SENIOR INVESTIGATOR, LAW DEPARTMENT

Code: 05683 Local Competitive

Official job specification

The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator. Source: the official specification page at NJ CSC.

Definition

Under direction of a Principal Investigator or other supervisors in the Law Department, performs a variety of financial and other investigations with regard to matters referred to the Law Department for possible litigation and or takes the lead over one or more investigators; does other related duties as required.

Examples of work

• May supervise the work of other investigators as directed.
• Investigates the cause of accidents and gathers all physical evidence; takes photographs if necessary.
• Conducts interviews with witnesses to the accident.
• Prepares written reports on findings.
• Obtains required information for members of the legal staff.
• Prepares liens and serves summonses.
• Keeps accurate records of all cases.
• Develops further information on cases as the result of receiving conflicting evidence or statements from witnesses through further fact finding until he/she has enough evidence to support a legal or administrative course of action within criteria established by applicable laws, rules, or regulations.
• Develops a case more extensively than previously through further questioning of witnesses and others who have knowledge or information relevant to the case and through the search for additional documents and records.
• Establishes the interrelationship of facts or evidence or evidence or the resolution of facts despite denials and conflicts in statements given and inconsistencies in evidence obtained.
• Receives delinquent hospital patient accounts referred to the Law Department by various institutions for collection and possible litigation.
• Investigates property holdings, insurance policies, bank accounts, and other personal resources to determine ability to pay and available assets.
• Speaks with patients or their responsible relatives to obtain voluntary compliance.
• Prepares and sends form letters.
• Arranges part payment plans.
• Negotiates offers in compromise with the approval of the legal staff and prepares resolutions for the reduction or abatement of costs.
• Recommends litigation on those cases in which voluntary compliance is not possible.
• Prepares liens, and serves summonses.
• Investigates circumstances surrounding accident suits, which have been brought against the jurisdiction.
• Investigates the cause of the accident.
• Gathers physical evidence.
• Takes photographs if necessary.
• Interviews witnesses.
• Prepares written reports on findings.
• Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.

Experience

Three (3) years of experience in conducting field investigations of a type that involved (a) investigations in connection with prosecution or defense of civil or criminal cases, or (b) investigations concerning compliance with statutory laws, rules, and regulations, or (c) criminal investigations requiring use of a variety of investigatory methods and techniques, or (d) investigations conducted for practicing attorneys requiring use of recognized investigative methods and techniques, or (e) investigations of complex casualty or insurance claims which included a substantial number of cases involving suspected crimes or alleged fraud.

License

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Knowledge of supervision of employees.
• Knowledge of procedures used in investigating financial circumstances and legal settlements of patients in institutions.
• Knowledge of methods used in preparing reports.
• Knowledge of procedures involved in maintaining records and files.
• Knowledge of the rules of evidence.
• Knowledge of investigatory techniques.
• Ability resolve difficult conflicts in facts or evidence.
• Ability to resolve the difficulty and complexity imposed by the subjects of the investigations.
• Ability to separate numerous investigative matters that grow from original assignments.
• Ability to initiate resourcefulness to reconstruct information from other resources when there is a lack of cooperation from individuals and organizations.
• Ability to establish the interrelationship of facts and evidence
• Ability to comprehend established rules and regulations.
• Ability to interview persons of varying backgrounds.
• Ability to use tact and courtesy in making investigations.
• Ability to observe significant conditions.
• Ability to prepare reports.
• Ability to maintain records and files.
• Ability to collect and assemble facts, determine applicability and relevance of laws, rules, and regulations, and to explain legal requirements.
• Ability to detect discrepancies in information collected.
• Ability to distribute and balance work-load among employees in accordance with established workflow or job specification, assuring timely accomplishment of the assigned workload and that each employee has enough work to be kept busy.
• Ability to observe the status and progress of the work and making the necessary adjustments in accordance with established priorities, notifying the supervisor as to the works in progress and status of the work.
• Ability to request advice or needed information as to problems that arise, passing on to the other employees the instructions received from the supervisor, and demonstrating proper work methods.
• Ability to answer questions of other employees as to procedures, policies, regulations, and instructions, and instructing them in specific tasks and job techniques, checking on work in progress and work that is completed to see whether the supervisor's instructions have been carried out properly.
• Ability to answer questions of the supervisor on overall work operations and problems.
• Ability to give on-the-job training to new employees in accordance with established procedures and practices and informing them of available services and agency regulations.
• Ability to resolve simple informal complaints of employees and referring all others to the supervisor, informing supervisor as to the progress and training needs of employees and making suggestions as to disciplining matters, promotions, reassignments, dismissals, and other personnel problems.
• Ability to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform essential functions of the job after reasonable accommodation is made to their known limitations. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.