Legal Assistant 1 (NY HELPS)

Individual will assist in providing professional support to attorneys and will work within the Investigations Unit. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Triage claims of discrimination.
• Ensure duplicate claims of discrimination are closed timely and that Claimants are notified that the duplicate claim has been closed.
• Review complaints for issues that might suggest additional causes of action may be warranted; and confer with the Assistant Commissioner for Intake for proper follow-up.
• Assign claims of discrimination to Office Assistants and Program Aides for follow up action, including, requests for clarification and supporting evidence.
• Follow up with Complainants timely to get clarity on complex allegations of discrimination.
• Escalate complex claims of discrimination with the Assistant Commissioner for coordination with General Counsel’s office, where appropriate.
• Conduct research to determine the proper, legal name of Respondents and where a Complaint should be served.
• Update information about cases contemporaneously in the Division’s case management system.
• Identify Complaints that warrant priority attention during the Investigation phase, such as cases that involve health and well-being issues and cases where the Complainant has been threatened with eviction; and communicate that priority to the assigned Regional Office.
• Coordinate with Assistant Commissioner to confirm all cases that appear to not qualify for investigation.
• Prior to serving the Complaint, prepare a list of Complaints to be served and submit to the Assistant Commissioner for Intake to identify the Regional Offices that should be assigned to investigate the Complaints.
• Ensure all claims of discrimination are processed to Intake resolution no later than 30 days after receipt of the claim. This will include serving a Complaint, issuing a letter for Lack of Jurisdiction, or closing a case due to the Complainant's failure to respond timely.
• Answer calls from parties to an investigation on subject matters that require advanced knowledge.
• Supervise Office Assistants and Program Aides assigned to the Unit who are tasked with such activities that include, but are not limited to, obtaining evidence or clarity from Complainant, issuing letters, and following up timely with Complainants, serving the Complaint and inviting early conciliation.

Minimum Qualifications

*This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).

Current New York State Division of Human Rights employee with one year or more permanent, contingent-permanent or 55b/c service as a Legal Assistant 1 and are interested in reassignment; OR current New York State employees with one year or more of permanent, contingent-permanent or 55b/c service in a position at SG-12 or above and eligible for transfer under section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law.

Non-Competitive Minimum Qualifications: Two years of full-time experience as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant (see “definition” below).

Definition: a Paralegal/Legal Assistant is someone who applies knowledge of the law and legal procedures in rendering direct assistance to lawyers, clients, and courts; prepares and interprets legal documents and forms; researches, compiles, and uses information from legal materials to provide both written and verbal comments on their findings; and analyzes and handles routine procedural problems independently with minimal attorney oversight.

Examples of non-qualifying experience: receptionist, records clerk, bookkeeper, office manager.

Substitutions: An associate degree (or higher) in paralegal/legal assistant/legal studies program or a certificate in a paralegal/legal assistant/legal studies program where the degree was granted from a regionally accredited college or university, or one approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) OR an associate degree in any field where the degree was granted from a regionally accredited college or university, or one approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) AND one year of experience as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant (see definition in MQs) OR graduation from an accredited (ABA approved) law school with a degree required for NYS Bar will be accepted as meeting the educational and experience requirements for this title.

For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title maybe filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.

At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to complete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

NOTE: This vacancy posting is for the purposes of notifying individuals about transfer opportunities. Employees on the Civil Service eligible list will be considered and should not respond to this posting. If you are on the eligible list and not reachable, you may be eligible for transfer. You are encouraged to access GOT-IT on the Civil Service website (www.cs.ny.gov) to determine transfer eligibility or contact Justice Center Human Resources for your transfer options.