POSITIONS IN OUR OFFICE

 

*NOTE: WE DO NOT HAVE ANY VACANCIES AT THIS TIME *

UNPAID STUDENT INTERNS: We occasionally accept student interns from Finger Lakes Community College and other local schools. The student gains work experience, and the county gains the value of the student's work. We evaluate these on a case by case basis, and will accept an intern if the value to the county appears to be sufficient to warrant the amount of time that the office will have to devote to the intern's education and supervision. Interested students should contact the county attorney directly, but should be aware, in advance, that we've had perhaps half a dozen such interns in 20 years. The fundamental problem is that our work is fairly complex, which means an intern has to be exceptional or we have to have a project at the moment of application that an intern is capable of handling.

LEGAL AIDES: We try to budget for at least one law student each summer. The position requires completion of one year of law school at the time the work begins, and first and second year students are encouraged to apply. The pay for the past several years has been $10.00/hour, and the work consists largely of research and writing, with involvement in the rest of the office's activities as well. In the past, students have written appellate briefs, researched a variety of questions, many of them on the fly, served papers, interviewed witnesses, drafted legislation, prepared and delivered presentations to elected officials and others, and generally assisted in all aspects of the office's work. Again, standard civil service applications are required, and are available from our office or from the Department of Human Resources. We encourage students to apply in the early part of the year so that interviews can be conducted at everyone's convenience during spring break and other holidays, but there is no deadline for inquiries. Interested law students should send resumes to the County Attorney.

PARALEGAL SPECIALIST: Our paralegals perform a variety of functions, including research and writing, docket control, estate and medicaid processing, court preparation and drafting of pleadings, investigations, real property transfers, management of our insurance claims process, and many other duties. We have three full-time and two part-time positions, which are in the competitive class of the civil service. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree, plus completion of an approved paralegal program, or a year's paid experience of a comparable nature, or an Associate's Degree with completion of a program plus 2 years FT experience, or an Associates Degree with 3 years of FT experience, or an equivalent combination of any of the above. Applications should be submitted, as above, to the Department of Human Resources. The examination is scheduled infrequently, and the eligible lists resulting from the examination can last up to four years. If you are interested in competing for one of these positions, you should file an application with the Department of Human Resources, and take the examination.

STAFF SUPPORT: Two people, in two different titles, do virtually all of the support work for the office. This includes intensive word processing, office management and accounting, reception and customer support, and a variety of other tasks. One position is competitive civil service and applications are being accepted continuously by the Department of Human Resources. The second staff support person is the confidential secretary to the county attorney, who is in the exempt class of civil service, and therefore appointed by the county attorney to serve at his/her pleasure.

ASSISTANT COUNTY ATTORNEY: Lawyers in this title prosecute child neglect and abuse cases, child support cases, and juvenile delinquency matters in Family Court. They defend the county and its officers and employees in the event of lawsuits, and represent the county in contract negotiations, real property acquisitions, environmental proceedings, and a host of other matters. Admission to the New York State Bar and Ontario County residence are required, but there are no other formal qualifications. Appointments are made by the county attorney, following an intensive interview and screening process involving virtually all members of the office, and appointees serve at the pleasure of the county attorney. We have no "ranks" of assistant county attorneys; all hold the same title, although pay varies somewhat with length of service. We last appointed two persons in 2000 and, as noted above, there are no vacancies at this time.

COUNTY ATTORNEY: The county attorney is appointed every two years by the Ontario County Board of Supervisors. In many counties, the appointment is political. In all counties, the job security of the position is dependent upon the will of the elected authority. In other words, the county attorney can be replaced every two years. If that happens, the confidential secretary as well as the assistant county attorneys are all subject to potential removal and replacement. Persons in permanent civil service positions, however, would remain, unless the positions are abolished by legislative action. In Ontario County, the same individual has been appointed county attorney for the last 24 years, and in many counties some stability is starting to enter the process, as the work becomes more complicated and specialized. The county attorney is the legal advisor to the Board of Supervisors and all officers paid with county funds. Management of the office and general responsibility for the legal affairs of the county falls to the county attorney. Should a vacancy be noted, interested attorneys should contact the Director of Human Resources. Again, county residence is required.