Job Training Program

The State Attorney’s Office SkillBridge Program is designed to provide Active-Duty paralegals the opportunity to learn and be a part of some of the most important legal cases, those that involve defense of Montana’s laws as passed by Legislature and ballot initiatives passed by the voters. Challenges to the constitutionality of State law, prosecution of criminals, handling all phases of litigation in federal and district court proceedings through appeal, and complex litigation of antitrust matters, including various economic markets are all areas handled by the State Attorney’s Office. Legal counsel and advice to state agencies is provided on a contract, fee-for-service basis. Services typically include litigation, provision of hearings officer services, and may relate to any legal matter. Through Continuing Legal Educational courses, conferences, and daily application the veteran will learn and hone their skills as a paralegal in these areas of law. Along with learning these areas of law, the Active-Duty member will learn or continue to grow in their use of office technology, proofing and formatting skills, writing skills, and providing multidistrict litigation support all within the overall timeframe.

The Paralegal position with the State Attorney’s Office performs a variety of paralegal functions, requiring the incumbent to work individually as well as with the attorneys, the management staff, and the Attorney General. The paralegal will assist bureau attorneys with all phases of litigation: intake, discovery, motions, trial, and appeal, including paper and electronic file keeping. This position is responsible for extensive brief formatting and filing in numerous state and federal courts. The Paralegal exercises attention to detail in all areas, and specifically in calendaring filing deadlines and deadlines involving other state agencies. Other duties include assisting with administrative rule review, service of process on the Attorney General, Attorney General Opinions, and administrative functions such as keeping a spreadsheet of active cases and accepting and processing legal mail. The paralegal will also work on some additional miscellaneous matters with the Solicitor General and General Counsel. Additionally, the paralegal will coordinate work with the bureau chief and other legal support staff and will work as needed with other legal support staff to assist other bureaus and personnel within the Attorney General’s Office.The on-the-job training will be provided on-site at 215 N. Sanders, Helena, MT. A bureau chief in which the paralegal is assigned will be the point of contact for the Active-Duty member and will meet weekly with the Active-Duty trainee (or more frequently as needed). Other attorneys and paralegals will assist with skills acquisition. Training Schedule: Most training will be in-person, however there will also be occasional online instruction as some staff work remotely that work remotely. Training will primarily be conducted by another paralegal with years of experience working in the legal field.Week 1-2:• Introduction to the Attorney General’s Office and file structure along with office technology, and agency policies and procedures. Week 3-24: • Learning the bureau and its roles and responsibilities• Identifying and understanding roles of other state agencies• Learning service of process and how cases are initiated and opened. • Learning the lifecycle of a case and how it progresses• Become familiar with the bureau’s file structure and style guides.• Learning how to identify court rules and rules of procedure and application thereof.• Learning formatting styles and guidelines for pleadings and briefs • Learning the e-filing system and various jurisdictions• Gaining familiarity with Administrative Rules and processes