Legal Assistant

The Buffalo County Attorney’s Office is seeking a full time legal assistant to serve attorneys practicing in civil, criminal, and administrative capacities.

Candidates must be available to work full time 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, in a professional office environment. Starting pay dependent on experience. The County offers a comprehensive benefit package including individual health insurance, generous retirement programs, and access to a wide variety of other benefits such as family health, vision, dental, and life insurance benefits. The County offers paid vacation and sick leave and numerous paid holidays.   

Applications will be received through March 10, 2023, or until the position is filled. Applications will be reviewed promptly and candidates selected for an interview will be notified via their provided email address.

Applicants must fully complete the Buffalo County Application for Employment, must provide a résumé or CV, a cover letter, and contact information for professional references. Incomplete applications will not be considered. All finalists will be subject to a thorough background check. Applications and required material should be mailed to the Buffalo County Attorney’s Office, Attn: Office Manager, P.O. Box 67, Kearney, NE 68848, or emailed in PDF form to lhuerta@buffalocounty.ne.gov. 

An ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following skills:

• Desire to work as a legal assistant. An ideal candidate will be looking for a career, not just a job.
• Strong, professional organizational skills.
• Excellent communication skills including formal correspondence, informal writing, and telephone skills.
• Attention to detail and advanced editing/proofreading skills.
• An ability to work under narrow parameters, as well as an ability to be a self-starter when needed.
• Experience managing deadlines, multitasking, and balancing the completion of routine daily tasks with long-term projects.
• A willingness to maintain confidentiality, to assist coworkers when needed, and to cope with occasional high-stress situations.
• The ability to adapt rapidly to changes in law, office procedure, or attorney preference.
• Strong computer skills including proficiency in Microsoft Word, moderate skills in Microsoft Excel, experience with managing digital records/files, and the ability to quickly and efficiently learn new software.
• A willingness to ask questions, accept feedback, and a desire to learn.
• No, or exceptionally limited, criminal history.

Strong candidates will also have experience in some of the following areas:

• Experience in assisting attorneys in state or federal court, criminal or civil practices.
• A demonstrated history of cooperative work with multiple agencies, departments or offices to manage complex projects.
• Experience in calendaring, scheduling and coordination of meetings.
• Desire to produce quality, professional, work product that is well edited, and which reflects well on yourself and the attorneys you will assist.
• Experience in accurate data entry and maintenance.
• Experience in assisting during meetings with tasks such as paperwork management, minutes, or time management.
• Familiarity with, or desire to learn, some of the following legal or law enforcement technologies/resources: Microsoft Office suite, case management software, JUSTICE, PACER, E-filing (State/Federal/Bankruptcy), Westlaw, GIS, Cellebrite, WatchGuard, RMS/JMS, AS400 or other resources.

All applicants should address in their cover letters what makes them the ideal candidate for the position, as well as what each applicant hopes to find in an ideal employer. 

Though prior experience as a legal assistant is not required, candidates with legal assistant experience should provide details about their experience including practice areas, case volumes, specialized skills and experience.

Candidates without prior experience as a legal assistant should highlight employment or educational experience that closely aligns with the desired skills, and should specifically address in their cover letter why they are seeking employment as a legal assistant.  

Candidate should have a Bachelor’s Degree and/or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

Buffalo County is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, Veteran’s Preference employer. Candidates wishing to request a veteran’s preference should indicate so in their application and provide the appropriate supporting documentation. Formal employment application paperwork is available at https://www.buffalocounty.ne.gov/Article/JOB-APPLICATION