Para-Legal Assistant I (SR-18) Government Job Dept-Office of the Prosecuting Attorney Full Time

Please note that this recruitment will close at 4:30 p.m. HST on December 29, 2021.
 
Salary rate is determined by collective bargaining agreements or Pay Administration Policy as applicable.
 
COVID -19 VACCINATION STATUS: All new hires must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.  Upon offer of employment, it would be incumbent upon the applicant to notify the County of any religious or medical exemption that will prevent the applicant from meeting this requirement.  Requests for a reasonable accommodation will be considered on an individualized basis.
 
ELECTRONIC MAIL (EMAIL) NOTIFICATIONS: The Department of Human Resources will use ONLY electronic mail (email) to notify applicants of important information relating to the status, processing of their applications and examination notices due to the COVID-19 situation.
 
Please ensure that the email address and contact information you provide is current, secure, and readily accessible to you. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our emails or fail to check your emails in a timely manner.  In addition, please be aware that you may no longer receive notification about applications submitted if you choose to disable the Job Application Emails feature.
 
Recruitment No.: 2122-199 Intra Departmental; 2122-200 Inter Departmental; 2122-201 Open Competitive
 
Intra: Limited to civil service employees employed by the County of Kaua‘i, Office of the Prosecuting Attorney
Inter: Limited to civil service employees employed by the County of Kaua’i
Open: Includes all interested individuals including members of the general public
 
Eligible lists may be used for temporary and permanent vacancies for the class of work during the life of the eligible list.  Temporary appointments may lead to conversion to permanent employment.

Performs moderately difficult para-legal work in support of professional staff attorneys; assists in carrying out the more complex tasks under closer supervision or for the purpose of learning; and performs other related duties.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must meet all the requirements for the position they are seeking as of the filing date of their application, unless otherwise specified. If you do NOT meet the minimum qualification requirements your application will be rejected.  Therefore, please provide a complete application of all the information you would want considered in our review.  Applicants may request an administrative review to provide clarifying information only on the information that was originally provided on the application at the time of filing; subsequent submittal of missing documents or new information that was not part of the original application submittal will not be considered in the Administrative Review.
 
Please note that unless specifically indicated, internships that are required for graduation may not be credited for experience. Your possession of the required amount of experience will not in itself be accepted as proof of qualification for the position. Overall paid or unpaid experience must be of such scope and responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate that you have the ability to perform the duties of the position.
 
Note: Calculation of experience is based on full-time, 40-hour work weeks. Part-time experience will be pro-rated. Example: Twelve months of experience at 20 hours per week is equivalent to six months of experience. In addition, hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week will not be credited. Example: Twelve months of experience at 60 hours per week is equivalent to one year, not one and one-half years.

Training and Experience:  A combination of education and experience substantially equivalent to graduation from high school; and

• four and one half (4 ½) years of specialized work experience.

 
Qualifying Specialized Work Experience: Work experience in legal stenography, legal secretarial, court clerical or other related work involving the research, application, interpretation or explanation of laws, rules, and regulations which demonstrated a thorough working knowledge of legal procedures and terminology and the drafting, review and processing of legal papers and documents in a law office.
 
Substitutions Allowed:
The following may be substituted for education:

1. Four (4) years of full-time general work experience may be substituted for a high school diploma. 
2. Successful completion of semester credits leading towards a degree or diploma from an accredited community college, college or university, trades school, etc., may be substituted up to four (4) years of the education requirement (15 semester credits = 6 months).
3. An Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree from an accredited community college, college or university, trades school, etc., may be substituted for the education requirement. 

The following may be substituted for experience:

1. Successful completion of semester credits in legal secretary studies, paralegal studies, legal studies, law, or a related field leading towards a degree or diploma from an accredited community college, trades school, may be substituted up to two (2) years of the specialized work experience (15 semester credits = 6 months). 
2. An Associate’s degree in legal secretary studies, paralegal studies, legal studies, law or a related field from an accredited community college, business, or technical school, may be substituted for two (2) years of specialized work experience. 
3. A Bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies, legal studies, law or a related field from an accredited college or university may be substituted for up four (4) years of specialized work experience. 
4. A Master’s or PhD degree in paralegal studies, legal studies, law or a related field from an accredited college or university may be substituted for up to one (1) year of specialized work experience. 
5. A Juris Doctor degree from an accredited college or university may be substituted for up to four (4) years of specialized work experience. 

If a degree is used to substitute for the education requirement, it may not be used again towards the experience requirement. If work experience is used to substitute for education, it may not be used again to meet the experience requirement. If the applicant holds more than one degree, transcripts must be provided, and a thorough review will be conducted by the DHR staff in order for more than one degree to be credited towards the minimum qualification requirements. Additional degrees can be considered if obtained independently through mutually exclusive classes from another degree being considered. Substitutions will be used to the advantage of the applicant.
 
Quality of Experience: Possession of the required number of years of experience will not in itself be accepted as proof of qualification for a position. The applicant’s overall experience must have been of such scope and level of responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate that he/she has the ability to perform the duties of the position for which he/she is being considered.

