Paralegal IV

Cherokee Federal•McAllen, TX

About The Position

The Paralegal IV provides professional litigation support, including legal and records research, witness interviews, title reviews, report preparation, responses to landowner complaints, courtroom assistance, trial preparation, and weekly case updates. The role supports attorneys by reviewing title commitments, preparing deed-history summaries, preparing and screening case documents, and organizing case files and exhibits. Employees must identify themselves as contractors during interviews with landowners. The position requires an active Public Trust clearance or the ability to obtain one. Candidates must pass a Minimum Background Investigation and receive favorable adjudication of the appropriate Department of Justice background investigation for a position sensitivity level 5, including completion of the SF 85P/S questionnaire.

Requirements

A two-year degree or higher, or a high school diploma and paralegal certificate; work experience may be substituted for the paralegal certificate.
Three years of experience in legal support.
Ability to use, understand, and maintain directories, personnel lists, and other guides and references, and to provide office information or refer questions to other offices.
Skill operating a computer terminal, personal computer, and office machines such as fax, scanner, and copier.
Hands-on familiarity with the CM/ECF filing system and computer applications including word processing, databases, spreadsheets, and telecommunications.
Basic legal knowledge, including standard legal citation for cite-checking legal motions and memoranda.
Sufficient experience with legal research tools such as LEXIS and Westlaw to perform basic legal research.
Excellent written and oral communication skills and hands-on familiarity with word processing, databases, document review and file management systems, spreadsheets, imaging, and hardware systems.
Active Public Trust clearance or ability to obtain one.
Must pass a Minimum Background Investigation before starting work on site and receive favorable adjudication of the appropriate Department of Justice background investigation for position sensitivity level 5, including completion of an SF 85P/S questionnaire.
Must pass pre-employment qualifications of Cherokee Federal.

Nice To Haves

Paralegal certificate.
Equivalent level of legal training may be substituted with approval of the CO.
Undergraduate degree.
At least one year of litigation paralegal experience; trial experience is very helpful.
Automated litigation support experience.

Responsibilities

Perform legal and records research, witness interviews, title reviews, and report preparation.
Research and respond to landowner complaints, and document complaints and responses in weekly reports.
Provide courtroom assistance and trial preparation, including preparing exhibit cross-references and screening documents for relevance and privilege.
Review title commitments for accuracy and create deed-history summaries.
Conduct witness interviews and prepare interview records for use at depositions.
Identify relevant records and record-keeping systems.
Design and develop systems and procedures for tracking, controlling, and managing case files, exhibits, and other case-specific materials.
Prepare complaints, notices, motions, and discovery materials, including disclosures, interrogatories, requests for production, and requests for admission.
Provide weekly case updates.
Identify themselves as a contracted employee during phone and face-to-face interviews with landowners.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.