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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
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POSITION DESCRIPTION FOR JOB POSTING |
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Position Number: 00072536 |
Description Activated On: 4/10/2026 9:27:29 AM |
Position Purpose: Describe the primary purpose of this position and how it contributes to the organization’s objectives. Example: Provides clerical and office support within the Division to ensure its operations are conducted efficiently and effectively. Perform a full range of advanced legal assistant services within established office procedures for division attorneys while ensuring the confidentiality of information in all matters pertaining to the Legal Office and the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. Employee adapts to a rapidly changing environment by keeping up to date on all division and Legal Office rules and procedures. This includes retention of both written and verbally communicated changes and to maintain updated procedural notes and reference tools including the LA manual. |
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Description of Duties: Describe in detail the duties and responsibilities assigned to this position. Descriptions should include the major end result of the task. Example: Types correspondence, reports, and other various documents from handwritten drafts for review and signature of the supervisor. Perform a full range of advanced legal assistant services within established office procedures for division attorneys while ensuring the confidentiality of information in all matters pertaining to the Legal Office and the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. Employee adapts to a rapidly changing environment by keeping up to date on all division and Legal Office rules and procedures. This includes retention of both written and verbally communicated changes and to maintain updated procedural notes and reference tools including the LA manual. Employee assists supervisor in training legal assistant team members on new or updated procedures. This includes answering questions, addressing issues, and clarification regarding all legal assistant procedures. Type correspondence, orders, or court documents from handwritten notes or by way of electronic dictation which requires knowledge of legal terminology and citation. Typing is done primarily on a personal computer (with Microsoft Windows 10 and Office365 suite) or on a manual typewriter. Material is sensitive, confidential and of an urgent nature that must be processed to meet assignment deadlines. Review petitions to determine if all criteria have been met for reinstatement from Professional Health Monitoring (PHMP) programs. Determine the program the licensee is enrolled in. Draft reinstatement or dismissal orders for attorney approval. Issue and distribute orders per procedure while maintaining the utmost confidentiality and maintaining the security of program information. Possess a working knowledge of legal citations, forms, English grammar, syntax, and style. Possess an understanding of the conventions of punctuation and capitalization in legal writing. Be familiar with legal terminology, the required format of legal pleadings, as well as the different requirements of each licensing board. Draft a variety of orders for attorney review and approval which includes a working knowledge of the requirements for each type of order, which order is appropriate, and determine the correct legal language has been selected. These orders are then submitted for attorney review. Proofread and correct drafts for grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, syntax, and legal citation ensuring that documents adhere to the office style guides and court formatting rules. Draft routine correspondence and memos for employee’s own signature or attorneys’ signatures regarding case filings, outstanding penalties, press releases and paid legal notices, and other case related matters, which requires knowledge and understanding of the specific legal case. Draft advanced correspondence for attorney approval related to reinstatement requirements, provisional denial of license and letters of concern, conforming to style guides and including any case knowledge or research required to complete the draft. Process received payments, creating payment processing memos, depositing payments to the Revenue office, and drafting any payment related correspondence to go out under the employee’s signature. Proofread outgoing correspondence, orders and court documents to ensure that format is correct, information is grammatically correct, and adheres to all agency, court and Office of General Counsel requirements. Create, maintain and review division case files requiring a working knowledge of current procedures and case progression. Determine the appropriate action required for files following issuance of the final order and direct files through the completion of all required procedures. Verify service of orders to ensure it conforms with the General Rules of Administrative Practice and Procedure (GRAPP) requirements. Determine required procedures to address when service has not been met, to include verifying mailing with the United States Post Office, utilizing Thomson Reuters CLEAR to locate updated addresses, and contacting Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation to locate a current address. Assist attorneys by retrieving case information, filings, and preparing case files for hearings and during appellate proceedings. Provide hearing or trial support by assembling and preparing exhibits. Prepare Certified Records and other filings for cases on appeal to Commonwealth Court and assist attorneys with use of the PACFile system to submit filings. Prepare and process various filings with the Prothonotary’s Office, Commonwealth Court, Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and Court of