Job Description

Posting number: 26-00686

Department: Office of Law

Division: Office of Law

Job classification: Administrative Technician-Office of Law, Litigation Paralegal

Posting type: Open

Categories: Administrative Assistant, Clerical & Data Entry, Legal, Office and Administrative Support

Summary

Howard County:

Conveniently located in heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.

Howard County Government:

Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, sustainability, and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2025, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 83 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the highest number of annual NACo awards achieved in the history of the State of Maryland, and the highest number of awards out of any county in the State of Maryland which received a collective 136 awards. NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations. These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.

What you'll like most about working at Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.
• We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged!
• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs.
• As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

POSITION SUMMARY:

This position provides comprehensive legal support in the Office of Law by assisting a team of civil litigation attorneys. Work may involve conducting research, filing claims, drafting pleadings, and providing other paralegal support. Performs routine paralegal work under general supervision from an administrative or technical superior. ?

STARTING SALARY HIRING RANGE

$27.37 - $30.86/Hourly

$56,925 - $64,180/Annually

*This is the anticipated starting salary range for this position. Please note that the final salary will be determined by the Office of Human Resources, commensurate with experience and aligned to ensure internal equity with similarly situated roles.*

*This is a Classified position, meaning that it is a part of the Howard County Classified Service upon completion of a probationary period of at least six (6) months*

*This position serves in a confidential capacity within the definition of Howard County labor relations law and is ineligible for membership in a collective bargaining unit. *

Examples of duties

Legal Case Management (Collections, Bankruptcy, Civil Citation):

• Support collection, bankruptcy, and civil citation matters under attorney supervision.
• Conduct case work-ups and communicate with debtors and courts.
• Serve court process.
• File suits and other court papers and assist in enforcing judgments.
• Prepare and file bankruptcy proofs of claim and other bankruptcy-related documents nationwide.

Legal Research and Writing:

• Identify issues of law or fact under attorney supervision.
• Research cases, statutes, regulations, and other legal authorities using print materials, Westlaw, and similar tools.
• Draft correspondence for clients, creditors, and court personnel.

Document Review, Proofreading, and Citation Checking:

• Proofread legal memoranda for accuracy and completeness.
• Check citations for proper Bluebook format.
• Verify quotations and case references.
• Use Shepard's Citations or a similar resource/tool to validate cited cases.

Litigation Support:

• Prepare and organize documentation required for litigation.
• Assist attorneys in trial preparation, including exhibits, file organization, and copying documents.
• Attend and assist at trial as necessary.

Court Filing and Records Management:

• File pleadings through electronic systems such as MDEC and PACER.
• Travel to retrieve records from courts, government agencies, and third parties.
• Open, organize, maintain, and close legal files.
• Work within document management/workflow systems such as HighQ.

Administrative and Office Support:

• Schedule meetings, maintain calendars, and support office operations.
• Assist with filing, mail distribution, and general office tasks.
• Work collaboratively with a team of paralegals supporting both legal and administrative functions.
• Communicate effectively with the public, employees, and officials of county, state, and federal agencies and courts.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications

Associate's degree and three (3) years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATIONS:

Paralegal certificate or degree from a program certified by the American Bar Association.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet competing time demands.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with a team.
• Ability to communicate, cooperate, and work well with a wide variety of individuals including office co-workers, County personnel, court personnel, members of the public, other parties to County transactions and their attorneys, civil litigation defendants, and their attorneys, etc.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and depth perception.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND REASONING ABILITY:

Ability to read and interpret legal and technical documents, statues, regulations, and case law.

Ability to draft legal documents reports and correspondence.

Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.

Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages.

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.

Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.