Knowledge of: Common legal terms and forms; basic constitutional law; types of court actions and the various court rules and procedures; methods and techniques of legal research and sources of legal information; legal writing; interviewing techniques.
 
Ability to: Read, write, analyze, and apply the law; understand the legal process; prepare, process, and maintain legal records, forms, and documents; conduct research, compile, summarize and digest materials, draft documents, and prepare reports; follow oral and written instructions; deal tactfully and effectively with other employees and the general public; keep matters confidential; operate common office equipment.
 
Tests: Applicants may be required to qualify on an appropriate examination.
 
Health and Physical Condition Requirements: Persons seeking appointment to positions in this class must meet the health and physical condition standards deemed necessary and proper to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.
 
Physical Effort Grouping: Light

Required Forms and Documentation:

1. Copy of your high school diploma or equivalent.
2. Evidence of education (degree or transcript).  A legible photocopy of an official transcript will be accepted.  DHR reserves the right to request an official copy if substituting education to meet the minimum qualification requirements.

Note: Transcripts downloaded from the internet are not acceptable. Copy of your education degree or transcripts must be submitted in order to be given credit.  Copies will not be returned.  Supporting documents must be attached to the application postmarked or dropped off to: Department of Human Resources, 4444 Rice Street, Suite 140, Lihue, HI 96766 or emailed: [email protected] within 10 calendar days from filing the application. Office hours are Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Examination:  The examination may consist of a written test, training and experience evaluation, or any other examining technique. Be certain to list all pertinent training and experience, as this may be important in determining your examination score. It is essential that the applicant describe fully the duties and responsibilities of each position held, specify the date of each position held (from and to, month and year), and indicate the number of hours worked per week. Candidates may be examined for their knowledge and abilities as mentioned above.

• Please note written exams are held ONLY on Kaua’i.  We do NOT conduct testing in other jurisdictions. 
• When attending the exam, please be prompt.  There will be no admittance once the door is closed.  
• Masks need to be worn at all times.
• In the event that a candidate does not have a mask, he/she must leave the testing site and will not be able to participate in the written exam (as required by emergency proclamation).
• A candidate may request for an accommodation if he/she is unable to wear a faced mask. A doctor’s note indicating the inability for the candidate to wear a face mask must be submitted PRIOR to the written exam. Alternate arrangements will be made to test the candidate individually on a different day/time. The candidate will be required to wear a face shield.

For further information about Equal Employment Opportunity, the Merit Civil Service System, Citizenship and other requirements, Reasonable Accommodation, Veterans Preference, Examination Requirements, and the Internal Complaint and Merit Appeals Board Processes please visit our website at www.kauai.gov.
 
NOTE: Persons selected for employment will be required to pass a suitability background investigation which may include, but not limited to, an oral interview, reference check, drug screening, pre-employment medical exam, psychological assessment, polygraph test, as applicable to the position to their employment.

Benefits: As a civil service, full-time position, this position comes with the following BENEFITS and associated deductions:

• Pay Raises: Pay raises are negotiated by the respective union for this position. This position is part of bargaining unit 3, Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA).
• Paid Vacation Time: Employees start accruing paid vacation time immediately upon hire!  14 hours are earned after a full month of service which means 21 days per year!
• Paid Sick Leave Time: Employees start accruing paid sick leave time immediately upon hire!  14 hours are earned after a full month of service which means 21 days per year!
• Paid Holidays: The County recognizes 13 holidays per year as well as General Election Day every other year.
• Retirement: This position is eligible to participate in the State sponsored defined benefits retirement plan. The State of Hawaii Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) is the current retirement plan which requires employees to contribute a portion of their earnings to the retirement plan. Currently, most employees must contribute 8% of their pay to the retirement system.  However there are exceptions, for example Police Officers and Fire Fighters contribute 12.2 to 14.2%. Please see the ERS website at https://ers.ehawaii.gov/members/active for more information.
• Health Insurance: The County pays a portion of the premiums for employee’s enrollment in a State sponsored Medical, Drug, Vision, and Adult Dental Plan. This is managed through the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund (EUTF).  Please see the EUTF website at https://eutf.hawaii.gov/ for current employee contribution rates.
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Employees can increase their take-home pay by having the County deduct the cost of health care premiums, medical and dependent care expenses before payroll taxes are withheld.
• Group Life Insurance: The County provides a free life insurance policy (currently worth $38,505) for active employees for those employees who pass away while employed. For more information, go to the EUTF website https://eutf.hawaii.gov/health-life-insurance-providers/securian/active-benefits/ for more information. Age reductions apply and coverage decreases beginning at age 65. 
• Deferred Compensation (IRC Section 457 Plan): Employees are eligible to join the State of Hawaii Island Savings Deferred Compensation Plan and defer portions of their income taxation on retirement savings into future years. Please refer to the Island Savings website at https://islandsavings.preparewithpru.com/index.html for more information. 

PLEASE NOTE: Benefits are subject to legislative and negotiated changes.