Class Description
Valid as of: January 10, 2024
This class series uses two levels in the Professional Services Occupational Group and describes paralegal work. Work involves alleviating attorneys and judges of legal support work such as, drafting orders and legal documents; researching legal issues by searching law sources such as, statutes, case law decisions, legal articles, and codes to identify and gather data pertinent to issues and upon which arguments and strategy options may be based and to prepare reports of findings for attorneys; taking notes at depositions and witness interviews; conducting interviews; reviewing cases to identify allegations and legal issues; contacting parties to obtain information pertinent to a case; reviewing legal documents for legal sufficiency, authority, and compliance with applicable statutes; monitoring the progress and maintaining information on the status of cases, and assuring cases are processed timely; organizing records and documents; providing information on legal procedures and processes; and, performing other related work designed to provide legal support to attorneys and judges. Some positions in this class work in law libraries located in correctional facilities and provide paralegal services to inmates as mandated by federal law. Work of these positions involves instructing inmates on use of legal documents and resource material, legal document preparation and research techniques, and other activities related to maintaining law libraries.
LEGAL ASSISTANT I
Concept of Class
This class describes first-working level legal assistant work. Positions in this class are not expected to perform the full range of legal support work. Because of the structure of assignments, decision making and complexity are limited to carrying out established work processes and operations or phases of the fully-operational assignment by following and applying instructions, procedures, rules, and regulations. Tasks performed at this level may be the same as the fully-operational level but are performed with more direction and assistance and provide the experience and development necessary to function at the full-operating Legal Assistant II level. Positions in this level perform work identified above under the Description of Occupational Work section. Also, as described above, some positions provide legal support services at a correctional facility.
Factors
Allocation must be based on meeting all of the three factors as described below.
Decision Making -- The decisions regularly made are at the operational level, as described here. Within limits set by the specific legal process, choices involve deciding what operation is required to carry out the legal support work process. This includes determining how the operation will be completed. By nature, data needed to make decisions are numerous and variable so reasoning is needed to develop the practical course of action within the established process. Choices are within a range of specified, acceptable standards, alternatives, and technical practices. For example, a position decides the appropriate response to a request for information or determines if legal documents are legally correct and comply with applicable statutes.
Complexity -- The nature of, and need for, analysis and judgment is patterned, as described here. Positions study legal documents, issues, and information to determine what they mean and how they fit together in order to get practical solutions in the form of properly completed documents and orders. Guidelines in the form of statutes, division rules, procedures, and policies exist for most situations. Judgment is needed in locating and selecting the most appropriate of these guidelines which may change for varying circumstances as the task is repeated. This selection and interpretation of guidelines involves choosing from alternatives where all are correct but one is better than another depending on the given circumstances of the situation. For example, a position modifies the content of standard legal formats to reflect the particular facts and laws applicable to a case or terms of a contract.
Line/Staff Authority -- The direct field of influence the work of a position has on the organization is as an individual contributor.
LEGAL ASSISTANT II
Concept of Class
This class describes fully-operational legal assistant work. Positions in this level are expected to exercise a higher degree of decision making and complexity than the lower Legal Assistant level by performing at the fully-operational level with less direction and assistance. Work involves performing the full range of legal assistant work identified above under the Description of Occupational Work section including assignments such as, performing research by gathering and analyzing legal data pertinent to individual cases or issues, and advising attorneys and management on the findings of research and recommending appropriate courses of action related to cases such as precedent case(s) upon which arguments and strategies may be based. The Legal Assistant II differs from the Legal Assistant I on the Decision Making and Complexity factors.
Factors
Allocation must be based on meeting all of the three factors as described below.
Decision Making -- The decisions regularly made are at the process level, as described here. Within limits set by professional paralegal standards, the agency's available technology and resources, and legal services program objectives and regulations established by a higher management level, choices involve determining the process, including designing the set of operations used to conduct legal research, analyze legal issues, and recommend strategies based on findings. The general pattern, program, or system exists but must be individualized to conduct and complete paralegal activities. This individualization requires analysis of data that is complicated. Analysis is breaking the problem or case into parts, examining these parts, and reaching conclusions that result in processes. This examination requires the application of known and established case law and legal theory, principles, conceptual models, professional paralegal standards, and precedents in order to determine their relationship to the problem. For example, a position determines the direction or process to follow to collect data and analyze legal issues in order to prescribe recommendations for strategies for legal action. New processes or objectives require approval of higher management or the agency with authority and accountability for the program or system.
