Entry Level Civil Rights Paralegal Jobs in Rochester, NY

General Description This is a paraprofessional position assigned to the City's Law Department responsible for supporting the administration of the City's FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) process which provides the public access to records maintained by the City, with certain exceptions. General supervision is received by a Municipal Attorney and related work is performed as required. This is a Competitive Class position.

The individual selected to fill this vacancy will be given a provisional appointment and will be required to participate in the next Civil Service Examination for this title. A qualified applicant may be provisionally appointed and serve in the position until a Civil Service Examination is administered and an appropriate eligible list can be established to make a permanent appointment in accordance with the Civil Service Rule of Three. (See "http://www.cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=8589935786" Provisional Appointment - FAQ's) If you are already a City employee and have permanent, competitive status in your current position and appointment to this title would result in a provisional appointment in another department, you will lose your previous permanent competitive rights

CITY RESIDENCY WILL BE REQUIRED WITHIN ONE YEAR OF HIRE. Typical Work Activities Assisting in FOIL administration. Duties may include, writing letters to requesters either denying the requests if documents are not eligible to be disclosed or that they will be disclosed at a later time, creating trial folders when necessary, creating FOIL files, entering requests into central databases, locating missing files, filing various types of documents, updating the FOIL database, and maintenance of all FOIL reports; Evaluating all-new FOIL requests for records, locating requested records where possible, or otherwise assigning FOIL requests to the appropriate department to produce responsive records; Reviewing records to determine what is relevant and disclosable under the Public Officers Law, as well as determining what information, if any, is to be redacted and redacting accordingly; Maintaining a complete calendar of statutory FOIL response deadlines for each FOIL request; Preparing a variety of written information on behalf of the department, such as status reports and correspondence; Arranging for pickups or deliveries of records and collecting any statutory fees, if applicable; Communicating with a variety of people, such as attorneys, various City departments, and the general public; Assisting municipal attorneys in the research and preparation of pending legal actions related to FOIL, filing and service of documents, and other support tasks; Conduct legal research using computer accessed legal resources, databases, and other source material such as government records; Serves as Notary Public.

Minimum Qualifications High School diploma or GED; PLUS: A. Associate's degree in Legal Assistant or Paralegal Studies and at least one (1) year of experience (full-time or its part-time equivalent) working as a litigation paralegal in a law firm, legal tribunal, or a legal department of a public or private entity; OR B. Associate or Bachelor's degree and a Certificate of proficiency in Paralegal or Legal Assistant Studies and at least one (1) year of experience as described in A; OR C.

A Certificate of proficiency in Paralegal or Legal Assistant Studies from a paralegal education program approved by the American Bar Association and at least two (2) years of experience as described in A; OR D. At least four (4) years of experience (full-time or its part-time equivalent) working as a litigation paralegal in a law firm, legal tribunal, or a legal department of a public or private entity; SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: Possession of a valid Notary Public license issued by the New York Department of State Division of Licensing Services at time of appointment. This license must be maintained throughout employment in this title.