86-200
SUFFOLK COUNTY
PARALEGAL
CIVIL SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Civil-Service
·
LAST FILING DATE: DECEMBER 6, 2023
·
WRITTEN TEST DATE: JANUARY 13, 2024
·
COUNTY ANNUAL
SALARY $44,266
·
GRADE 17
·
SALARIES VARY BY
JURISDICTION
SPECIFICATION # 6139
All statements made on the application may be verified and the backgrounds of successful candidates
are subject to investigation by the appointing authority.
APPLICATION PROCESSING FEE and FEE WAIVER
The application
processing fee is $40. Application may be made
via the internet at www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Civil-Service. Payment must be made
by VISA or MasterCard credit card and there will be an additional convenience
fee of $1.95. An acknowledgement of
receipt of application will be sent to all internet
applicants via e-mail. A separate application and processing fee are required
for each examination (identified by examination number) for which you are
applying. The application
processing fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.
The application
processing fee may be waived for Suffolk County residents who are veterans,
active duty military, members of the reserves or National Guard, auxiliary
police, firefighters, members in good standing of a local fire district or
ambulance company, members of a Volunteer Fire Department or Volunteer
Emergency Medical Services Agency Explorers programs, volunteer CERT members
and members of the Suffolk County Police Explorers program. The fee may also be waived if you are unemployed and primarily
responsible for the support of a household and for recipients of Medicaid, SSI,
Public Assistance or those in a training program under the Job Training
Partnership Act/Workforce Investment Act administered by a state or local
social service agency. Applicants should complete the “Request for Application
Fee Waiver and Certification” form online. All claims for application fee
waiver are subject to verification.
VACANCIES
The eligible list for this title will be used to fill future vacancies in Suffolk County
departments and non-county jurisdictions under the jurisdiction of the Suffolk
County Department of Human Resources, Personnel and Civil Service.
DUTIES
An employee in this class provides
specialized assistance to attorneys in researching questions of law,
investigating facts and preparing various legal documents. The employee may research questions of law
preparatory to and during trial for reference and use by attorneys in
court. Does related work as required.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Either:
(a) Graduation from a college with
federally-authorized accreditation or registration by NY State with a Bachelor's
Degree* in Paralegal Studies; or,
(b) Graduation from a college with
federally-authorized accreditation or registration by NY State with a
Bachelor's Degree*, and successful completion of a Paralegal Assistant
certificate program given by a college or business school with
federally-authorized accreditation or registration by NY State;
(c) Graduation from a college with
federally-authorized accreditation or registration by NY State with an
Associate's Degree* in Paralegal Studies and two (2) years of clerical
experience in a law office, at least one (1) year of which included drafting
motions and doing preliminary legal research; or,
(d) Successful completion of a Paralegal Assistant
certificate program** given by a college or business school with federally-authorized
accreditation or registration by NY State and three (3) years of clerical
experience in a law office, at least two (2) years of which included drafting
motions and doing preliminary legal research.
*Please attach to the application a copy
of your college transcript(s) which must have your
name, college name, and date of graduation printed on it by the
institution. Grade reports, incomplete
transcripts and other similar documents are unacceptable. **Please attach to the application a copy of
your Paralegal Assistant certificate which must have
your name, college/business school name, and date of graduation printed on it
by the institution. Grade reports,
incomplete transcripts and other similar documents are unacceptable.
SCOPE OF THE EXAMINATION
The written test will cover
knowledge, skills and/or abilities in such areas as:
1.
Preparing
written material;
2.
Understanding
and interpreting written material;
3.
Evaluating
conclusions in light of known facts;
4.
Legal
terminology, documents and forms;
5.
Interviewing.
Note: The
use of calculators is allowed for this
examination.
Note: A
Guide for the Written Test for Legal Services is available at the New York
State Department of Civil Service website:
https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.
NOTES
1.
Should it become necessary to amend any
part of this announcement, the Department of Human Resources, Personnel and
Civil Service reserves the right to make such amendment on the Department’s web
page without notification to applicants.
The most current copy of this announcement is available during the
filing period at www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Civil-Service.
2. Expanded Description of the examination subtests.
3.
Candidates
who apply for this examination and who have not heard from the Suffolk County
Department of Human Resources, Personnel and Civil Service by January 10,
2024 are advised to contact the Department before
the written test date at (631) 853-5500.
N.Y.S.
DATE
PREPARED: October 10, 2023
GENERAL CONDITIONS OPEN-COMPETITIVE
ANNOUNCEMENT
1.
Application
may be made using the Suffolk County Application for Employment
(Forms CS-205A and CS-205B).
2.
