[Hiring] Legal Assistant 2-3 In-Training (Judicial Appeals Analyst) @State of Washington

Role Description

The Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (BIIA) is offering a challenging and rewarding opportunity for the right individual to make a difference through serving the State of Washington.

• Reporting to a Legal Assistant 4, serve as one of ten Judicial Appeals Analysts within the New Appeals unit.
• Assist Industrial Appeals Judges by identifying and retrieving facts in orders, letters, and other documents found in the Department of Labor & Industries' (L&I) record to establish the BIIA's jurisdiction to grant and hear cases.
• Duties include:
  • Receiving and analyzing incoming appeals, assigning docket numbers, and entering docketing and party information into a database.
  • Creating a jurisdictional history of the appeal by retrieving information from ORION (an L&I database), analyzing documents to determine their potential legal impact, and extracting information from ORION to determine which copies of orders are necessary for use by judges in resolving appeals.
  • Reviewing and analyzing the L&I record in ORION and determining whether the appeal should be granted or denied by the Board pursuant to RCW 51.52.060; determining whether there are timeliness or other relevant issues.
  • Drafting and proofing Orders, analyzing the content of documents to determine their potential legal impact, denying appeal for the review/approval of a BIIA Judge or Assistant Chief Judge; drafting Orders Regarding Jurisdiction, Orders Directing Amendment, and Orders Granting Relief on the Record.
  • Writing memoranda (researching agency significant decisions and other court decisions regarding workers' compensation law to do so).
  • Enters information into the BIIA's case management system.

Qualifications

• The goal job class of this position is Legal Assistant 3 (Judicial Appeals Analyst). Candidates at the Legal Assistant 2 level will also be considered, with a 6–12-month training plan to advance to Legal Assistant 3.
• Salary Ranges:
  • Legal Assistant 2 - Range 44 ($48,048 - 62,880)
  • Legal Assistant 3 - Range 46 ($50,412 - 66,072)
• Legal Assistant 3 Qualifications:
  • Option 1: High school diploma or equivalent and four (4) years of experience in a legal environment in support of an attorney, administrative law judge(s), industrial insurance appeals judges(s), review judges(s), or equivalent.
  • Option 2: One year as a Legal Assistant 2 in WA State Government.
  • Option 3: A two-year degree in Legal Secretary Studies, Paralegal Studies, or related field and two (2) years of legal office experience.
  • Option 4: A bachelor's degree and two (2) years of legal office experience.
• Legal Assistant 2 Qualifications:
  • Option 1: High school diploma or equivalent and two (2) years of experience in a legal environment in support of an attorney, administrative law judge(s), industrial insurance appeals judges(s), review judges(s), or equivalent.
  • Option 2: One year as a Legal Assistant 1 in WA State Government.
  • Option 3: A two-year degree in Legal Secretary Studies, Paralegal Studies, or related field and one (1) year of legal office experience.
  • Option 4: A bachelor's degree and one (1) year of legal office experience.
• DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Experience dealing with L&I claims management or workers' compensation law.
  • Experience using LIINIS and ORION.

Requirements

• Accountability: Takes responsibility for own actions and can be relied upon to achieve excellent results with little oversight.
• Adaptability to Changing Needs/Flexibility: Embraces changing business needs and adapts approach, goals, and methods to achieve success.
• Customer Focus: Builds and maintains internal and external customer satisfaction with the services offered by the organization.
• Diversity and Inclusion: Recognizes the value of cultural, ethnic, gender and other individual differences.
• Effective Respectful Communications: Conveys clear messages that are effective in communicating information and ideas with others.
• Ethics and Integrity: Earns trust, respect, and confidence of coworkers and customers through honesty, candor, and professionalism in all interactions.
• Relationship Building: Builds constructive working relationships characterized by a high level of teamwork, cooperation, and mutual regard.
• Safety Focus: Adhere to all workplace safety laws, regulations, standards and practices.

Job Specific Competencies

• Exceptional proofreading, editing, and typing skills.
• Proficiency with Salesforce, Docusign, Microsoft Word, and Outlook.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to prepare legal pleadings and correspondence.
• Ability to analyze situations accurately and take effective action.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to use litigation software and case management systems.
• Ability to assist customers regarding inquiries, complaints, or problems.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize workload, and effectively manage time.
• Knowledge of:
  • Workers' compensation, basic legal research, legal terminology.
  • Local, state, and federal court rules and their application.
  • Court procedures, legal forms and documents and their processing.
  • Sources for checking legal citations, proper citation of case law, regulations, and statutes.
  • Current legal office practices, methods and procedures.
  • Law office communications, correct punctuation, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary.
  • Database/index systems, and discovery procedures.

Benefits

• This position includes medical, dental, life insurance, long-term disability, retirement, deferred compensation, flexible spending account, dependent care assistance, paid time off (sick leave, vacation leave, personal holiday, personal leave day), 11 paid holidays, and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Tuition Reimbursement is available for eligible employees subject to guidelines and funding.
• Remote work is an option. The successful candidates must reside in Washington state upon hire.
• If the successful candidate resides in King County, the official duty station will be the Renton Office, and the 5% King County Premium will apply.

Application Process

• To be considered for this position, you must submit the following with your online application:
  • A cover letter addressing the qualifications for this position.
  • A current resume.
  • A list of at least three professional references.
• The cover letter and resume must be included using the Add Attachment(s) field (please do not use the text resume within the online application).
• If you do not include all of the required information by the closing date, your application will not be considered.
• If you need assistance, please contact the BIIA Human Resources Office (360) 753-9639 or at [email protected].