license enforcement and delinquent utility account collection at the request of the Finance Department.
• Tracking and secondary review of agreements for various city departments
• Maintain secure records, logs and files, verifying accuracy of information, and recording documents

Duty 2: Administrative 25%

• Coordinate and schedule court hearings, including jury and judge trials, with deputy city attorneys and police officers
• Directs work regarding receiving and interviewing office visitors, city staff, and telephone callers; answering questions and providing information where judgment, knowledge, and interpreta­tions are utilized; resolving complaints; referring callers, city staff, and visitors to appropriate sources as necessary.
• Assist attorneys in contacting witnesses in preparation for hearings, collecting and documenting witness information including restitution information, and contacting defense attorneys.
• Assist attorneys and paralegal in tracking outcomes from omnibus hearings and jury confirmations.
• Assist attorneys and paralegal in tracking lab results and communicating with expert witnesses in criminal cases.
• Assist the Victim Services Specialist in the drafting, administration, monitoring, and reporting of the VOCA grant.
• Identify and apply for grants that can be utilized by the City Attorneys Office.

Duty 3: Clerical (15%)

• Create and sets up criminal and civil case files in case management system, which includes but is not limited to, entering information in the case management system and uploading reports and other relevant documents.
• File legal documents with courts
• Respond to requests for information from staff and public
• Type, proofread, and process a variety of documents, including general correspondence, reports, memoranda and spreadsheets
• Coordinate, maintain, process and balance department timesheets for submission to payroll
• Prepare, review and process payment claims; and order, receive, store, and distribute supplies
• Track files for record retention compliance
• Assist paralegal in organizing electronic files in the case management system and share drive

Duty 4: Supervisory and Office Management Duties (30%)

• Direct, supervise, and evaluate the Administrative Assistant III position.
• Assure efficient office operations by establishing and maintaining office policies that facilitate such operations by meeting with staff to identify and resolve problems; monitoring work flow; reviewing and evaluating work products, methods, and procedures; recommending improve­ments in workflow, procedures, and use of equipment and forms. This includes establishing and maintaining a procedure manual for the City Attorney’s Office.
• Prepare and monitor the office budget including analyzing and determining annual budget needs, revenue requests for designated accounts, and monitoring expenditures to verify fund balances and proper accounts of the approved budget.
• Participate in planning overall policy development for office; collect, analyze, and compile material for review and analysis; provide recommendations for changes in office policy related to office culture and relationship with other City departments.
• Administer and coordinate the onboarding and off-boarding of City Attorney’s Office employees.
• Train new administrative staff members on their duties.
• Administer and coordinate training opportunities for all employees in the City Attorney’s Office.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Related to this Position:
Knowledge:

• Basic operational characteristics, services, and activities of a municipal law department.
• Principles and applications of civil, criminal, and administrative law.
• Understanding of workings of courts and filing of court pleadings.
• Legal terminology, procedures, and technology.
• Modern office administrative management practices and methods.
• Modern office equipment including computer equip­ment and applicable software programs.
• English language usage, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation.
• Principles and procedures of record keeping and filing systems for both physical and electronic records.
• Record retention laws.
• Basic mathematical principles.
• Principles and practices used in dealing with the public.

Skills/Abilities:

• Supervise, train, and direct employees.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, work cooperatively with other departments, City officials, internal members, outside agencies and the public.
• Type and enter data at a speed necessary for successful job performance.
• Learn, interpret, and apply the policies, procedures, laws, codes, and regulations pertaining to assigned programs and functions.
• Prepare drafts of legally significant documents for attorney review, both from scratch and by using templates.
• Use independent judgment to respond to and assist with a wide variety of issues dealing with multiple subject matters and varying degrees of complexity.
• Perform general clerical work involving the use of independent judgment and personal initiative.
• Respond to inquiries and requests for information regarding policies and procedures.
• Prepare and maintain accurate and complete records.
• Research, collect, compile, and analyze information and data.
• Prepare and administer budgets.
• Plan and organize work to meet schedules and deadlines.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Develop operating procedures and implement programs and policies.

Physical Demands:
Ability to work in a standard office environment. Mobility to work in a typical office setting and use standard office equipment, vision to read printed materials and a computer screen, and hearing and speech to communicate in person or over the telephone. Requires the ability to move or lift documents and materials weighing up to 30 pounds. Accommodation may be made for some of these physical demands for otherwise qualified individuals who require and request such accommodation
Safety:
Performs all functions in the safest possible manner and according to policies and procedures. Participates fully with safety trainings. Reports unsafe work conditions and practices, work-related injuries, illnesses, and near-misses as soon as possible to assigned supervisor.