Appellate Technical Legal Editor (U)

Administrative Office of the Courts Business Unit: 21500 Appellate Technical Legal Editor (U) #00000037-21500, Full-time, At-Will, in Albuquerque or Santa Fe, NM # of Positions: 1 Opening Date: 04-18-2024 - Close Date: - Target Pay Range/Rate: $23.
092 - $37.
210 hourly or $48,031 - $77,396 annually The New Mexico Court of Appeals is recruiting for a full-time, at-will, Appellate Technical Legal Editor (U) position #00000037-21500 in Albuquerque or Santa Fe, New Mexico.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES: Acting under the direction of a Court of Appeals Judge, Supreme Court Justice, Supreme Court Chief Clerk, Chief Appellate Attorney, or other designee, coordinate and fulfill the administrative, technical, and clerical requirements of the Judge’s, Justice’s, Clerk’s, or Attorney’s office.
Finalist(s) may be subject to criminal background checks.
EXAMPLES OF JOB DUTIES The Appellate Technical Legal Editor (U) is responsible for ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and conformity with technical standards of appellate court dispositions prepared by the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals.
Performs thorough and detailed technical review of appellate court dispositions; reviews drafts for proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, consistency, and style; proofreads, cite checks, and ensures overall readability.
Formats and edits documents and reviews them for content, subject matter, accuracy, consistency, and completeness.
Checks factual and legal citations to ensure accuracy and suggests revisions before publication or distribution to the public.
Performs legal research and technical analysis of opinions, records, decisions, orders, and other documents.
Reads and reviews cited cases in appellate court dispositions, records, and documents to ensure that they stand for the proposition stated and checks record cites to ensure that the facts are accurately represented.
Works closely with members of the legal team to ensure the accuracy of all information.
Acts as a source of technical writing and editing expertise.
Assists in the continuous review and improvement of practices and processes.
Assures citations are correct and in accordance with the New Mexico Appellate Courts Technical Handbook, The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, and other reliable style and technical guides.
Performs legal research using a variety of sources, including electronic databases, case law, statutes, Court rules, law journals, and historical texts; and identifies relevant subsequent legal history when appropriate.
Trains and mentors other staff, including law clerks and paralegals, on extensive citation rules, technical reviews, case information, and stylistic conventions.
Coordinates the timely processing of documents.
Manages processes, documents, records, and files as assigned.
Performs other duties as assigned.
COMPETENCIES/QUALIFICATIONS The successful applicant should possess exceptional technical writing, editing, and proofreading skills; have superior knowledge of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and proper sentence structure; demonstrate proficiency with Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, and G Suite applications; have a solid knowledge and understanding of legal terminology; have experience reviewing legal opinions, decisions, memorandums, orders, and related appellate records or documents; work independently and manage multiple writing/editing projects simultaneously; be proficient with common rules and conventions of legal citation; be able to review and analyze pleadings, briefs, and case records; have familiarity with court rules, policies, and operations; have experience with court case management systems such as Odyssey; possess excellent legal research skills, including experience using electronic databases such as Westlaw, Lexis, NMOneSource, and legal resources such as the New Mexico Reports, the New Mexico Statutes Annotated, the New Mexico Rules Annotated, law review articles, and legislative materials; be familiar with common legal citation, usage, and writing references such as The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, Garner’s Dictionary of Legal Usage, The Gregg Reference Manual, and Black’s Law Dictionary; have a basic understanding of organizational management and conflict resolution.
WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS The following functions are representative, but not all-inclusive, of the work environment and physical demands an employee may expect to encounter in performing tasks assigned to this job.
Work is performed in an office or court setting.
A valid driver’s license and travel may be required.
The assigned work schedule may include nights, weekends, and holidays.
The employee must regularly interact positively with coworkers, clients, the public, judges, and justices.
* This job description is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions performed BENEFITS Medical/Dental/Vision/Rx, Short, and Long Term Disability Insurance Programs, employee assistance program (EAP) [https://www.
mybenefitsnm.
com/] State paid life insurance, supplemental and dependent life insurance Optional flexible spending accounts for medical, day-care, and travel expenses Paid time off, up to eight (8) weeks Paid time off and retirement buyback Eleven (11) paid holidays Up to twelve (12) weeks of paid parental leave Deferred Compensation 457(b) plan Lifetime Defined Benefits Retirement Plan [https://www.
nmpera.
org/] Flexible work schedules and alternative work locations* Free health care, Rx, and lab work at the facility (Stay Well Health Center) in Santa Fe, NM Bilingual compensation* Training and career development opportunities Higher education opportunities, educational leave, and tuition reimbursement May qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) May receive overtime holiday or shift differential pay* May receive physical fitness leave* *These benefits vary by job classification or need* QUALIFICATIONS Although not required, a person who meets the paralegal qualifications set forth in Rule 20-115 NMRA will satisfy many, if not all, of the minimum qualifications below, depending on specific experience.
Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in English, Creative Writing, Communication, Journalism, Publishing, Paralegal Studies, a legal field, or a directly related field.
Education Substitution: • Bachelor’s or associate’s degree in an unrelated field from an accredited college or university and any of the following: o graduation from a paralegal program that is (1) approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), (2) an associate degree program, or (3) a post-baccalaureate certificate program in paralegal studies; o certification by the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc.
(NALA), the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc.
(NFPA), or other equivalent national or state competency examination; or o two (2) years of experience as a paralegal or legal assistant performing substantive law-related duties under the supervision of a licensed attorney.
• GED or High School Diploma and four (4) years of experience as a paralegal or legal assistant performing substantive law-related duties under the supervision of a licensed attorney.
• Graduation from a paralegal program that is (1) approved by the ABA, (2) an associate degree program, or (3) a post-baccalaureate certificate program in paralegal studies, plus two (2) years of experience as a paralegal or legal assistant performing substantive law-related duties under the supervision of a licensed attorney.
• Certification by the NALA, the NFPA, or other equivalent national or state competency examination plus two (2) years of experience as a paralegal or legal assistant performing substantive law-related duties under the supervision of a licensed attorney.
Experience: Three (3) years of experience as a paralegal for the appellate courts or experience performing substantive law-related duties under the supervision of a licensed appellate attorney.
Experience Substitution: • Experience editing, publishing, or writing legal, case-related, or technical content may substitute on a year-for-year basis.
• Additional relevant education including legal specialty or research courses may substitute for experience at a rate of thirty (30) semester credit hours equal to one (1) year of experience.
• Graduation from an accredited law school and not disbarred or suspended from the practice of law by the State of New Mexico or any other jurisdiction may substitute for three (3) years of experience.
TO APPLY: Submit a New Mexico Judicial Branch Application for Employment, or a Resume and a Resume Supplemental form, and proof of education to: Administrative Office of the Courts Attn: AOC Human Resources Division 202 E.
Marcy Street Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 Fax: (505) 479-2641 Email: jobs@nmcourts.
gov PROOF OF EDUCATION IS REQUIRED.
Applications can be emailed, faxed, or mailed.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER