Salary: $2,827.00 – $3,734.00 Monthly
Location: Thurston County – Olympia, WA
Job Type: Full Time – Non-Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Department: Environmental & Land Use Hearing Office
Job Number: 2023-ELUHO-004
Closing: 4/2/2023 11:59 PM Pacific

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5p.m. This temporary position requires in-person office work, however, we offer flexibility for some remote work.

About us: The Environmental & Land Use Hearings Office (ELUHO) houses three quasi-judicial tribunals:  the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB), the Shorelines Hearing Board (SHB), and the Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB).   These Boards manage a wide variety of cases and make significant decisions affecting Washington State’s environment and local land use plans. Our agency is comprised of a small team of legal and administrative professionals whose mission is to support these three independent and impartial boards. We strive to make board appeal processes easy and accessible, and to provide timely and exemplary review of appealed issues.
 
ELUHO prides itself on being an employer of choice that values diversity and provides a workplace inclusive of different cultures, backgrounds, and ideas. We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees and their families. We support healthy lifestyles and a healthy work/life balance, and we aim to provide employees with professional development opportunities.
 
What you will be doing: Our legal support team works together to provide technical and legal support functions. As part of the team, you will be the first point of contact for the public, vendors, and customers. You will help ensure the office is fully functional and that staff have what they need. In addition, you will perform basic legal support to attorneys and administrative appeals judges. 
 
Who we are looking for: You are a team player who can communicate well with your team and others to understand work assignments and meet expectations. You are also able to work independently and use good judgment and problem-solving skills. We work with time sensitive legal issues, so you must be dependable with regular in-person attendance.  Because you will be supporting 3 different boards, you must be flexible and adaptable to the different way each board functions.  You must be detail oriented, observant, and able to switch gears midstream to change your work priorities and processes as needed.
 
Why you, a skilled professional, will want this position: You will learn a wide variety of skills and take on a range of responsibilities. You will wear many different “hats” and will have the chance to backfill for higher level positions. You will build direct professional relationships with judges and attorneys and will provide customer service to state agencies, attorneys, and others outside of the agency. Most of your work will be non-repetitive and will require your good, creative thinking. Your innovative ideas will be appreciated.  Lastly, you will be supported by a team that wants you to succeed.

Duties
Some of what you will enjoy doing includes:

  • Receiving and screening customers, vendors, and the public by phone and in person while directing them to the appropriate resources 
  • Responding to requests for information
  • Reading, comprehending and routing legal service documents to the proper authority
  • Performing legal document data entry functions and uploading/retrieving documents from a legal database
  • Numbering and assembling legal documents, evidence, exhibits and other materials 
  • Assisting Legal Assistants in preparing legal documents and certifying records to the Courts (including:  copying; Bates numbering; and preparing certification documents; index, tab, and file case documents; independently prepares legal letters and memos as needed, etc.)
  • Opening, reviewing, processing, filing, and routing office mail and email
  • Ordering all office supplies, maintaining the office supply room, and maintaining inventories
  • Preparing and processing vendor, travel, or expense vouchers/invoices
  • Processing paper and electronic documents/records in accordance with established office policy and in compliance with the state and agency archive and records retention schedules
  • Maintaining a well-organized central filing system with ability to track the life cycle of files from creation to closing
  • Photocopying and scanning documents, ensuring exact duplication of originals 
  • Assisting Agency Director and Director of Legal and Administrative Services with special projects

Qualifications
REQUIRED: High School Diploma or equivalent
AND
Two (2) years of clerical experience
*Experience must include:  Minimum of six (6) months of experience in a legal or professional office environment (i.e. medical records, court clerk, bank or accounting firm)
***Experience may run concurrently

OR 
 
One (1) year of legal office experience
 
AND  all of the above must include:

  • Experience showing proficiency in MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
  • Experience/knowledge of common software programs used in a legal office for word processing, data tracking, and calendaring
  • Personal/professional experience working on Zoom, TEAMS, or other video conferencing systems (set up and manage).
  • Professionalism, confidentiality, and punctuality
  • Demonstrates reliability and the desire to learn new skills
  • Communicates effectively verbally and in writing
  • Ability to work independently
  • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, difficult phone conversations with the public and ability to work in fast-moving environment

*Minimal travel required—to agency offices or occasional meetings/trainings

PREFERRED:
Experience working in state government and/or legal office experience

To Apply
Please provide the following documents in order to be considered; failure to do so may result in you not being considered for the position:

  • A letter of interest, describing how you meet the qualifications for this position as outlined in the job posting
  • A current resume, detailing experience, and education; and
  • A current list of at least three (3) professional references with current contact information (attached or available to provide at the time of interview)

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3964400/legal-office-assistant-non-permanent

Conditions of Employment:

  • COVID Vaccination Requirement: Per Governor Inslee’s Directive 22-13.1, state employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Providing proof of being fully vaccinated is a condition of employment and your vaccine status will be verified prior to starting work. Being fully vaccinated means two weeks after you have received the second dose in a two-dose series of a COVID-19 vaccine or a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use, licensed or otherwise authorized or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or listed for emergency use or otherwise approved by the World Health Organization. Please note that any offer of employment is contingent upon you providing verification of your vaccine status, having an approved medical accommodation, or having an approved religious accommodation. No start date will be approved until you have either verified your vaccine status or have an approved accommodation. 

Please do not attach your vaccination verification to your application as it will be removed. Details on how to proceed with verification will be provided once a conditional offer has been made.

Opportunity for All: 
The State of Washington celebrates our differences and we are committed to a workplace that supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, marital status, families with children (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as an individual with the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with disabilities or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws.
 
You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our organization.
 
Contact Information:
For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact Angie Anderson at (360) 407-8446 or email jobs@des.wa.gov.
 
Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3964400/legal-office-assistant-non-permanent

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