Paralegal 1 - Regional Services Division - Port Angeles, WA

State of Washington•Clallam County - Port Angeles, WA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Washington State Office of the Attorney General is recruiting a permanent, full-time Paralegal 1 for its Regional Services Division office in Port Angeles, Washington. The position provides efficient, professional paralegal support to Assistant Attorneys General (AAGs) handling legal matters for client agencies, including the Department of Social and Health Services, the Department of Children, Youth & Families, Labor & Industries, Education, Peninsula College, and the Department of Licensing. The office's work includes juvenile dependency and termination of parental rights cases for DCYF in Clallam and Jefferson Counties. Under an AAG's supervision, the paralegal performs complex duties requiring substantial knowledge of legal concepts, issues, and research. The position supports litigation, trial preparation, and civil and appellate matters, and assists in analyzing case-specific facts to identify legal strategies and potential solutions. Trial preparation includes dependency, guardianship, termination, foster care, and CAPTA matters. The paralegal may analyze facts, prepare documents and pleadings, coordinate litigation preparation, track case status, research legal issues, and draft legal notices.

Requirements

Three years of combined experience through paralegal certification, a two-year paralegal degree, paralegal-plus or post-bachelor's nine-month paralegal certification, and/or paraprofessional experience supporting an attorney.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of paralegal processes and procedures.
Experience in trial preparation.
Experience with state and federal court filing procedures.
Experience using court systems such as Odyssey and JIS/JABS.
Effective written and verbal communication.
Problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Ability to multitask and shift priorities.
Ability to work independently.
Ability to research and comply with state and agency policies and procedures.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite applications, case management systems, and databases.

Responsibilities

Analyze facts and case-specific situations to help identify legal strategies and solutions to potential case problems.
Prepare and organize case files and trial notebooks, ensuring legal documents, case narratives, service-provider reports, and evaluations are provided and updated.
Identify witnesses and exhibits with caseworkers and AAGs, and finalize witness lists.
Perform criminal-history checks and compile exhibits, certified records of convictions, prior dependency and termination actions, evaluations, and other case-specific trial materials.
Draft case chronologies covering facts, legal and criminal history, services and compliance, missed visits, and child placements.
Draft notices of intent to take testimony; coordinate subpoenas and ensure service and notice comply with applicable state and local statutes and rules.
Schedule witnesses for trial and evaluate discovery, exhibits, and potential witnesses.
Draft motions, orders, and expert-witness agreements related to trial.
Conduct manual and electronic legal research and gather, analyze, and cite-check information concerning statutes, case law, court rules, legislative history, and litigation topics.
Compose legal documents and pleadings, schedule or interview witnesses, coordinate litigation preparation, track cases from summons through trial, and draft legal notices.