Paralegal

 

Salary: $50,000.00 Annually

 

Description

This is professional work that requires the employee to maintain high levels of concentration, patience and flexibility especially in unexpected situations.  The employee will work under the supervision of the Legal Counsel and may also be supervised by the Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner. Incumbent will be required to be guided by Agency and Governmental Regulations, Directives, Executive Orders, Legislative Acts and Bills, Contractual Agreements, the Virgin Islands Code, Board of Education Policy Manual, and the Commissioner of Education's Policies. Work is reviewed through observations, monthly reports, annual reports, conferences and/or performance evaluations. The employee is given considerable latitude in exercising professional skills and independent judgment in the performance of work.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Researches the laws, rules and regulations in education under Virgin Islands and Federal laws.
• Prepares draft of opinions and policies.
• Investigates complaints filed by parents or advocacy groups on behalf of individuals with disabilities alleging civil rights violations in education.
• Assists in preparing in the drafting of legal memorandums and other legal documents such as, but not inclusive of Memorandum of Agreements between agencies of the government, stipulations, releases, Affidavits, Collective Bargaining Contracts, responses to enforcement agencies, etc.
• Assesses correspondences from inter-Department school and activity centers and other external organizations and makes a recommendation to Legal Counsel.
• Prepares draft responses for Legal Counsel for requests by the Office of Collective Bargaining regarding arbitration cases, other collective bargaining agreement disputes and/or court related cases.
• Performs legal research and assistance in the preparation of draft Rules and Regulations for the Department of Education.
• Reviews proposed Rules and Regulations from the State Office of Special Education and makes recommendation to Legal Counsel on legal sufficiency.
• Assist with initial review of contracts for legal sufficiency.
• Arranges internal and external meetings.
• Attends to basic clerical tasks, such as photocopying, making and receiving phone calls, and fielding correspondence
• Performs other related duties as required.

 

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree and/or
• Industry recognized certification from organizations such as NALA or AACP and
• Two years of experience in legal field

 

Position Factors

• Excellent Verbal and Written Communication Skills
• Strong Organizational skills
• Comfortable Handling Large Work Load under Time Constraints
• Knowledge of local and federal educational laws, policies rules and regulations.
• Knowledge of the code of professional ethics, rules of confidentiality, and conflicts of interest laws.
• Knowledge of Departmental rules, regulations and methodologies of accurate record keeping, fiscal personnel and procurement procedures.
• Knowledge of the Public School System.
• Knowledge of Government Contract laws and Procurement Procedures.
• Knowledge of laws related to labor relations and collective bargaining.
• Knowledge of student rights, discipline, suspension laws, policies and procedures.
• Ability to conduct thorough research of case law, local and federal laws, departmental policies and/or regulations and other related source.
• Ability to analyze data and/or information.
• Ability to work in a fast- paced environment and multi-task while meeting specific deadlines.
• Ability to exercise sound, independent judgment in carrying out all functions of the position.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective and professional working relationships with supervisor, colleagues and vendors;
• Ability to make oral public presentations;
• Ability to facilitate employee and public meetings;
• Ability to consistently complete assigned tasks in a timely manner;
• Ability to write concise and detailed reports;
• Ability to write, update and/or edit policies and procedures.
• Ability to utilize Microsoft Office (i.e. Outlook, Word, Power Point, Excel);
• Ability to utilize modern technological equipment (i.e Desktop Computer, photocopier);
• Ability to travel inter-island as requested.
• High Level of Discretion with Confidential Matters.