Complexity -- The nature of, and need for, analysis and judgment is formulative, as described here. Positions evaluate the relevance and importance of case law and legal theories, concepts, and principles in order to tailor them to develop a different approach or tactical plan to fit specific circumstances. While general policy, precedent, or non-specific practices exist, they are inadequate so they are relevant only through approximation or analogy. In conjunction with theories, concepts, and principles, positions use judgment and resourcefulness in tailoring the existing guidelines so they can be applied to particular circumstances and to deal with emergencies. For example, a position evaluates the relevance and importance of case law and statutes and their applicability to specific legal issues in order to formulate recommendations for approaches and strategies to resolve cases or provide legal information to clients.
Line/Staff Authority -- The direct field of influence the work of a position has on the organization is as an individual contributor. The individual contributor may explain work processes and train others. The individual contributor may serve as a resource or guide by advising others on how to use processes within a system or as a member of a collaborative problem-solving team. This level may include positions performing supervisory elements that do not fully meet the criteria for the next level in this factor.
Entrance Requirements
Minimum entry requirements and general competencies for classes in this series are contained in the State of Colorado Department of Personnel web site.
For purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the essential functions of specific positions are identified in the position description questionnaires and job analyses.
History of Changes Made to Class Description
The following is a summary of changes made to this class description.
- June 30, 2015
Updated and removed the purpose of contact
- September 1, 1993
Effective 9/1/93 (CVC). Job Evaluation System Revision project.
- September 1, 1991
Revised 7/1/91.Change in pay differential for A7500X Legal Assistant A and A7501X Legal Assistant B.
- September 1, 1988
Revised 9/1/88. Nature of work, some examples of work, education and experience for A7500X Legal Assistant A and A7501X Legal Assistant B.
- July 1, 1982
Created 7/1/82. A7500X Legal Assistant A and A7501X Legal Assistant B.
Summary of Factor Ratings
| Class Level | Decision Making | Complexity | Line/Staff Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal Assistant I | Operational | Patterned | Individual Contributor |
| Legal Assistant II | Process | Formulative | Individual Contributor |
Minimum Qualifications
Valid as of: January 10, 2024
This document includes the following levels:
| Class Title | Class Code |
|---|---|
| Legal Assistant I | H5E1XX |
| Legal Assistant II | H5E2XX |
LEGAL ASSISTANT I (H5E1XX)
Education/Licensure/Certification/Experience:
Paralegal certificate obtained through either an American Bar Association (ABA) approved paralegal studies program or an accredited institution.
Substitutions:
Two (2) years of work experience in a paralegal capacity which included conducting legal research, preparing drafts of legal documents and gathering and compiling data from legal references and resources will substitute for the required certificate A Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school may substitute for the required certificate
LEGAL ASSISTANT II (H5E2XX)
Education/Licensure/Certification/Experience:
Paralegal certificate obtained through either an American Bar Association (ABA) approved paralegal studies program or an accredited institution
One (1) year of paralegal experience
Substitutions:
Two (2) years of work experience in a paralegal capacity which included conducting legal research, preparing drafts of legal documents and gathering and compiling data from legal references and resources will substitute for the required certificate
A Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school may substitute for the required certificate
History of Changes Made to Minimum Qualification
The following is a summary of changes made to this minimum qualification.
- June 1, 2017 (Whole Document)
- Part of the 2017 MQ Project
- New Format
- Experience now listed as primary qualification, with certification or Juris Doctorate as an acceptable substitution
- Language referring to “at the agency’s discretion,” was removed
- July 10, 2017 (H5E1XX)
Years of experience reduced from four (4) to three (3) years
- July 10, 2017 (H5E2XX)
Years of experience reduced from four (4) to three (3) years
- Aug. 9, 2017 (Whole Document)
Escalation request by agencies. Issues related to the experience and substitutions.
- Aug. 21, 2017 (Whole Document)
Certification restored as primary qualification, with experience and Juris Doctorate as acceptable substitutions. Per agency request, retained “may substitute” language for Juris Doctorate.
- Sept. 11, 2017 (Whole Document)
Revised wording published
- Oct. 23, 2017 (Whole Document)
Made grammatical changes
- Jan. 10, 2024 (Whole Document)
New format (updating to adhere to accessibility standards)