Legal Assistant 2 - DAC

Description We have multiple positions available! This position is 37.5 hours per week in the office. A hybrid schedule may be considered after a probationary period is successfully completed. Summary

Why It's a Great Opportunity:

This is a great opportunity to provide legal support work for Pierce County Attorneys, courts, and clientele. You will explain rules and interpret established guidelines to persons who may have no knowledge of legal procedures, as well as provide technical assistance and procedural information to the public, attorneys, and other justice system personnel and agencies. Clients are often in the most stressful situation of their lives and may have limited insight into their situation; therefore, the role you play is crucial. As a Department of Assigned Counsel employee, you make a difference in people's lives and make a positive contribution to Pierce County.

Why It's a Great Department:

The Department of Assigned Counsel (DAC) is responsible for the delivery of mandated legal services to indigent persons accused of crimes in the Pierce County Superior Court; Pierce County District Court; Municipal Court of Tacoma; and Pierce County Juvenile Court proceedings. DAC also provides constitutionally mandated legal services to persons detained for Involuntary Civil commitment proceedings at Western State Hospital, and other evaluation and treatment facilities, and a limited number of participants in Dependency proceedings. The mission of the Department of Assigned Counsel is to provide and administer the public defense delivery system in Pierce County in a manner that assures eligible people receive professional and effective representation while efficiently utilizing public resources. You can learn more about DAC here.

How to be Successful in the Role:

Understanding and implementing attorney/client privilege is of utmost importance, as you may be navigating sensitive situations. To succeed in this role, you must have the ability to provide accurate and timely legal support, communicate effectively, and work with other team members to ensure all procedures are followed and work is completed professionally, with empathy, and to the standard. Throughout the training process, you will meet with your Supervising Support Staff Lead regularly to discuss expectations and set goals for yourself and introduce you to the current court and reception policies and procedures, computer programs (LINX, JABS, JIS), and the teammates you will work with to support your clients.

Your Future in this Role:

In this position, you will develop professional networks with attorneys, courts, and agencies and strive to provide a high standard of legal support to each. Your work will directly impact your community, and it offers a great foundation for future positions within Assigned Counsel and Pierce County.

Core Daily Responsibilities:

• Perform counter and/or phone work providing information to the public; advise attorneys and other interested parties regarding status of cases and legal procedures while maintaining security and confidentiality. May deal with sensitive and/or potentially volatile situations.
• Maintain legal files and case controls; extract information from files; prepare legal forms and papers; prepare and review files.
• Organize case files in preparation for trial; prepare new case activity files; encode or enter into database for court dates and/or attorney of record; maintain statistical records; process and distribute court case files.
• Review division cases for conflicting interests and assign panel attorneys to determined conflict cases.
• Perform word processing with responsibility for accuracy, proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and legal terminology.
• Collect, record and tabulate statistics, and may implement special statistical studies required by local, state, or federal government, or for departmental purposes.

A classification description with a more detailed list of essential functions can be found here. Minimum Qualifications

• Other education or experience which clearly indicates the ability to perform the essential functions of the position may substitute for the recruiting requirements.
• A minimum of one year progressive, responsible experience as a legal assistant, legal secretary or related legal staff support function.
• Must be able to utilize word processor or personal computer at an acceptable level of proficiency as required for positions requiring those skills.
• Please attach a current resume and cover letter with your application. Failure to attach these will result in an incomplete application.

Preferred Requirements:

• Training by an accredited vocational school, college or university in the field of legal support work or related area.

As a condition of employment, the applicant will need to authorize and complete a background check. Information received from the background check is reviewed case-by-case and will not necessarily remove an applicant from consideration. Supplemental Information

How to Apply:

• Complete and submit a detailed online Pierce County Employment Application by selecting “APPLY” above or visiting www.piercecountywa.gov/jobs.
• If you have questions about this opportunity, email the Recruitment Team at PCHRRecruit@piercecountywa.gov and include the job number and title.
• Individuals who need accommodation in the application or interview process may contact Human Resources at (253) 798-7480 at least two days prior to the need.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship.

Our Recruitment Practices:

This is a competitive and meritorious selection process. Pierce County applications are reviewed by human hiring staff in accordance with the qualifications listed for the position. Pierce County understands applicants may use AI tools when preparing application materials. We recognize these tools can make the process easier; however, we ask that everything you submit genuinely reflects your own experience, skills, knowledge, and writing style. During the interview process, you may be asked to demonstrate your skills, including writing and subject knowledge, and to speak to your experience in your own voice. Applicants should be prepared to respond to interview questions without relying on AI-generated responses or reading prepared answers from a screen. Any misrepresentation may result in disqualification or separation. Applicants whose qualifications most closely align with the County’s needs will be eligible for further consideration. Notification of application status typically occurs within two to three weeks after the closing date. Some applicants may receive short notice to participate in additional selection steps, which may include assessments, phone screens, or interviews. Upon offer, compensation is based on a range of job-related factors, including the requirements of the role, your skills and experience, and internal pay equity.

