Legal Assistant / Fact Witness Coordinator Supporting the USAO

FSA•Fort Worth, TX

About The Position

FSA Federal is hiring a Fact Witness Coordinator/Paralegal II to support the mission of the United States Attorney's Office (USAO). The position provides witness-management assistance before, during, and after trial, including coordinating fact witness appearances, travel, lodging, courtroom support, and reimbursement. The coordinator communicates with witnesses and USAO personnel, prepares and maintains documentation and files, tracks appearances and related schedules, and coordinates with courts, government agencies, and other counterparts. The role also performs administrative and logistical tasks related to fact witness management in accordance with Department of Justice and USAO policies and procedures.

Requirements

High school diploma required.
Two to five years of administrative or customer service experience.
Good communication skills.
Knowledge of software used by the USAO, or the ability to acquire knowledge of USAO computer systems.
Ability to provide word processing and data entry/retrieval.
Ability to review and analyze data and information from multiple sources.
Ability to establish case or project files and enter and retrieve database information.
Ability to prepare and format management reports and manipulate, transfer, compute, and print information.
Ability to prepare and correct reports and correspondence using word-processing software.
Ability to schedule appointments and respond to inquiries regarding case-related information and status.
Ability to obtain information from other agencies or organizations, maintain internal status information, verify accuracy, perform analytical computations, and provide administrative information and assistance concerning cases or files.
U.S. citizenship required.
Ability to complete a minimum seven- or ten-year background investigation.

Nice To Haves

Undergraduate degree and/or paralegal certificate preferred.
Legal experience is very helpful.

Responsibilities

Work directly with fact witnesses before, during, and after trial to help ensure their appearance at court, pre-trial conferences, and grand jury proceedings.
Receive visitors and respond to fact witness calls and inquiries about court appearances, conferences, grand jury proceedings, and expense reimbursement; obtain information and documents needed for travel and reimbursement.
Contact witnesses with travel arrangements and appearance dates and times, identify special circumstances or needs, and determine when to notify an AUSA.
Confer with AUSAs regarding witness appearances and special circumstances, including special authorizations and international, military, federal employee, or hostile witnesses; submit required documentation and obtain approval before arranging travel when required.
Ensure witnesses receive travel documents and appearance details in advance, and arrange travel and lodging according to Department of Justice and USAO policies and procedures.
Meet witnesses upon arrival for hearings or pre-trial conferences, provide courtroom orientation, accompany them to court, ensure a safe waiting area is available, and collect documentation and signatures for reimbursement.
Prepare and submit witness vouchers and other reimbursement documentation; provide information about pending and completed vouchers; gather documentation and reconcile Government Travel Accounts.
Coordinate as needed with the Court, Probation, Pretrial, the U.S. Marshals Service, investigative agencies, and other counterparts.
Complete recurring documents in the required style and format, and compose original letters that do not require legal interpretation but require knowledge of legal procedures and relevant terminology.
Establish and maintain witness files, documents, and databases; assemble and retain file materials under established procedures and Department of Justice regulations.
If requested, maintain calendars or databases of active and pending witness appearances and track hearings, trials, grand jury proceedings, and scheduling conferences.
Perform other assigned administrative and logistical duties related to fact witness management.
Review and analyze information from multiple sources; establish case or project files; enter and retrieve database information; prepare and format management reports; and manipulate, transfer, compute, and print information.
Prepare and correct reports and correspondence using word-processing software; schedule appointments; respond to inquiries about case-related information and status; obtain information from other agencies or organizations; maintain internal status information; verify accuracy and perform necessary analytical computations; and provide case- or file-related administrative information and assistance to other agencies or organizations.