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County attorney gets OK to hire legal support staff instead of budgeted attorney position
Summary
Facing limited applicant interest for a budgeted attorney position, the county attorney asked the board to authorize hiring a legal‑assistant support position. Commissioners approved the department head’s authority to hire a support staff member, with guidance to prioritize experienced candidates where feasible.
Natrona County’s chief legal officer asked the board to approve creation and hiring of a legal‑assistant (hybrid paralegal/legal secretary) position in lieu of the third attorney budgeted in the current year. The office said recruitment for a full attorney produced no viable candidates and that a skilled legal assistant could help the department manage workload and improve turnaround times.
County attorney Lita Kruchek said the proposed role combines paralegal duties with office and records support and would be budget‑neutral within the existing legal department line. Commissioners discussed the tradeoffs — recognizing non‑licensed staff cannot provide legal advice or appear in court — and encouraged hiring an experienced candidate if possible to reduce training burdens. The board voted to authorize the county attorney to hire staff as needed for the department.
Staff will move forward with recruitment and return with an updated job posting and timeline as appropriate.
