Residence Requirements:

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS:  CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. There is one present vacancy at the Erie County Department of Social Services.

Examples of Duties:

 A Paralegal performs paralegal duties in a County department or Municipal office;

Assists with preparation of rough drafts of briefs and various legal documents as assigned and prepares digests of selected decisions and opinions;

Incorporates legal references and includes an analysis of precedents involved in relation to the case or matter under discussion;

Searches legal reference files and other sources for information and data required by the Attorney in conducting interviews and answering correspondence;

Assembles exhibits affidavits, legal documents, etc., for the use of Attorneys in the preparation for trial of cases and collects any additional information which is needed;

Verifies citations and statutory references contained in legal documents against original sources such as legal texts, reports, etc., making certain that they are correct and in complete conformance with the source material;

Prepares drafts of motions and responses to motions, takes complaints, determines status of cases and responds to inquiries;

Assists with preparation of standardized forms concerning extradition return of bail and other proceedings ancillary to prosecution of criminal cases;

Reviews cases scheduled for court and insures quality of case preparation is high;

Appears as expert witness;

Presents cases before hearing officer;

Reviews and enhances court face sheets;

Completes court turn-around document;

Prepares and follows up on summonses;

Reports procedural changes in Family Court to OCSE Administration;

Maintains specialized knowledge of regulations and laws pertaining to Family Court;

Field work as required;

Researches on appeals;

Informs Department of court decisions and returns files to the appropriate unit;

Prepares and types petitions, condemnation proceedings, affidavits, renewal contracts and all legal notices for County department or Municipality;

Collects data; does legal research under supervision;

Notarizes all documents for the County department or Municipality and handles notarization for the public;

Coordinates filing of all local laws with Secretary of State and Department of Audit and Control;

Supervises bonding requirements and procedures;

Assists in drawing up amendments to local laws;

Handles telephone inquiries regarding legal questions asked by the Public;

Processes for court action complaints made by the public.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

A.)  Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered two year college or university with an Associate's degree in Paralegal studies; or:

B.)   Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered four year college or university with a Bachelor's degree and completion of a course in Paralegal studies which resulted in a certificate from a regionally accredited or New York State registered institution; or:

C.)   Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor's Degree and one year experience as a Paralegal or Legal Secretary; or:

D.)  An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A), (B) and (C).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:

In some County departments  or Municipalities a typing ability of 25 wpm will be required

Notes:

NOTES: 1. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements. 2. Your degree and/or col1ege credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.
 

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However, candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1.      Educating And Interacting With The Public:  These questions test for knowledge of techniques used to interact effectively with individuals and/or community groups, to educate or inform them about topics of concern, to publicize or clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices. Questions may also cover interacting with others in cooperative efforts of public outreach or service.

2.      Evaluating Conclusions In Light Of Known Facts:  These questions will consist of a set of facts and a conclusion. You must decide if the conclusion is proved by the facts, disproved by the facts or if the facts are not sufficient to prove or disprove the conclusion. The questions will not be specific to a particular field.

3.      Conducting Research Into Legal Matters:  These questions test for knowledge of legal reference materials. The questions cover such areas as understanding the meaning of legal citations or locating particular laws, subjects, or topics using an appropriate legal reference text or database.

4.      Legal Terminology, Documents And Forms:  These questions test for the ability to recognize definitions of specific common legal terms or the term which fits a certain description. The questions are presented in various forms such as simple definitions, examples of terminology, and the use of this terminology within documents and forms related to the legal field.

5.      Office Record Keeping:  These questions test your ability to perform common office record keeping tasks. The test consists of two or more "sets" of questions, each set concerning a different problem. Typical record keeping problems might involve the organization or collation of data from several sources; scheduling; maintaining a record system using running balances; or completion of a table summarizing data using totals, subtotals, averages and percents. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

6.      Preparing Written Material:  These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.