Paralegal 2 (non-permanent) | Labor and Industries Division | Tumwater

State of Washington • Thurston County – Olympia, WA

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Attorney General’s Office is recruiting for a non-permanent full time Paralegal 2 in the Labor and Industries Division. The expected duration is approximately 9 months, with the possibility of being extended further. This position is located in Tumwater, Washington, and is represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). The Labor & Industries (L&I) Division is comprised of 50 attorneys and 71 professional staff between Tumwater and Seattle. The Tumwater Division also provides litigation support to even more attorneys and staff in the seven Regional Service Offices. The L&I Division represents and advises the Department regarding the state’s industrial insurance program, workers’ compensation benefits, questions about fair wages and prevailing wage requirements, workplace conditions, and safe work environments, contractor and building issues, crime victim claims and other issues for workers and employers. The division handles a wide variety of cases from entry level to highly complex matters and has a robust appellate litigation program. The work touches all businesses and workers in Washington and is of central importance to the business economy of our state. Our attorneys defend L&I orders before the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals, Office of Administrative Hearings and state courts. These cases involve, but are not limited to, injured worker’s seeking benefits; worker fraud; employer premiums; penalties assessed for violations of WISHA standards; industrial insurance discrimination; WISHA discrimination; contractor, plumbing and electrical citations; wage and hour citations, prevailing wage citations, employment standards, elevator citations/standards; apprenticeship programs, as well as provide client advice on these matters. With such a diverse practice, our professional staff are continuously engaged in challenging and interesting work. Opportunities to learn and achieve professional growth through experience, mentorship and training are encouraged and supported. Our teams consist of attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants.

Requirements

• Combination of four years of experience through: Paralegal certification, Two-year paralegal degree, Paralegal plus (or nine-month paralegal, post BA) certification, and/or Paraprofessional experience in support of an attorney OR One year experience as a Paralegal 1 in Washington State Service.
• You may have gained applicable paraprofessional experience through previous Paralegal or Legal Assistant work.
• Examples of paraprofessional experience in support of an attorney: Preparing legal pleadings and legal correspondence, Ensuring and verifying timely and proper service of legal documents, Calculating, verifying, and calendaring critical events and other dates, Managing case documents, files and exhibits, Tracking and organizing discovery documents, Researching legal issues and verifying legal citations and references for accuracy.

Nice To Haves

• Litigation experience.

Responsibilities

• Independently composes formal discovery requests upon assignment from the Paralegal 3 supervisor.
• Reviewing and preparing responses to formal discovery requests, including interrogatories, requests for production, and requests for admission, as well as CR30(b)(6) deponents.
• Drafting and preparing motions pertaining to discovery and motions for default.
• Reviewing opposing parties’ answers to discovery requests for completeness, evasiveness, and propriety of objections and follow-up on non-responsive answers and additional sources of information.
• Interviewing client personnel to obtain facts and information for discovery.
• Research, review, and analyze facts of cases.
• Identify legal issues.
• Develop rapport, secure cooperation from and interview potential witnesses either in-person, by video or by telephone to obtain information relating to the facts of the cases assigned.
• Compose comprehensive interview memoranda/reports.
• Interview client personnel to obtain facts and information for responses to formal discovery.
• Independently compose affidavits and/or declarations as attachments to motions and briefs.
• Identify possible witnesses and other possible sources of information and evidence.
• Recommend and carry out research activities as needed.
• Complete all agency required trainings, attend team and division meetings, and perform other duties as needed.

Benefits

• Medical/Dental/Vision for employees & dependent(s)
• Vacation, Sick, and Other Leave
• 11 Paid Holidays per year
• Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) plans
• Life Insurance
• Dependent Care Assistance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• Tuition Waiver
• Deferred Compensation
• Employee Recognition Leave
• Flexible schedules
• Part-time/hybrid telework options
• A Wellness Program
• An Infants in the Workplace Program
• The Employee Assistance Program, which provides counseling, webinar, and other cost-free support resources
• Numerous employee-driven affinity groups to foster community and connection, including Bereavement, Elder Care, Parenting, POC, LGBTQ+, Veterans and more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree