New York City, for example, has hundreds of non-lawyers assisting the hundreds of attorneys on the staff of the New York City Office of the Corporation Counsel.
The Corporation Counsel employs paralegal aides, claim examiners, investigators, and principal administrative associates. All of these positions require some knowledge or experience working in law. These employees have their own secretarial support staff. The following information is from the New York City Corporation Counsel's office. The job descriptions are for paralegal aide, claim examiner, and investigator.
Paralegal Aide—General Statement of Duties and Responsibilities.
Under supervision, with latitude for the exercise of independent initiative and judgment, performs a variety of paralegal duties; performs related work.
Examples of Typical Tasks:
- Interviews clients, witnesses, victims, and complainants; assists in the preparation and service of legal papers, e.g., motions, subpoenas, and other documents;
- performs legal research; collects, assembles, and assists in evaluating evidence and technical data for use in trials and proceedings;
- prepares witnesses and arranges for appearance of witnesses at trials; maintains court calendars and schedules; may conduct investigations, examine and adjust claims, and conduct closings on real estate titles and mortgages;
- may be responsible for the overall management of caseload; monitors case flow and movement; maintains control of all relevant information for the prosecution of a case;
- may collect and analyze data to determine the effectiveness of programs; monitors compliance with federal and state guidelines for grant projects;
- prepares analyses of testimony; summarizes briefs and court decisions; prepares reports on individual cases or groups of cases; assists in all forms of legal proceedings, programs and projects.
Claim Examiner—General Statement of Duties and Responsibilities.
Under direct supervision, investigates personal injury, property damage, and miscellaneous claims against the City or public authority and affirmative claims of the City or authority against others; performs related work.
Examples of Typical Tasks:
- Investigates and assists in the preparation for trial of less serious claims against the City;
- Secures evidence by interviewing interested parties, witnesses, doctors, and other persons involved; makes physical inspections of accident scenes;
- Obtains relevant documents, records, maps, exhibits, photographs, etc., and such information from records of public agencies and private organizations as may be pertinent.
- Submits all such information in the form of a written report; arranges for court appearances, through subpoena or otherwise, of witnesses required for proper presentation of a case;
- Confers with the attorney assigned to a case regarding the facts developed during investigation, and otherwise assists the attorney before and during trial;
- Interprets rules and regulations as applied to minor claims; may make recommendations as to approval or disallowance of such claims, for example refunds and miscellaneous law claims; prepares the court calendars and attends court calendar calls.
Investigator—General Statement of Duties and Responsibilities
Under supervision, makes investigations designed to prevent or detect violations of laws relating to tax liabilities and delinquencies, or violations of miscellaneous rules and regulations of the various municipal administrative agencies, or makes investigations designed to determine qualifications for civil service employment; performs related work.
Examples of Typical Tasks:
- Obtains information regarding liability of delinquent taxpayers;
- investigates corporations and organizations soliciting funds from the public;
- makes searches in depositories of public and private records to determine financial standing of tax debtors;
- apprehends violators of laws governing solicitation of funds from public, causes arrests,
- signs complaints, makes physical inspections and diagrams at scenes of accidents;
- locates and interviews prospective witnesses in actions in which the City of New York or its agencies are defendants,
- conducts examinations under oath and serves legal process; assembles and verifies data pertinent to settlement or adjudication of tort claims;
- conducts investigations in hospitals and other institutions to determine eligibility of patients for care at public expense;
- verifies information concerning education, experience, and other personal qualifications bearing upon character and fitness of applicants for employment in the municipal civil service;
- examines and analyzes records and documents; reports on results of personal interviews or interrogation of witnesses; testifies at hearings and in court proceedings.