Common Pleas. Process and file documents with the appropriate courts in accordance with the specific procedures of each entity. Keep up to date with changes in requirements for filing, i.e., number of copies, filing fees, etc. Properly review and redact all case filings as required to protect confidentiality and personally identifying information. Entering data into the Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS) including, logging case related mail, uploading documents, processing payments, and tracking activities and license status changes. Retrieve relevant case related information from PALS and provide summary updates to attorneys including recommendations for next steps in case progression. Update final decisions and case files following Commonwealth Court or Supreme Court final rulings regarding cases on appeal including all updates in PALS. Electronically file and distribute orders utilizing PALS. Name files using established digital file naming rules and save to network drives in attorneys’ reader folders and other folders as required. Prepare a variety of documents(s) and order(s) for mailing. Use knowledge of mailing procedures for first class, and certified mail. Assist attorneys in recovering information, such as prior office decisions, opinions, and procedures to ensure consistency in the operation of the Legal Office. Locate and acquire information for attorneys from various publications. Use the Internet and law library resources (Westlaw) to obtain copies of cases, statutes, and regulations for attorneys. Prepare board regulations according to procedure and fill in all required information to prepare for delivery to the House, Senate, Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) and Legislative Reference Bureau. Conduct electronic delivery of regulations and submit proof of delivery following all IRRC and Office of General Counsel guidelines. Operate office equipment such as a photocopier, scanner, facsimile machine and shredder. Assist attorneys on how to operate equipment by providing basic technical support. Keep all office equipment clean, in stock (toner, paper, staples, etc.), and operational (i.e. clear paper jams, reset errors, report issues requiring service calls). Provide assistance and training to legal assistant team members to address work related issues, procedures, legal guidelines, or solutions to any problems and to ensure work quality standards are met, in the absence of or under the direction of the unit supervisor. Draft and update Legal Assistant Manual procedures, assist with training and answering team member questions related to those procedures. Act as backup to the Legal Office Receptionist as needed which includes the duties: Answer the Legal Office main phone, greet and direct office visitors. Screen phone calls and visitors for office staff including answering of routine questions and referring calls and visitors to various department staff and other agencies. Direct individuals to appropriate personnel. Provide information, or resolve any problems, related to office personnel’s availability. Use discretion, independent judgement, and tact to when divulging information to callers and visitors, as legal matters are often confidential in nature. Maintain a working knowledge of related agencies and processes to assist and direct callers within the Legal Office, as well as elsewhere within Department of State. Maintain working knowledge of reception scripts and F.A.Q. responses in the Reception Manual. Open, sort, date stamp, log and scan incoming legal office mail. Identify urgent items that require direct attention of attorneys or attorneys’ legal assistants and notify appropriate staff. Identify and separate mail items for processing by legal assistants and provide appropriate notifications. Perform other general duties as assigned or requested by a supervisor. |
Decision Making: Describe the types of decisions made by the incumbent of this position and the types of decisions referred to others. Identify the problems or issues that can be resolved at the level of this position, versus those that must be referred to the supervisor. Example: In response to a customer inquiry, this work involves researching the status of an activity and preparing a formal response for the supervisor’s signature. Duties and responsibilities are performed independently requiring minimal direct supervision. Assignments are received both verbally and in writing; employee must decide how to organize, prioritize, and complete assignments to meet deadlines. Employee applies discretion and judgment when dispensing information, referring, and directing callers and visitors. By sorting, organizing, and reviewing incoming mail, employee will determine the appropriate recipient in order to log and track all case related items in the case database. Employee must decide appropriate formats to use when typing correspondence, reports, and court documents. Using knowledge of case progression and procedures employee evaluates case files to determine the next appropriate action that is required. Periodic review and consultations are conducted with the supervisor to ensure the goals of the Legal Office are met. |
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Requirements Profile: Identify any specific experience or requirements, such as a licensure, registration, or certification, which may be necessary to perform the functions of the position. Position-specific requirements should be consistent with a Special Requirement or other criteria identified in the classification specification covering this position. Example: Experience using Java; Professional Engineer License Experience: Licenses, registrations, or certifications: 1. N/A 2. N/A 3. N/A 4. 5. 6. |
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Essential Functions: Provide a list of essential functions for this position. Example: Transports boxes weighing up to 60 pounds.
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