The New York City Law Department's Tort Division is seeking qualified candidates that are permanent in the Paralegal Aide civil service title for Level 2 positions. Representing the City, the Tort Division reviews and litigates claims on a number of personal injury and property damage cases. The chosen qualified candidate for each position will be performing work of varying degrees of difficulty and responsibility under the supervision of supervisory paralegal staff, attorneys, and/or higher level staff which may include but is not limited to the following:

Conducts file reviews and provides guidance regarding the proper handling of cases;

Formulates legal strategy by initially determining whether other parties will be implead, whether settlement efforts will be pursued, or whether a motion made;

Draft legal documents such as Answers, Demands for Discovery, Bill of Particulars, Demand for a Change of Venue, Demand for Complaint, Response to Notices to Admit, and motions to dismiss;

Prepares letters and memoranda for insurance takeovers

Investigate and assist in the preparation for trial of less serious claims for and against the City.

Secures evidence by interviewing interested parties, witnesses, officers and other persons involved.

Assist attorneys by preparing and processing subpoenas, motions, affidavits, legal notices and /or other forms and papers which related to legal proceedings and transactions.

Assist in obtaining, reviewing, updating and maintaining physical and electronic case files.

Obtains, collects, assembles, and reviews records and data for attorneys.

Perform legal research as well as database and site searches.

Submit, obtains and files documents from various courts and/or City agencies throughout the City.

May check records and request adjournments to various courts.

Preparing discovery materials for production.

Performing routine administrative duties when necessary including: photocopying, filing, scanning, archiving, data entry, indexing, reserving conference rooms, and managing attorneys' calendars.

Some of the physical activities performed and environmental conditions experienced include lifting and carrying boxes and files; climbing stairs; and traveling throughout the City on all types of public transportation, and/or walking in all kinds of weather, often carrying files.

Preferred Skills
Candidates MUST possess at least one of these Additional Qualification Requirements for Level 2:

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and either (a) 1 year of full-time satisfactory experience acquired in the United States, in the performance of paralegal (legal assistant) services; or (b) Paralegal Certification obtained in the United States from an accredited program or a program approved by the American Bar Association; or

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college including or supplemented by a combination of 12 semester credits in U.S. History, U.S. Political Science, U.S. Law, U.S. Paralegal Studies, U.S. Criminal Justice, U.S. Urban Studies, International Relations and/or U.S. Legal Studies; or

An associate degree or completion of 60 credits from an accredited college and three years of full-time satisfactory experience acquired in the United States, in the performance of paralegal (legal assistant) services; or

A four year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and five years of full-time satisfactory experience acquired in the United States, in the performance of paralegal (legal assistant) services.

Applicable to all applicants:
Experience which is primarily legal secretarial or includes only incidental paralegal (legal assistant) services is not acceptable.

To be acceptable, experience in paralegal (legal assistant) services must have involved the American Legal System.

Additional Information
This is a full time position. The assigned work location may be in any one of the Tort Division's borough office locations.
Due to the current, active Paralegal Aide Civil Service List, candidates MUST be permanent in the civil service title of Paralegal Aide to be considered for the position. This means candidates must have already taken and passed the Paralegal Aide Civil Service Exam, and have been appointed from the Paralegal Aide Civil Service List. This prerequisite is required for this position.

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U.S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA); or
2. An associate degree or completion of 60 semester credits from an accredited college, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U.S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and two years of full-time satisfactory experience, acquired in the United States, in the performance of paralegal (legal assistant) services; or
3. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and four years of full-time satisfactory experience, acquired in the United States, in the performance of paralegal (legal assistant) services; or
4. A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience which is equivalent to “1”, “2” or “3” above. Paralegal Certification obtained in the United States from an accredited program or from a program approved by the American Bar Association can be substituted for 12 months of experience. Undergraduate credit can be substituted for experience on the basis of 30 semester credits from an accredited college for 12 months of experience. However, all candidates must have at least a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization.

To be acceptable, experience in paralegal (legal assistant) services must have involved the American Legal System.

Experience which is primarily legal secretarial or includes only incidental paralegal (legal assistant) services is not acceptable.
Special Note:
Individuals must have one additional year of pertinent paralegal experience or have a baccalaureate degree in addition to the requirements listed above to be eligible for placement in Assignment Level II duties and pay of Paralegal Aide.

This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.