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Dallas, Texas, United States
Onsite
Weekly Work Hours
40Compensation Range
Staff Range N08Salary Minimum
$90,038.00 AnnuallyFLSA
United States of America (Exempt)Work Location
Position Type
StaffPosition / Job Summary
The Paralegal Specialist is responsible for assisting with case planning, development, and management, including but not limited to conducting legal research and drafting and analyzing legal documents; with a heavy emphasis on supporting the legal team in the management and administration of contracts, including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contract terms, and ensuring compliance with Dallas College policies and applicable laws and regulations. Under the direction of the legal team, this position will also assist and coordinate with the Senior Paralegal Specialist in responding to Texas Public Information Act requests and supporting the administration of the Dallas College Elections.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Conducts thorough legal research and analysis to support attorneys in preparing legal opinions, briefs, and other documentation.
Drafts, reviews, and finalizes legal documents, including forms, memoranda, policies, compliance reports, and other legal documents.
Tracking, processing, and responding to formal legal requests for documents, data, or testimony
Coordinates the scheduling of witnesses and assist attorneys with witness-related issues, exhibits and note-taking.
Manages and tracks relevant deadlines, ensuring all deadlines are met and attorneys are kept adequately informed of upcoming deadlines.
May analyze records and disciplinary files and make recommendations to the attorney as to the disposition of files.
May prepare summaries of cases, depositions, court transcripts, and witness testimony.
Assists with other duties of the Office of General Counsel, as requested or assigned by attorneys, including monitoring and responding to emails and other communications on behalf of the legal team.
Prepares and revises standard contract templates, reviews incoming contracts from clients or vendors for standard legal terms and potential issues, and suggests revisions, as necessary, to protect the interests of Dallas College.
In coordination with the General Counsel and Associate General Counsel, and Contract Specialist create, update, organize, and maintain contract templates, forms, libraries, webpages, processes, workflows, and user guides to promote consistency and efficiency system wide.
Maintains comprehensive and organized records of contracts and related correspondence and documents.
Assists in analyzing and responding to Texas Public Information Act (TPIA) requests, including, but not limited to, communicating with requestors, reviewing and redacting documents, preparing relevant letters and requests to the Attorney General’s Office, keeping accurate and comprehensive records of requests, and tracking and ensuring deadlines are met.
Coordinates the gathering of the requested information within all divisions of Dallas College and disseminates requests to appropriate departments.
Collaborates with all levels of Dallas College staff, including Executive-level administrators regarding time-sensitive TPIA matters to ensure that responses on behalf of Dallas College are timely, legally sound, and factually accurate.
Assists in the development of resources and training relating to TPIA to ensure consistent practices concerning the handling of TPIA requests college wide.
Under the direction of the Senior Paralegal Specialist and the legal team, assists in planning and overseeing the administration of Dallas College elections, including the Dallas College Board of Trustees election (held in November of odd-numbered years), ensuring the integrity of the process and the accuracy of operational tasks based on applicable federal and state laws, Secretary of State (SOS) rules and Dallas College policies and procedures and Dallas County Elections Department procedures.
Processes election, candidate, and officer filings.
Responds to, meets in-person and maintains effective relationships with the public, candidates, and other state and county departments, including the Dallas County Elections Department for which this position serves as the primary contact.
Assists in the management of election-related marketing and outreach to include website, written materials and other notice activities.
Assists in the coordination of polling locations on Dallas College campuses.
May review, analyze, determine, and report to the legal team on the effects of proposed election related legislation.
May perform a number of other similar or related duties which may not be specifically included within this position description, but which are consistent with the general level of the role and the responsibilities described.
Required Dallas College Professional Development Hours per Academic Year.
All employees are required to complete a minimum of 19 hours.
People leaders are required an additional 16 hours of leadership development.
Perform other duties not listed as assigned. (MUST BE INCLUDED)
The following duties are required for People Leader roles specifically:
Exercises full discretion and decision-making authority in the recruitment, selection, hiring, mentoring, coaching, development & termination of staff, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, budgetary constraints, and workforce planning strategies.
