Job Description

Competition # : 40488

Department: Office of the Public Trustee

Location: HALIFAX

Type of Employment: Permanent

Union Status: NSGEU - NSPG

Closing Date: \xe2\x80\x8b11-Dec-23 \xe2\x80\x8b (Applications are accepted until 11:59 PM Atlantic Time)

About Us

The Public Trustee is committed to the proper administration of estates of deceased persons, incompetent persons, children and missing persons. It is also committed to providing informed consents for health care, placement in continuing care homes or home care services using an approach that is client-centred, respectful of human rights and freedoms and in the client\'s best interests if prior wishes, values, and beliefs are not known.

The Public Trustee of Nova Scotia is independent of government. It is set up as a corporation to protect the financial and personal well-being of its clients and offers a wide range of unique services. Its authority is set out in numerous provincial laws.

About Our Opportunity

The Legal Assistant within the Public Trustee\'s Office provides high quality specialized legal assistance, case management, secretarial and administrative support for the solicitors on staff with the Public Trustee\'s Office.

This is not your everyday Legal Assistant role! As a key team member, you will play a vital role in assisting the solicitors by prioritizing workloads, ensuring approaching deadlines are acknowledged are met, maintaining bring forward system and ensuring workflow and time management is coordinated.

In this fast-paced environment you will be preparing documents for the Supreme Court and Probate Court, attendance at the Prothonotary\'s Office, preparation of final estate accounts, handling real property transactions, daily contact by telephone and correspondence with many stakeholders involved with the solicitors\' client files.

If you thrive under pressure, excel in juggling multiple responsibilities, and are ready to make a meaningful impact, this may be a great fit for you.

Primary Accountabilities

In this critical role you will have several key responsibilities including:

• All work involved in the administration and proper management of the solicitors\' client files including specific trusts, living and deceased estates and property transactions
• Drafting of legal documents
• Daily contact by telephone and correspondence with the many stakeholders
• Calculation of the Probate fees on estate files and preparation of final accounts
• Review and organize annal trust account statements for all the cases assigned to solicitors
• Ensures information is available for filing of clients\' tax returns

Qualifications and Experience

High school education, plus a certificate/diploma from a paralegal training program or legal assistant training program and three years of experience working in a legal practice or an acceptable combination of education/training and experience.

Proficiency in typing, dicta-typing and file management is required along with knowledge of legal terminology, legal forms and procedures, together with legal research skills.

Basic knowledge of principles of estate law and real property transactions, sound knowledge of computer programs to create legal documents and spreadsheets is required.

Well-developed organizational skills and the ability to determine priorities, meet deadlines and perform multiple tasks with minimal supervision are necessary.

A high degree of initiative, effective interpersonal and communication skills as well as sound judgment and tact in dealing with people is required.

Equivalency

Equivalencies include, but are not limited to:

• 4 years of directly related work experience

Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Benefits

Based on the employment status and Union agreement, the Government of Nova Scotia offers its employees a wide range of benefits such as Health, Dental, Life Insurance, Pension, General Illness (Short and Long Term), Vacation and Employee and Family Assistance Programs. Click to learn more about our various benefits offerings and eligibility criteria.

Working Conditions

• Normal work week is 35 hours/week, 7 hours/day
• May be required to work overtime on occasion
• Work is completed in a comfortable office environment

What We Offer

• Career Development where you have access to career guidance, tools, resources, and ongoing training for every stage of your career
• Engaging workplace: our Employees feel valued, respected, connected, and tuned in, we have forward-thinking policies and strategies
• Countless career paths
• Department specific flexible working schedules

Pay Grade: CL 21

Salary Range: $1,824.96 - $2,034.28 Bi-Weekly

Employment Equity Statement:

Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. The Government of Nova Scotia has an Employment Equity Policy, and we welcome applications from Indigenous People, African Nova Scotians and Other Racially Visible Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Women in occupations or positions where they are under-represented. If you are a member of one of these equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on your electronic application.

This is a bargaining unit position initially restricted to current civil service employees represented by the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU). If applying from outside a government office, employees must apply correctly via this link:

Failure to apply correctly means that your application will not be given first consideration as a bargaining unit applicant, and will only be included if external applications are pursued.

External applicants and current casual employees will only be considered if there are no qualified civil service bargaining unit candidates. PLEASE NOTE: Candidates will not be considered for an interview if applications are incomplete or are missing information.

Offer of employment is conditional upon the completion of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials, the results of which must be satisfactory to the employer. We thank all applicants for the interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All questions and concerns may be directed to Competitions@novascotia.ca.

Government of Nova Scotia