Position: Legal Assistant

Description

 PURPOSE OF THE JOB

Under the direction of the General Counsel and other members of the Legal Department, the successful applicant will be responsible for managing routine legal matters.  The Legal Assistant will perform a variety of legal tasks in support of the Commission’s mission, including, but not limited to, the maintenance of systems for managing legal materials, preparation of the minutes of public meetings, and management of requests for public records.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide legal support, including maintaining a precise calendar, schedule meetings with internal and external stakeholders, making travel arrangements, conducting research, and organizing and preparing materials, as needed by the General Counsel and other members of the legal department.
• Maintain tracking and other information management systems for administrative and Legal matters, including electronic and hard copy files.
• Support Legal and Commission staff in the preparation and conduct of public meetings, including the drafting of the minutes. 
• Support Legal and Commission staff in responding to general inquiries from the internal and external stakeholders.
• Support Legal and Commission staff in responding to public records requests.  Review public records requests; gather responsive documents for attorney review; respond to public records requests; and manage electronic files of responses to public records requests.
• Maintain litigation files and support the Legal department in providing the Office of the Attorney General with information pertaining to litigation matters before federal and state courts.
• Support Legal and Commission staff in the procurement processes and its relationships with outside vendors.    

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ability to meet expectations and accept personal responsibility for the work. 
• Ability to work in a confidential manner and handle sensitive information.
• Willingness to think creatively and resolve problems.
• Commitment to building constructive working relationships.

The safety of our employees, both current and future, is the Commission’s highest priority.  At this time, our employees are working remotely.

 KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Must demonstrate familiarity with open meeting and public records laws.
• Outstanding organizational skills, which include the ability to prioritize and complete multiple projects under time constraints and with available resources.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills; must be able to interact with people at all levels within the Commission, with the entities regulated by the Commission, outside counsel, outside vendors, and members of the public.
• Able to contribute actively to a work environment that embraces diversity.
• Ability to work productively, independently, and creatively in an evolving environment.
• Must possess good judgment in making decisions and addressing problems.
• Must demonstrate proficiency with computers and the MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and willingness to learn State- and Commission-specific information technology systems.
• Must demonstrate an appreciation of and an attention to detail.
• Willingness to perform administrative and clerical duties as needed. 
• Ability to work productively in a remote environment, the Commission’s Worcester headquarters, and travel to the satellite office in Boston as needed. 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Paralegal Certificate, Associates Degree, or equivalent experience.  Bachelors degree preferred.
• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in a law firm, corporation or government agency.

Salary Range:                 $55,000 – $65,000

Benefits Package:

The Commission is pleased to offer a comprehensive benefits package to its employees. The specific components and eligibility may vary based upon position classification, hours worked per week and other variables. Therefore, specific benefits for this position may be discussed as part of the interview and offer process.

This position is non-civil service. This position is a non-exempt position.

The overall benefits available include: paid vacation, sick and personal leave time, health, dental and vision insurance through the Commonwealth’s Group Insurance, and optional pre-tax Health Savings Account plans.

In addition, the Commission provides employees the opportunity to elect life insurance, long term disability insurance, deferred compensation savings, tuition remission and pre-tax commuter account plans, along with other programs.

The Commission employees also participate in the Commonwealth’s State Retirement Plan, which can become a defined benefit plan for those that both vest and subsequently retire from State service. Follow this link for additional retirement information: http://www.mass.gov/treasury/retirement/state-board- of-retire/.

Commitment to Diversity:

The Commission is committed to building a diverse staff across its entire agency and at all levels. The Commission is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Application Process and Deadline:

The Commission encourages interested candidates that meet the minimum requirements for experience and skills to apply for this position. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume by email no later than October 28, 2022. The application package should be submitted to:

[email protected]

Please include the position title in the subject line: CCC – Legal Assistant

Submissions are due by 5:00 pm (e-mail) on October 28, 2022, late submissions may be considered solely at the discretion of the Commission.

Notice of Required Background Check – Including Tax Compliance:

The Commission requires a background check on all prospective employees as a condition of employment.

Candidates should be aware of this requirement but should also know that such background check is not initiated until:

1. A candidate is invited to a second or subsequent interview, and
2. The candidate has signed the Background Check Authorization Form and related releases.

This background check includes a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check, Federal IRS and Department of Revenue state tax compliance on all prospective employees as a condition of their employment.

Candidates with advanced degrees and professional licenses may have these credentials verified. Individuals other than those references provided by a candidate may be contacted in the course of completing a full background and qualification check.

Those candidates invited to interview will be contacted by the Commission. Unfortunately, due to the anticipated high volume of applicants for this vacancy, we are unable to provide status updates to specific individuals.

Primary Location

: United States-Massachusetts-Worcester-2 Washington Square

Job

: Legal Services

Agency

: Cannabis Control Commission

Schedule

: Full-time

Shift

: Day

Job Posting

: Oct 7, 2022, 3:58:01 AM

Number of Openings

: 1

Salary

: 55,000.00 – 65,000.00 Yearly