Paralegal/Legal Assistant - Colorado Springs

Job description

Description
University Counsel has a dual report to the Board of Regents and the President of the University and includes several legal functions that provide an array of services to the University of Colorado system. The Office of the University Counsel provides legal advice to the Board of Regents, the president, system administration and the campuses.

Position Summary
The Paralegal/Legal Assistant provides legal support to the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) Office of University Counsel.  This position is responsible for issuing, reviewing, and monitoring legal holds, processing open records requests, managing caseloads, preparing exhibits, assisting with agency actions, and processing statutory notices.  The Paralegal/Legal Assistant maintains and preserves the confidentiality of the office, administration, and University by exercising discretion in communicating information to administrators, faculty, students, staff, alumni, and various constituents and in handling administrative and legal files/records, personnel actions, and similar confidential items. Additionally, this position provides a variety of general administrative support to the department. 

This position requires independent and effective decision-making, analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to manage multiple, complex and concurrent projects or tasks. The Paralegal will need to have the ability to meet deadlines and work well under pressure, requiring limited general supervision for day-to-day tasks in a fast-paced environment.  This is not a large office, so everyone is asked to pitch in and help regardless of title. A successful candidate must be able to think critically, recognize issues, anticipate needs, propose possible resolutions, follow-up, solve problems, and work collaboratively, positively, and professionally in a team environment.

This position reports to the UCCS Managing Associate Counsel and is exempt from the State of Colorado Classified Staff System. This position is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Duties and Responsibilities
Duties and responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to: 

Paralegal, Litigation, and Legal Support

• Legal Holds, Document Preservation and Collection:  
  • Issuing legal hold notices as needed.
  • Reviewing and monitoring legal holds for litigation matters.
  • Contacting University constituents to obtain information and documentation. 
  • Collect, organize, index, and code all documents.
• Disclosures, Discovery, and Other Records Requests:
  • Process all Colorado Open Records Act (“CORA”) requests, including responding to requestors and tracking deadlines.
  • Reviews all documents for CORA requests, disclosures, and agency investigation responses and makes initial determination regarding information that is privileged or that otherwise requires redaction, and drafts privilege logs. 
  • Identifies key documents.
  • Compiles and organizes responsive materials for production.
  • Maintains organized document repository, workspaces, and databases for use throughout the matter.
• Calendaring/Deadline Management:
  • Calendars and supports counsel in meeting all deadlines.
• Case Load Management:
  • Act as primary point of contact for the legal office.
  • Schedule, attend and take notes for all witness interviews.
  • Participate in management of scheduling and preparation of legal tasks, including depositions and hearings.
• Drafting: 
  • Reviews all applicable rules and practice standards to ensure documents are compliant.
  • Prepares summaries and chronologies.  
  • Proofreads and checks citations.
  • Under attorney supervision, assist with agency actions, including EEOC, CCRD, OCR and State Personnel Board.
• Prepare exhibits for pleadings, administrative agency responses, and/or mediations.
• Prepare and e-file documents in response to state and federal agency actions.
• Receive, review and process statutory notices of claims addressing potential lawsuits against the University of Colorado.
• Research projects as requested.
• Notarizes documents upon request.
• Maintaining legal publications and law library materials.
• Other duties as assigned.

Administrative Support

• Provide a variety of administrative support to the department, which may include:
  • Receiving, analyzing, routing, and preparing incoming and outgoing communications (mail, submissions, letters, agendas, memos, etc.) 
  • Answering phones and greeting visitors, including university, state, and federal officials.
  • Calendaring, scheduling meetings, and making travel arrangements.
  • Maintaining inventory, office supplies, computers, and equipment 
  • Serve as first line IT liaison and coordinate maintenance and repairs.
  • Serve as building proctor and report maintenance issues.
  • Prepare mileage and expense reports through Concur.
  • Maintain general office files and materials
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Who we are:

System Administration, which also houses the Office of the President, is located in the uptown neighborhood of Denver with a few smaller offices located on the campuses.  However, this position is located in Colorado Springs.  Many of our departments support the educational and research missions of the four University of Colorado campuses, but System Administration is not considered a campus. We provide diverse opportunities for professional development, innovation, and collaboration with talented staff and faculty.  Learn more about CU System Administration.

The University of Colorado has been proactive in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can visit our COVID-19 webpage for more information.

What we offer:

Salary: The salary range has been established at $49,400 - $63,000, with the anticipated hiring range at $50,000 - $55,000.

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Benefits: The University of Colorado offers an excellent benefits package including:

• Medical: Multiple plan options
• Dental: Multiple plan options
• Additional Insurance: Disability, Life, Vision and Wellness
• Retirement 401(a) Plan: Employer contributes 10% of your gross pay
• Paid Time Off: Accruals over the year
  • Vacation Days: 22
  • Sick Days: 15
  • Holiday Days: 10
• Tuition Benefit: System employees have the benefit on all campuses 
• ECO Pass: RTD Bus and light rail service
• Additional Perks & Programs: Click here to access a few more Perks and Programs

Click here to access our Total Compensation Calculator to see what your total rewards could be at CU. This position is a University Staff position.

Additional taxable fringe benefits may be available.

More information on benefits programs, including eligibility, is available at www.cu.edu/employee-services/.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
To be successful in this position, candidates will need the following:

• Excellent research skills, including navigating and understanding case law, statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, excellent organizational abilities, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and proactive work ethic.
• Ability to produce timely and accurate work product.
• Ability to adhere to the highest level of confidentiality at all times.
• Ability to work independently and under pressure to manage multiple concurrent tasks and responsibilities and to deal with changing priorities.
• Excellent time-management skills and comfort working in a deadline-driven environment
• Attention to detail with a high degree of accuracy.
• Exceptional client service both internally and externally in a professional manner.
• Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with co-workers, supervisors, internal and external constituents, other University administrators and the public.
• Skilled in utilizing Adobe Acrobat Pro, Microsoft Office Suite, including Microsoft Word, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint and Outlook software applications. Also, must be adept at learning and mastering new forms of technology as required to perform the duties of the position.
• Ability to manage shifting priorities including dealing with constant interruptions and distractions.
• Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize tasks to meet critical deadlines.
• Ability to think critically, creatively, and strategically.

Qualifications
Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education, or equivalent professional experience (professional experience may be substituted for the educational requirement on a year-for-year basis)
• Three (3) years of paralegal experience, which includes docketing deadlines; gathering relevant information for discovery; drafting chronologies; preparing pleadings, correspondence, witness lists and exhibit lists; and scheduling witness interviews, depositions, hearings, and trials.
• Certified Colorado Notary Public, or eligible to obtain Certified Colorado Notary within six (6) months of hire.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Five (5) years of paralegal experience, as indicated above
• Paralegal Certification
• Prior experience with one or more of the following:
  • State and federal electronic case filing applications.
  • Working with all phases of the electronic discover reference model (EDRM), including collection, review and processing, project management, and productions of electronic discovery through e-discovery software.
  • Colorado State and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
  • Federal appellate practice.
  • BlueBook Citation format.
  • Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) or Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
  • Deadline docketing software.
  • Working with matter management software. 
  • Working in employment law.
  • Working in a higher education or government setting.
  • Working in a large law firm or large in-house law department.
  • Using a Human capital management (HCM) software (e.g. Peoplesoft).

Job Category: Audit and Legal
Primary Location: Denver
Schedule: Full-time
Posting Date: Feb 9, 2021
Unposting Date: Ongoing

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