Judicial Paralegal

Role Responsibilities

Judicial Assistants/Paralegal are senior frontline representatives of the Court and Alberta Justice, supporting the judiciary, counsel, and litigants in the Alberta Justice system. You will be responsible for managing executive administrative and paralegal functions related to members of the judiciary, including decision preparation, formatting, and filing; arranging travel; calendar management, committee work, and other executive assistant duties as required. You will also provide back-up to the other Judicial Assistant/Paralegal positions.

Your excellent knowledge of the Court system, Court procedures and relevant legislation will allow you to identify and deal quickly with complex technical problems as they arise. You will ensure proper compliance with legislation, rules, practice notes and notices to the profession, while at the same time assisting in the efficient managing of matters before the court.

You will have daily contact with the judiciary, lawyers, Court personnel, unrepresented litigants and others. Your excellent interpersonal skills will be needed to liaise with these key stakeholders before, during, and subsequent to Court proceedings.

The successful candidates must act in a responsible and professional manner reflecting the fair and equitable delivery of justice in Alberta.

As a Judicial Assistant/Paralegal, working in a team environment as well as independently, you will be responsible for providing executive administrative and legal support to five Justices of the Court of King’s Bench.

You will be responsible for a wide variety of tasks including but not limited to:

• Managing calendars and limited scheduling duties.
• Documenting and processing various claims/expenses.
• Typing, formatting, editing and proofreading judgments, including research, to ensure accuracy of the finished product prior to filing.
• Carrying out legal research and analysis for diverse and complex issues associated with cases.
• Preparing materials for court and/or attending court/meetings.
• Handling sensitive and confidential information.
• Providing comprehensive file management and associated consultation and specialized services for assigned cases.
• Handling incoming telephone inquiries.
• Coordinating travel arrangements often of a complex nature.
• Coordinating meetings and conferences, which includes organizing and assembling all documents required.
• Performing backup duties for other Judicial Assistants/Paralegals.
• Performing other related tasks as requested.

Role Responsibilities Continued

As the ideal candidate, you will possess strong communication (oral and written) and problem-solving skills; possess excellent typing and computer skills; be highly organized; have advanced proofreading skills; and will be highly motivated and creative in managing multiple projects with competing deadlines. It is imperative that the ideal candidate has worked solely for at least three executives, lawyers, or judges at a given time.

To succeed in this role, you must have excellent attendance, as well as exercise a high level of professionalism, flexibility, and attention to detail. You will possess strong leadership skills and have a well-developed ability to work independently. Having excellent knowledge of the court system, court procedures and relevant legislation will allow you to identify and deal quickly with complex technical problems as they arise.

Competencies for this position include:

• Excellent communication and judgement 
• Time management skills
• Attention to detail
• Punctuality
• Ability to multi-task
• Ability to work independently and without supervision
• Conflict management skills
• Dependability
• Professionalism
• Diplomacy & Tact
• Excellent Proof Reading
• A good working knowledge of law procedures and practices as well as the ability to work with highly confidential information.

Please click on this link to view the job description for the Edmonton position.
Please click on this link to view the job description for the Calgary position.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies:
https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following competencies:

• Agility: Ability to anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, manage resilience in times of uncertainty and effectively work in a changing environment.
  
  
• Develop Networks: Proactively building networks, connecting and building trust in relationships with different stakeholders.
  
  
• Build Collaborative Environments: Leads and contributes to the conditions and environments that allow people to work collaboratively and productively to achieve outcomes.
  
  
• Systems Thinking: The work done within the APS is part of a larger integrated and inter-related environment. It is important to know that work done in one part of the APS impacts a variety of other groups/projects inside and outside the APS. Systems Thinking allows us to keep broader impacts and connections in mind.
  
  
• Creative Problem Solving: Ability to assess options and implications in new ways to achieve outcomes and solutions.

Qualifications

All applicants must include a cover letter of 300 - 400 words in length. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. In your cover letter, please give us a brief overview of why you are suitable for this role. Your grammar and punctuation will be assessed.

A two-year diploma in a related field (e.g., Legal Assistant, Legal Administration, and Paralegal) supplemented with at least two years progressively responsible related experience.

Equivalencies will be considered on the basis of one year of education for one year of related legal experience or one year of legal experience for one year of related education.

Other Requirements:

• Lifting/moving up to 25 pounds.
• This position involves bending, walking or using the elevator to access different floors within the courthouse, and pushing or pulling a cart for file movement between floors.

Assets include:

• Previous experience as a Judicial Assistant/Paralegal/ Executive Assistant/Legal Assistant.
• A Legal Assistant Diploma.
• Experience working in a Court environment, preferably with the Court of Kings Bench.
• Experience working in an M365 environment.
• Worked solely for at least three lawyers, justices or executives at a given time for more than 6 months.

Candidates may be asked to do further testing.

Selected candidates will be asked to complete a typing test prior to scheduling an interview. Typing speed of at least 60 WPM is required.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointments to a job classification. Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

This is a permanent position, full-time, working Monday to Friday 8:15AM - 4:30PM, 36.25 hours a week.

In your resume, please include dates (including months and years) associated with all education and work experience. Also, please indicate whether your work experience is casual, part-time or full-time. For example: January 15, 2006 - June 25, 2009: Assistant (PT three 8 hrs shifts/week).

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.

Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening.

Links and information on what the GoA has to offer to prospective employees.

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) - https://www.pspp.ca
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits
• Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.
• Leadership and mentorship programs.