Drive high performance by administering the performance management process timely, setting clear expectations, conducting performance evaluations, and implementing initiatives that enhance employee engagement, motivation, and retention.
Minimum and Preferred – Education, Experience, and/or Certifications
Required Qualifications for Role (necessary or mandatory)
Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Business Administration or Legal Studies); OR Associate degree in paralegal studies or certificate of completion from an ABA-approved paralegal certification program of education and training OR at least 60 semester hours of college credit toward a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Official transcripts are required.
Three (3) years of experience as a paralegal, including at least one year of specialized experience, education or training related to handling open records requests under the Texas Public Information Act and/or election administration.
Must possess experience, education or training that demonstrates the ability to perform a portion of or all of the responsibilities outlined above, function in a deadline driven environment, and to apply the techniques and skills necessary to analyze both issues of fact and issues of law.
Must currently possess and maintain certification as a Notary in the State of Texas. Candidates who do not currently possess said certification must demonstrate the ability and commitment to promptly obtain and maintain Texas Notary certification.
Reliable and available to be on-site to support attorneys during standard business hours and as needed based on demands of the legal department. During an election cycle, on-site physical presence is required.
Proficient with Microsoft Office, specifically Outlook, Word, and Excel.
Other Preferred Qualifications for Role (not mandatory, but advantageous)
Experience in higher education or working with a city, county, state, or other public entity or governmental entity preferred.
Bilingual or multilingual preferred.
*** Will be subject to a criminal background check. Some positions may be subject to a fingerprint check. ***
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Required Qualifications for Role (necessary or mandatory)
Knowledge of basic principles, concepts and methodology of legal proceedings and contract law.
Possess legal acumen and experience, drafting, reviewing, and interpreting legal documents.
Ability to perform legal research and draft legal documents.
Experience managing requests for information under the Texas Public Information Act,
Working knowledge of Texas or the ability to learn and understand election laws and procedures as they apply to the performance of major duties and responsibilities of the position.
Knowledge of attorney client relationships applicable to the performance of major duties and responsibilities of the position; principles of legal writing and effective written/verbal presentation; problem identification, analysis, and evaluation; principles of effective writing and verbal presentation.
Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
Experience with or knowledge of computerized information and database record keeping systems, such as Westlaw or LexisNexis.
Comfort and experience working with contract life cycle management platforms.
Ability to work independently and manage a high-volume workload in a fast-paced environment with minimal guidance and oversight.
Strong work ethics and proactive approach to solving complex problems and intricate client requests.
Exceptional attention to detail with a high degree of accuracy and consistency; experience in proofreading legal documents.
Interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to tailor messages to diverse audiences.
Strong interpersonal and communications skills and proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with constituents and stakeholders within the Dallas College community network, as well as external partners.
Ability to support legal team and participate in inter-office meetings, requiring regular, predictable in-person presence to enable coordination of departmental work.
Other Preferred Qualifications for Role (not mandatory, but advantageous)
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Preferred
Competencies
Dallas College seeks to identify core and professional competencies for each role and level which helps define the level of expertise needed and desired to demonstrate success in the role.
Work Condition Environment / Physical Requirements
Normal physical job functions performed within a standard office environment. Reasonable accommodation(s) may be made to individuals with physical challenges to perform the essential duties and responsibilities.
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Incumbents may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description. Position requires regular and predictable attendance.
Since 1965, Dallas College, formerly Dallas County Community College District, has served more than three (3) million students. Comprising seven campuses located around the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we are one of the largest community college systems in the state of Texas. We strive to be a leader in the community college space, placing students at the center of everything we do.
Dallas College is committed to cultivating an environment of opportunity and belonging for all students and employees. We recognize that the Dallas College workforce, and the diverse talent that stems from it, is directly linked to our success. We are part of an equal opportunity system that provides education and employment opportunities without discrimination on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression,
veteran status, pregnancy or any other basis protected under applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, Dallas College will make reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees’ religious practices and beliefs, as well as any mental health or physical disability needs.