Applicants
may complete a “Request for Application Fee Waiver and Certification” form and
submit it with Forms CS-205A and CS-205B.
3.
Unless
otherwise stated, candidates must meet the minimum qualifications by the date
of the written test, or last filing date in the case of training and experience
evaluations. Unless otherwise stated
part-time experience will be pro-rated.
4.
Candidates
found ineligible to compete in the written examination may appeal to the
Department of Human Resources, Personnel and Civil Service for reconsideration
prior to the written test date appearing on this announcement. Appeals received on or after the announced
written test date will not be considered.
5.
Candidates
who fail the examination, or who fail to appear for the examination as
scheduled, will be eliminated from further
consideration for purposes of this competition.
Unless otherwise specified, the final rank order of the eligible list
will be determined on the basis of the score received
on the written test, plus veterans’ credits where appropriate.
6.
Eligible
applicants will be notified when and where to appear for examination. If an application is rejected, due notice
will be sent.
7.
Unless
specifically prohibited by the examination instructions, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand-held, solar or
battery-powered calculators. Devices
with typewriter keyboards, spell-checker, personal digital assistant, address
books, language translators, dictionaries and any similar devices are prohibited.
8.
When
the examination is prepared and rated by the Suffolk County
Department of Human Resources, Personnel and Civil Service, the
provisions of the Suffolk County Civil Service Rules dealing with the rating of
examination will apply.
9.
When
the written examination is prepared and rated by the New York State Department
of Civil Service in accordance with Section 23-2 of the Civil Service Law, the
provisions of the New York State Civil Service Rules and Regulations
which deal with the rating of examination will apply.
10.
The
eligible list established as a result of this
examination will remain in force for at least one year and may be extended by
the Department of Human Resources, Personnel and Civil Service for a maximum of
four years. Changing conditions may make
it necessary to certify to future vacancies at higher or lower salaries than
those announced.
11.
Information
regarding eligibility for veterans’ credits appears on the open-competitive
application form.
12.
Pursuant
to Section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police
officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional
ten points added to a passing score attained in a competitive examination for
original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent
served. If you are qualified to
participate in this examination, and you are the child of a firefighter or
police officer killed in the line of duty, please so notify us in writing when
you submit your application for examination.
A candidate claiming such credit must submit appropriate documentation
to verify eligibility to receive these additional credits before the eligible
list is established.
No additional credits will be granted after the
eligible list is established.
13.
Inquiries
may be made as to character and ability and all
statements made by candidates are subject to verification. Some employers may require the candidate to be fingerprinted and to pass a background investigation.
14.
Candidates
must be medically, physically and psychologically capable of performing the
duties of the job. Candidates who are appointed to positions in the Suffolk County service may
be required to pass qualifying medical and/or physical and/or psychological
evaluations.
15.
Residency
is not required for taking any examinations.
However, some jurisdictions, such as schools, libraries, etc., give
hiring preference to residents. Some
towns also require employees to establish residency within the township. For employment in a Suffolk County
Department, with only limited exceptions set forth in Suffolk County Law,
residency within Suffolk County is required within five years of employment
with the county. In any case in which residency preference is given, the
appointee(s) must meet a specific residency standard as defined in the Civil
Service Rules.
16.
Saturday
Sabbath Observers and handicapped persons:
If special arrangements for testing are required, indicate this on your
application.
17.
No
smoking is permitted in the building or on the grounds
of the examination site.
18.
If
you will be on active military duty with the armed forces of the United States
on the date of this test, please contact the Suffolk County Department of Human
Resources, Personnel and Civil Service before the last filing date appearing on
this announcement for alternate test date information.
19.
Multiple Examinations Scheduled for the
Same Day: If you have applied to take a
written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county,
town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test,
you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before
the test date, so they can make arrangements for taking all tests at one test
site. All examinations for positions in State
government will be held at a State examination
center. If you have any questions,
please call the Suffolk County Department of Human Resources, Personnel and
Civil Service at (631) 853-5500.
20.
For
information regarding a weather-related cancellation of this examination,
please refer to our website at www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Civil-Service
and click on the “Weather Related Exam Cancellations” link. Civil Service Announcements are shown at the bottom of that page. Also check News 12
Long Island for notice of cancellation of this examination: NEWS 12 LONG ISLAND, TV CHANNEL 12 or at
their website: www.news12.com.
Suffolk County
Department of Human Resources, Personnel and Civil Service
725 Veterans
Memorial Hwy.,
William J. Lindsay
County Complex, Bldg. # 158
P.O. Box 6100
Hauppauge, NY 11788-0099
Phone: (631) 853-5500