The Legal Assistant or Paralegal will support the City Attorney’s Office through drafting and reviewing ordinances, contracts, and other legal documents, conducting research, and ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal laws. This position works closely with city leadership, departments, and external partners, providing legal and administrative expertise that helps our growing city thrive and remain future-focused. With strong attention to detail and organizational skills, the Legal Assistant or Paralegal plays an important part in the City’s ability to deliver noteworthy essentials and remarkable experiences to our community.

Starting Salary Ranges:

Legal Assistant $56,209.00 - $66,907.00

Paralegal $65,068.00 - $77,453.00

EXAMPLES OF WORK TO BE PERFORMED:

● Prepare, draft, and review legal documents such as ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and agreements.

● Conduct legal research on municipal law issues, including but not limited to zoning, land use, environmental regulations, and public utilities.

● Draft legal memorandums based on findings from legal research.

● Research federal, state, and local statutes, case law, and regulations relevant to city operations and litigation.

● Provide summaries of legal findings to the City Attorney.

● Maintain case files, track deadlines, and assist with case management.

● Coordinate depositions, subpoenas, and document production.

● Review and assist with contract negotiations and ensure legal compliance with city procurement policies.

● Manage contracts, including routing contracts for execution and ensuring adherence to terms and deadlines.

● Assists in preparing documents related to real estate transactions and easements.

● Provide support with agenda preparation, minutes, and legal guidance.

● Assist with maintaining and updating municipal code and city ordinances.

● Reviews public records requests and ensures compliance with open records laws, as requested.

● Assist in ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal laws affecting the municipality.

● Attend Council Meetings/Subcommittee meetings on an as-needed basis.

● Monitor legislative changes and update the municipality’s legal team and departments.

● Manage case files and timelines, and ensure deadlines are met.

● Assists the City Attorney in coordinating with outside legal counsel.

● Provide administrative and clerical support as needed.

OTHER DUTIES:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

● Driver's License.

● Proficient in Microsoft software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher), Adobe Acrobat, Google Workspace Applications, Dropbox, Zoom, Monday, Lexis Nexis or Westlaw, E-File Texas, and PACER.

● Ability to file pleadings with the courts.

● Detail-oriented, organized, and deadline-driven with strong skills in prioritizing, tracking, and managing multiple projects, assignments, and duties.

● Knowledge of rules and regulations governing public meetings, including open meetings laws and public records compliance.

● Familiarity with program development, principles, and practices of public administration.

● Ability to interpret and apply laws, rules, and regulations to ensure municipal compliance.

● Strong written and verbal communication skills for drafting and reviewing legal documents.

● Ability to work independently and collaborate with attorneys, city and elected officials, governing boards, and departments.

● Knowledge of legal terminology and procedures, particularly in municipal law.

● Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information.

REQUIRED EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND EXPERIENCE:

LEGAL ASSISTANT:

● Associate’s degree or higher.

● Minimum of 5 years of advanced experience as a legal assistant or legal secretary, preferably in municipal law, government, or public sector legal work.

● Must perform complex (senior level) legal assistant work with limited supervision and considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

● Experience working with public boards, commissions, or elected officials preferred.

● Experience in legal research, document preparation, and contract administration.

● Training in other government-related legal matters.

● Certification as a Notary Public, or to be completed within three months of hire.

PARALEGAL:

● Associate’s degree or higher in Paralegal Studies, Legal Studies, Public Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

● Paralegal certification from an accredited program.

● Minimum of 3 years of experience as a paralegal, preferably in municipal law, government, or public sector legal work.

● Must perform complex (senior level) paralegal work with limited supervision and considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

● Experience working with public boards, commissions, or elected officials preferred.

● Experience in legal research, document preparation, and contract administration.

● Training in other government-related legal matters.

● Certification as a Notary Public, or to be completed within three months of hire.

ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS:

The physical activity of this position:

● Stooping. Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist.

● Reaching. Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

● Standing. Particularly for sustained periods of time.

● Walking. Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

● Pushing. Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward.

● Lifting. Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.

● Fingering. Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.

● Grasping. Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

● Feeling. Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.

● Talking. Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

● Hearing. Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discriminations in sound.

● Repetitive motion. Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

● Sedentary work. Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time..

● The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, and/or operation of machines (including inspection); using measurement devices; and/or assembly of fabrication parts at distances close to the eyes.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES

The City of Mansfield complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and it is our policy to ensure that no person is discriminated against based on their disability. The City of Mansfield offers equal employment opportunity to qualified individuals and strictly prohibits the discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability. The City of Mansfield shall provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees who are otherwise qualified to perform the essential job

duties when doing so does not create an undue hardship for the city.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The City of Mansfield provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, and transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. The City of Mansfield is mandated by federal law to provide a drug-free working environment for the safety of its employees and the public. All employment is contingent upon passing a post-offer employment drug test and /or physical.

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Legal Assistant/Paralegal