Legal Assistant II - DORA: PUC Hybrid

at  State of Colorado Job Opportunities

DESCRIPTION OF JOB

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) serves the public interest by effectively regulating energy and water utilities and facilities, telecommunications, transportation, gas pipeline safety, and rail and transit safety so that the people of Colorado receive safe, reliable, and reasonably-priced services consistent with the economic, environmental and social values of our state. This requires balancing the needs of customers and the afore mentioned regulated entities. The Administrative Hearings Section exists to conduct hearings and issue written decisions on contested public utility matters pending before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission as required by §40-2-104 and §40-6-101 et seq., C.R.S.
Position: SGA 5194
This position is responsible for facilitation and uses technical resources in hearings before the Commission and Administrative Law Judges (ALJs), and it relies upon both technical expertise and thorough understanding of legal processes. The position operates electronic recording equipment and manages exhibits during hearings to create an official record of the proceeding in lieu of a hearing reporter, per § 40-6-109, C.R.S.
Outside of hearings, this position manages internal processes for sizable, complex, or non-routine open records requests with the deputy director - policy and external affairs. The position acts as a backup to the Decisions Editor by preparing draft decisions for judges and commissioners which are represented by the counsel. The position completes legal research and completes writing assignments as a law clerk for ALJs. To assist in the management of hearings for Commissioners and ALJs, the position trains staff members and public hearing participants regarding the availability and uses of hearing resources.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Conducting day-to-day operations of technology used during a hearing to ensure a reliable and effective operation;
• Facilitating, applying, and using technical resources available in hearing rooms, including current systems without limitation for webcasting, displaying of information and exhibits, audio, video, and teleconference sessions (i.e. scheduling, troubleshooting, configuring equipment, and initiating calls as well as staying on hand to monitor equipment);
• Managing and coordinating services, internally and externally, for people in all Commission hearing rooms throughout hearing processes and meetings;
• Coordinating with the Chief ALJ or designee to develop and provide training, and presentations in a learning format independently or as a co-trainer/facilitator;
• Collecting evaluations at the closing of training, compiling results, providing reports on training effectiveness, and making recommendations;
• Presenting before the presiding official in charge of each proceeding in accordance with the assignments made by the Chief ALJ or administrator;
• Identifying, tracking, and maintaining notes and exhibits through and after hearings;
• Preparing and readying for filing hearing reports and exhibits and maintaining recordings;
• Documenting and tracking all dates relevant to public records requests; corresponding with parties who are requesting public records, including questions regarding the scope and relevance of a request; preparing written cost estimates in connection with public records requests; collaborating with agency personnel to ascertain the volume and nature of responsive records;
• Performing or coordinating the redaction of confidential, exempt, and sensitive information upon the advice of counsel or consistent with policies and procedures;
• Analyzing and organizing materials and conveying supported conclusions to the assigning ALJ;
• Drafting decisions on projects as assigned, in a format consistent with the PUC’s standards manual, for modification or completion by an ALJ;
• Working as a backup to the Decisions Editor, as needed, to finalize formatting and proofread decisions in red-line format for the author (the Decisions Editor, among other responsibilities, ensures the accuracy of Commission decisions before issuance as well as consistency with the ‘Commission’s voice,’ Commission rules, and previous decisions);
• Drafting a certificate of service required for each decision based upon the procedural posture of the proceeding; AND
• Reviewing existing Microsoft Office templates, interfaces, and instructions utilized by the Administrative Hearings Section, identifying areas of improvement for existing templates as well as opportunities for new templates to automate repetitive tasks; and implementing improvements to existing templates and drafting new templates.

EDUCATION/LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION/EXPERIENCE:

• Paralegal certificate obtained through either an American Bar Association (ABA) approved paralegal studies program or an accredited institution; AND
• One (1) year of full-time professional* paralegal experience, which must include all of the following:
• Conducting legal research;
• Gathering, analyzing, and compiling data from legal references and resources;
• Preparing drafts of legal documents by formatting, proofreading, and editing;
• Experience analyzing documents for completeness, correctness, and/or compliance with laws, rules, policies, and procedures.
  NOTE: You must attach a copy of your paralegal certificate to your application materials.
  Document this experience in your application IN DETAIL, as your experience will not be inferred or assumed. Part-time experience will be prorated.

• Conducting day-to-day operations of technology used during a hearing to ensure a reliable and effective operation;
• Facilitating, applying, and using technical resources available in hearing rooms, including current systems without limitation for webcasting, displaying of information and exhibits, audio, video, and teleconference sessions (i.e. scheduling, troubleshooting, configuring equipment, and initiating calls as well as staying on hand to monitor equipment);
• Managing and coordinating services, internally and externally, for people in all Commission hearing rooms throughout hearing processes and meetings;
• Coordinating with the Chief ALJ or designee to develop and provide training, and presentations in a learning format independently or as a co-trainer/facilitator;
• Collecting evaluations at the closing of training, compiling results, providing reports on training effectiveness, and making recommendations;
• Presenting before the presiding official in charge of each proceeding in accordance with the assignments made by the Chief ALJ or administrator;
• Identifying, tracking, and maintaining notes and exhibits through and after hearings;
• Preparing and readying for filing hearing reports and exhibits and maintaining recordings;
• Documenting and tracking all dates relevant to public records requests; corresponding with parties who are requesting public records, including questions regarding the scope and relevance of a request; preparing written cost estimates in connection with public records requests; collaborating with agency personnel to ascertain the volume and nature of responsive records;
• Performing or coordinating the redaction of confidential, exempt, and sensitive information upon the advice of counsel or consistent with policies and procedures;
• Analyzing and organizing materials and conveying supported conclusions to the assigning ALJ;
• Drafting decisions on projects as assigned, in a format consistent with the PUC’s standards manual, for modification or completion by an ALJ;
• Working as a backup to the Decisions Editor, as needed, to finalize formatting and proofread decisions in red-line format for the author (the Decisions Editor, among other responsibilities, ensures the accuracy of Commission decisions before issuance as well as consistency with the ‘Commission’s voice,’ Commission rules, and previous decisions);
• Drafting a certificate of service required for each decision based upon the procedural posture of the proceeding; AND
• Reviewing existing Microsoft Office templates, interfaces, and instructions utilized by the Administrative Hearings Section, identifying areas of improvement for existing templates as well as opportunities for new templates to automate repetitive tasks; and implementing improvements to existing templates and drafting new templates