Legal Assistant

**Competition #**: 43875
**Department**: Public Prosecution Service
**Location**: HALIFAX
**Type of Employment**: Permanent
**Union Status**: NSGEU - NSPG
**Closing Date**: 11-Sep-24 (Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)
About Us
The Legal Services Division is the government's law firm, providing a full range of legal advice and services to support government operations and help government achieve its corporate priorities. With a staff of more than 160 lawyers, paralegals, researchers and administrative professionals, the Division is one of the largest law offices in the Province.
About Our Opportunity
Under general supervision from the Legal Services Supervisor, as the Legal Services Technician 1-2 you will provide high quality, specialized legal administrative assistance, and file management support under the direction of two or more lawyers. You will utilize strong secretarial/administrative skills, knowledge of legal terminology and specialized procedures pertaining to certain areas of law. You will perform effectively under the pressures and strain of inflexible deadlines in a highly confidential office setting under mínimal supervision.
You will be responsible for creating, tracking, and managing litigation files. The opportunity requires you to be able to adapt to shifting priorities, balance your efforts between providing legal assistance and administrative support, respond in a timely and appropriate manner to inquiries and to be organized in your day to day file management.
Primary Accountabilities
Legal Assistance / Support to Lawyers
Provide specialized legal assistance for lawyers who provide legal advice/litigation services to government departments and various agencies, boards, and commissions
Ensure documents assigned by a lawyer are prepared, filed, and/or served within prescribed or assigned deadlines
Query and retrieve legal case law, precedent materials/documents, or other relevant information as identified by a lawyer
Secretarial / Administrative Support
Prepare correspondence, presentations, and documents of a legal and non-legal matter
Respond to inquiries from internal and external clients and the public
Schedule appointments and maintains lawyers' calendar and schedule and book rooms, court reporters, travel, discoveries, witnesses, interpreters, case conferences
Books travel and related accommodations when necessary
Works in a team environment, providing coverage to assistants on their team and other teams as assigned by the Legal Services Supervisor
Responding to Inquiries and File Management
Acts as a point of contact to ensure clients have the appropriate information including file updates, process or procedural changes, Division updates and other general matters
Manages files in the Central Registry filing system, electronic shared directory and in the file/document management databases
Organize all hard copy and electronic files including filing of documents, data entry and the use of the STAR/STOR classification system
Ensures that files/filing is up to date and brought forward for review by lawyers as required
Qualifications and Experience
You have experience and competency in an automated environment, with proficient and accurate typing, dicta typing, MS Word, and data entry skills. You have knowledge of legal terminology, procedures, and documentation, as well as excellent research, analytical and organizational skills. Your excellent communication skills, both written and oral, give you the ability to deal with clients, lawyers and co-workers in a fair, caring, and impartial manner communicating in a clear and concise manner while maintaining confidentiality and impartiality.
**Assets include**:
Knowledge of the various levels of Court
Knowledge of Civil Procedure Rules
Knowledge of provincial government departments and agencies
Experience utilizing STAR/STOR record classification system, or other file management systems
We will assess the above qualifications using one or more of the following tools: written examination, standardized tests, oral presentations, interview(s), and reference checks.
Equivalency

**Benefits**:
Based on the employment status and union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, Health, Dental, Life Insurance, General illness, Short and Long Term Disability, Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. For information on all our Benefit program offerings, click here: Benefits for government employees.
Working Conditions
Normal work week is 35 hours/week, 7 hours/day
May be required to work overtime on occasion
Typically located in comfortable office environment
Considerable periods of time sitting at desk interspersed with movement to and from printers, file storage areas or to deposit/retrieve mail
At times required to bend and lift file boxes from storage shelving and transport to review area.
Regular need to read and analyze inform