SENIOR LEGAL ASSISTANT - 61000174

Requisition No: 794215

Agency: Public Service Commission

Working Title: SENIOR LEGAL ASSISTANT - 61000174

Position Number: 61000174

Salary: $38,429.00 - $44,000.00

Posting Closing Date: 05/31/2023

February 7, 2023

Florida Public Service Commission

Office of General Counsel

Senior Legal Assistant – 2 openings

Career Service - Open Competitive

Position Number: 61000025 and 61000174

Anticipated Hiring Salary or Range: $38,429 - $44,000

County: Leon

City: Tallahassee

Advertisement No.: 23002

Application Deadline: Continuous

The Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) is committed to making sure that Florida's consumers receive some of their most essential services — electric, natural gas, telephone, water, and wastewater — in a safe, reasonable, and reliable manner. In doing so, the FPSC exercises regulatory authority over utilities in one or more of three key areas: rate base/economic regulation; competitive market oversight; and monitoring of safety, reliability, and service.

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, and other supplemental insurance options (For more information, please click https://www.mybeneftis.myflorida.com/health);
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (For more information, please click https://myfrs.com);
• Paid Leave of Absence benefits, including Personal and Sick Leave;
• Nine paid holidays and one paid Personal Holiday each year;
• State Employee Tuition Waiver Program – Six credit hours per semester with the state college/university system;
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP);
• Deferred Compensation Plan;
• Tax Beneficial Flexible Spending Accounts;
• Flexible Work Schedules;
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) – Student loans can be forgiven after 10 years of qualified public service, certain eligibility requirements must be met. (For more information, please click http://studentaid.gov/publicservice);
• And more!

Description of Job Duties:

The Senior Legal Assistant (SLA) provides legal assistance to the attorneys, from preparing and filing documents in all aspects of the Commission’s rulemaking process, to formatting and filing appellate briefs and other court documents. The SLA also prepares legal documents such as discovery requests, notices, and prehearing orders during the course of a case all the way through to the preparation and organization for the hearing. The SLA manages utility rate case files by preparing the comprehensive exhibit list and organizing testimony, exhibits, and other documents for Commissioners and staff. The SLA must have strong computer skills, including Microsoft Word, and be proactive, self-motivated and results-oriented to accomplish these tasks independently and reliably.

Minimum Qualifications:

Completion of a paralegal training program or a Bachelor’s degree in legal studies or related field and one year legal experience, or four years clerical experience, two of which must have been as a legal assistant, paralegal, working with administrative, civil or criminal hearings or as a judicial clerk.

Information verifying answers to the Qualifying Questions must be found on the Employment Application.

Background investigations, including criminal history record checks and education verification's, will be conducted on all applicants recommended for hiring. You may be required to provide your Social Security Number in order to conduct this background check.

Employment Eligibility:

Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States. The Florida Public Service Commission participates in the Department of Homeland Security’s Electronic Employment Verification Program (E-Verify) to assist in this required verification process.

Civil Service Law requires all males born after December 31, 1959, to register with the Selective Service System unless they meet certain exemptions under the law. Failing to register when required makes one ineligible for appointment.

Preference in appointment and employment shall be given to veterans and other persons as required by Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, Veterans’ Law. Applicant must provide the required proof of preference at the time of submitting an application.

We hire only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized alien workers.

EEO/AA and Accommodation:

The state of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or the People First Center (1-877-562-7287). Notification to the Commission’s Human Resources Section must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

Post-Employment Restrictions:

Pursuant to Section 350.0605(2), F.S., former Commission employees are prohibited from appearing before the Commission to represent any client regulated by the Commission on any matter in which he/she had participated and which was pending at the time of his/her termination.

Pursuant to Section 112.313, F.S., FPSC Senior Management Service or Selected Exempt Service employees shall not personally represent another person or entity for compensation before the Commission, for a period of two years following vacation of his/her position. Exceptions to this law are provided for former Commission employees who are employed by another agency of State government and those employed by the Commission prior to January 1, 1995.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE. Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply. Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements. Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code. Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here. All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.