Trainee Lawyer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

***THIS RECRUITMENT MAY CLOSE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED. APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE***

Nevada State Public Defender is hiring for a Legal Secretary Trainee (Underfilling for a Legal Secretary 2), in Ely. Legal Secretaries in the Public Defender's office are the first contacts for the office, including greeting the public, answering telephones, screening and/or directing all incoming calls from attorneys, clients, and general public. The individual in this position will ideally have prior clerical or secretarial experience in legal environments, preferably criminal law. The individual will ideally have experience drafting legal documents. The individual in the position must be able to download and process documentation and discovery from the courts and district attorneys in multiple offices. Potential employee must have excellent skills in dealing with the public, as well as the ability to handle difficult people and situations. Microsoft Office 365 knowledge required. Knowledge of case management systems or legal database software preferred. Incumbents possess knowledge and proficiency sufficient to work independently, with additional training as necessary.

Legal Secretaries perform specialized secretarial duties for attorneys, administrative law judges, and/or hearings/appeals officers including preparing legal documents and correspondence; calendaring; maintaining records; and providing assistance on routine problems and inquiries which are not of a legal nature.

PER EXECUTIVE ORDER 2026-002, ALL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS HAVE BEEN WAIVED FOR THIS POSITION UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2026. Please refer to the link for more information: https://gov.nv.gov/Newsroom/ExecOrders/Executive-Orders/

Graduation from high school or equivalent education and one year of general clerical experience; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Maintain current knowledge of assigned caseload and status of cases; provide general information to the public, State and local governments, attorneys, court personnel, and various office personnel; act as liaison between professional legal staff, departmental personnel, and the public; determine what information may be provided and which requests must be referred to professional legal staff; refer calls to another office if necessary. Provide clerical support to assigned professional legal staff; receive and screen visitors and telephone calls; respond to inquiries on a variety of matters such as the status of pending cases; open and review incoming mail and determine priority of professional legal staff's attention when routing; mail items according to postal and statutory requirements; maintain a calendar for professional legal staff's appointments, due dates for documents, court appearances, conferences, meetings and other engagements; schedule meetings and training and make travel arrangements. Draft routine correspondence, reports/statistics and other materials requiring specific knowledge of operational methods, policies and procedures for professional staff review; prepare and type requisitions and purchase orders, as required; process requests for payment and travel claims. Format, prepare and type legal documents and correspondence in final format according to jurisdictional requirements, from rough draft, electronic documents, Dictaphone, template or notes; proofread and review for proper citation format; prepare and attach exhibits, special sections such as indexes, table of points and authorities, certificates of service, and brief covers. Process and file documents with appropriate courts or quasi-judicial bodies in accordance with the specific procedures of each body, including manner of filing and established timelines; track responses and receipts due upon or after submittals, and dates for other required actions subsequent to submittals. Gather, compile, organize, and prepare relevant material for professional staff to use in legal proceedings; review files and references to obtain information needed by professional legal staff; locate and verify/abstract information from legal files and records; and verify the accuracy of citations and quotations by checking legal sources. Establish and maintain legal and general correspondence filing and cross-filing systems as necessary; record case inventory information in order to maintain accurate records and provide for efficient retrieval of information; prepare files for archiving and storage in compliance with established retention schedules. Maintain a library of references including legal publications, law digests, reports, opinions and court decisions. Distribute or assign appropriate clerical work to lower-level staff; provide instruction and guidance and review work completed by clerical personnel. Under immediate supervision, incumbents acquire skills and experience in performing the duties outlined in the series concept. This is the entry level in the series, and progression to the continuing trainee level may occur upon meeting the minimum qualifications, satisfactory job performance and with approval of the appointing authority. Perform related duties as assigned.

Working knowledge of: standard office procedures such as filing, typing, duplicating materials, answering telephones and distributing mail; data entry techniques; telephone etiquette; correct English usage, grammar and punctuation; proper spelling of commonly used words; operation of current computers and other modern office equipment; manual and computerized filing methods; basic math. General knowledge of: business English; basic customer service skills. Ability to: use computers, telephones, copiers, facsimile machines and other office equipment; apply and understand statutes, regulations, rules, policies and procedures related to a specific program or service; read and understand manuals and other detailed written instructions; review documents for completeness and conformance to established procedures and requirements; maintain records including manual and electronic files; type proficiently at a rate of speed acceptable to the hiring authority; type, format and produce routine business correspondence, reports and other materials using a personal computer; understand and follow oral and written directions; communicate and work cooperatively with others including co-workers, clientele and the public; add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers accurately; schedule meetings and appointments; perform reception duties. Skill in: the operation and use of modern office equipment. Recruiter Contact Information: Danielle Whybrew – d.whybrew@admin.nv.gov

The State of Nevada is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to building diverse, inclusive, and innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, national origin, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, domestic partnership, genetic information (GINA), or compensation and/or wages.

Please send direct Inquiries or correspondence to the recruiter listed on this announcement.

Benefits include:

• Health Insurance: Medical, dental, life, and disability insurance programs for employees and their dependents/family are offered through the Public Employees' Benefits Program (PEBP).
• Vacation: Accrual of three weeks of annual leave each year.
• Sick Leave: Accrual of three weeks of sick leave each year.
• Holidays: 12 paid holidays per year.
• Retirement: Participation in the Nevada Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). Employees do not contribute to Social Security but will contribute to PERS if their position is at 50% or more full-time equivalency. For more information on how PERS service may impact Social Security benefits, visit the SSA publication (Download PDF reader).
• Deferred Compensation: The State offers a voluntary Deferred Compensation Program.
• No Nevada state income tax.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Eligible due to public sector employment.
• Longevity Payments Eligibility: Employees who have received a performance rating of "standard" or better and have completed eight (8) or more years of continuous service are eligible for longevity pay.

Additional benefits may apply to employees covered under a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), depending on their designated bargaining unit. For more information, visit the Labor Relations Unit (LRU).

For more details about your rights and responsibilities as a State of Nevada employee, please review the State of Nevada Employee Handbook (PDF) (Download PDF reader).

*** State Holidays The holiday schedule for State employees is established by the Legislature.

The following are legal holidays:

January 1.............................................. New Year's Day

Third Monday in January.................. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday

Third Monday in February................ Washington's Birthday

Last Monday in May........................... Memorial Day

June 19................................................ Juneteenth Day

July 4.................................................. Independence Day

First Monday in September............. Labor Day

Last Friday in October....................... Nevada Day

November 11........................................ Veterans' Day

Fourth Thursday in November........ Thanksgiving Day

Friday following the Fourth Thursday in November...................... Family Day

December 25........................................ Christmas Day

When January 1, June 19, July 4, November 11, or December 25 falls on