Secretary and Paralegal Profile

Broad civil and criminal law powers and duties are vested in the Office of Attorney General. These duties are performed primarily within three Divisions. Each Division is headed by an Executive Deputy Attorney General who ensures that the responsibilities of the Division are implemented. The Executive Deputy Attorney General reports to the First Deputy Attorney General and through him to the Attorney General. Administrative support is provided by the Office of Management Services.

Clerical/Secretarial

The clerical/secretarial staff is a very important part of the administrative team of the Office of Attorney General and provides assistance, services, and information to the citizens of Pennsylvania.

A variety of legal and nonlegal clerical/secretarial classifications including Clerk, Clerk Typist, Clerical Supervisor, Secretarial Supervisor, and Executive Secretary are utilized. The legal secretaries provide secretarial support to the legal staff and are employed within the Public Protection Division, the Civil Law Division, and the Criminal Law Division. Although nonlegal secretaries may be used in all of the Sections/Bureaus, most of the nonlegal secretaries are employed in the Bureau of Criminal Investigations, the Bureau of Consumer Protection, the Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Drug Control, and various sections within the Office of Management Services. Due to the nature of the work in this Office, the majority of clerical/secretarial positions are legal secretaries.

Opportunities for employment exist throughout the Office of Attorney General. The majority of positions, however, are in the Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Norristown, and Pittsburgh areas.

Examples of work performed by a nonlegal secretary may include, but are not limited to: typing letters, reports, vouchers, agenda, memoranda or similar documents; proofreading materials to ensure that information is grammatically correct, complete, and consistent with Office of Attorney General rules and regulations; maintaining alphabetical, numerical, chronological and similar files; scheduling, rescheduling, or canceling appointments or meetings; answering the telephone and transferring the caller to the appropriate area or taking a message by recording the caller's name and telephone number and distributing the message to the proper person.

A legal secretary performs essentially the same duties as a nonlegal secretary while being assigned to work directly for one or more attorneys. However, a legal secretary would also type legal briefs, transcripts, charts, correspondence and other legal instruments from handwritten copy or dictating equipment; complete various governmental forms and vouchers; input and retrieve data via computer; request case-related information and documents via correspondence or by telephone; and file sundry correspondence and documents.

Employment Requirements

The Office of Attorney General is a non-Civil Service agency and applicants for Clerk Typist positions must pass the Office of Attorney General typing test.

An applicant for a Clerk Typist position must take a two-part typing test. The first part of the test is a timed writing test with a five (5) minute time limit. A score of 40 words per minute, after deductions for errors, must be achieved in order to pass this portion of the test. In the second part of the test, the applicant must type and proofread a business letter. This portion of the test is not timed and is graded solely on accuracy.

In order to be considered for employment as a Clerk Typist, an applicant must pass both the timed writing portion of the test and the business letter portion of the test. If an applicant does not successfully complete both parts of the test, they may take the test again in three months.

Applicants for Clerk positions are not required to take a test.

Paralegal

Paralegals provide a variety of legal services, including law-related administrative tasks. They are employed throughout the Office, but primarily in the Litigation Section, the Torts Litigation Section, and the Financial Enforcement Section.

The duties of a paralegal within the Office of Attorney General may include, but are not limited to: conducting legal research; investigating, collecting, and compiling case material; interviewing witnesses and assisting at depositions; drafting pleadings and interrogatories; preparing appendices of briefs on appeals; assisting in all facets of trial preparation; and drafting subpoenas for the procurement of records.

Employment Requirements

In order to qualify for a paralegal position, an applicant must meet one of the following requirements: Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with a major in pre-law, to include a minimum of three (3) credit hours in legal research; Associate's Degree as a paralegal from an accredited college or university; Bachelor's or Associate's Degree from an accredited college or university and either a paralegal certificate from an accredited school or institution or one year of experience in paralegal work; four (4) years of responsible work as a legal secretary and a paralegal certificate from an accredited school or institution; or one year of experience as a paralegal.

Legal and nonlegal secretaries and paralegals are employed in the following locations:

Criminal Law Division
Appeals and Legal Services Section  
Harrisburg  

Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section
Harrisburg, Norristown, North Huntingdon, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, State College

Bureau of Criminal Investigations
Harrisburg, Erie, Norristown, Pittsburgh

Bureau of Investigative Services
Harrisburg

Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Drug Control
Harrisburg, Allentown, Butler, Erie, North Huntingdon, Philadelphia,
State College, Wilkes-Barre

Computer Forensics Section
Norristown

Criminal Prosecutions Section
Harrisburg, Norristown, Pittsburgh

• Child Predator Unit
  Harrisburg

Drug Strike Force Section
Harrisburg, Allentown, Butler, Erie, North Huntingdon, Philadelphia, State College, Wilkes-Barre

Environmental Crimes Section
Harrisburg, Norristown, Pittsburgh, Williamsport

Insurance Fraud Section
Harrisburg, Norristown, Pittsburgh

Medicaid Fraud Control Section
Harrisburg, Norristown, North Huntingdon

Organized Crime Section
Norristown

Regulatory Compliance and Intelligence Section
Norristown

Civil Law Division
Appellate Litigation Section
Harrisburg

Financial Enforcement Section
Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh

Litigation Section
Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh

Legal Review Section
Harrisburg

Tax Litigation Section
Harrisburg

Torts Litigation Section
Harrisburg, Allentown, Erie, Norristown, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton

Public Protection Division
Antitrust Section
Harrisburg

Bureau of Consumer Protection  
Harrisburg, Allentown, Ebensburg, Erie, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton

Charitable Trusts and Organizations Section
Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh

Civil Rights Enforcement Section
Harrisburg

Health Care Section
Harrisburg

Office of Consumer Advocate
Harrisburg

Tobacco Enforcement Section
Harrisburg