Our Welcoming Workplace Commitment:

Pierce County is committed to fostering a Welcoming Workplace where employees are supported, respected, and able to thrive. We believe a strong public workforce is representative of the community it serves and that fair and just access to opportunity strengthens public service. Guided by the County Executive’s Forward Together mission, Pierce County works to build communities that are safe, welcoming, and connected. This same commitment shapes how we recruit, develop, and retain our employees. County employees make a direct and visible impact in the lives of residents every day, and we invite you to join us in helping keep Pierce County a place people are proud to call home.

Benefits

Employee benefits are not just about the kind of services you get, they are also about how much you may have to pay out of pocket. Pierce County offers a competitive benefits package that offers flexibility and peace of mind. We are proud to offer Employee Resource Groups, a focus on professional development in our Leadership Training Program, and a County Book Club.

We understand that your life revolves around more than just your career and that your priority is making sure that you and your family maintain health and financial security. That's why choice is a key component of our benefits package. We have a selection of health and retirement plans, paid leave, staff training and other compensation benefits that you can mix and match to meet your current and future needs.

Our benefits:

Vacation (Annual Leave) Employees begin accruing vacation leave as soon as they start earning it and can use their accrued leave right away. We value your experience and recognize your service by increasing vacation accrual rates the longer you work with us. Full-time employees accrue vacation leave every two weeks at the following rates:

Vacation Accruals:

During years 1-3, 12 Days During years 4-7, 16 Days During years 8-13, 20 Days During years 14-18, 23 Days During years 19, 24 Days During years 20, 25 Days During years 21, 26 Days During years 22, 27 Days During years 23, 28 Days During years 24, 29 Days During years 25 & thereafter, 30 Days

A maximum of 45 days may be carried from one year into the next. Pro-Rated for Part-Time based on % of 1.0 FTE.

Military Leave:

Pierce County has a proud history of supporting the armed forces and provides members of the armed forces with up to 21 days paid military leave per state fiscal year.

Holidays:

Some full-time employees are entitled to eleven paid holidays as follows:

New Year's Day - January 1 Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday - Third Monday in January President's Day - Third Monday in February Memorial Day - Last Monday in May Juneteenth - June 19 Independence Day - July 4 Labor Day - First Monday in September Veteran's Day - November 11 Thanksgiving Day - Fourth Thursday in November & Friday after Christmas Day - December 25

Personal Holidays:

Regular full-time and regular part-time employees, and employees occupying limited duration positions, shall also receive two additional paid personal holidays. Paid personal holidays shall only accrue for those employees on County payroll as of January 1 of each year or the first work day following January 1 and must be taken during the calendar year in which it was accrued.

Furlough:

Some Pierce County employees may be designated to receive 10 "furlough" days per year in lieu of holidays. Furlough days are available for use on January 1 and must be scheduled and taken within the calendar year. Employees who leave employment with Pierce County must reimburse the employer for used furlough days based upon the number of remaining holidays.

Sick Leave:

Sick leave accrues on a bi-weekly basis, at the rate of one day per month.

Insurance Benefits:

Employees and families are covered by medical (including vision), dental and basic life insurance. There are multiple medical plans with very affordable monthly premiums that offer coverage throughout Pierce County. Employees are eligible to enroll each year in a flexible spending plan, which enables them to use tax-deferred dollars toward their health care and dependent care expenses. Employees also have the opportunity to participate in supplemental life and long term disability insurance plans. To view premium rates, summary of benefit coverage, and other information, please visit the Pierce County Health Benefits website.

Retirement and Deferred Compensation:

Pierce County employees are members of the State of Washington's Department of Retirement System (DRS) and depending on the position or previous DRS enrollment will be able to enroll in one of many programs DRS offers. For additional information, check out the Department of Retirement Systems' web site.

Employees also have the ability to participate in the Nationwide Deferred Compensation Plan. This is a supplemental retirement savings program that allows you control over the amount of pre-tax salary dollars you defer as well as the flexibility to choose between multiple investment options.

Social Security:

All Pierce County employees are covered by the federal Social Security and Medicare systems. The county and the employee pay an equal amount into the system.

ORCA Passport Program Pierce County employees may participate in the County's ORCA (One Regional Card for All) Passport program.Your Pierce County issued ORCA card is loaded with an annual Passport pass. The pass automatically renews every year. The pass will provide you with free transportation on regularly scheduled service on several public transit systems.

Miscellaneous Benefits:

Please visit Pierce County's Benefits website for more information.

Telework/Remote Options:

Some departments allow for telework or work-from-home options dependent on the body of work. Learn more about our telework policy here. **All employees are required to be WA State residents after 30 days of employment.

We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.