Paralegal - Trial

Travis County•Austin, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Under moderate supervision or the supervision of an attorney, the Paralegal provides routine legal research support and screens, reviews, analyzes, and organizes case materials for Court presentation or settlement in Criminal and/or Civil Courts. The role drafts agreed summary and default judgment motions and orders, as well as pleadings, discovery, motions, affidavits, subpoenas, judgments, contracts, payment agreements, and other legal documents. It also coordinates assigned secretarial support and may work in secure facilities. The position is distinguished from the Senior Paralegal classification because incumbents do not supervise other Paralegals or serve as the primary agent for researching and drafting legal memoranda on substantive and procedural legal topics. The Paralegal prepares and organizes pretrial materials, supports attorneys with depositions, trials, hearings, and Court proceedings, coordinates witnesses and discovery, and communicates with clients, victims, attorneys, Court personnel, agencies, and the public. Work includes case-file and record maintenance, legal research, correspondence, scheduling, reporting, and responding to case inquiries and open records requests. The position requires attention to detail and confidentiality and may include business-continuity assignments outside normal job functions. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The work location is the Granger Building, 314 W 11th Street, Suite 1, Austin, Texas 78701. Driving, education, and employment background checks are required. Physical requirements include occasionally lifting or carrying 20–50 pounds and performing tasks involving sitting, standing, walking, repetitive motion, stooping, kneeling, squatting, bending, reaching, and operating office equipment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Paralegal Studies, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a directly related field and two years of paralegal experience; alternatively, an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to perform the job duties.
Paralegal Certificate from a professionally recognized Paralegal/Legal Assistant program.
Knowledge of applicable federal, state, local, and county laws, rules, regulations, and guidelines; law-office management and administration; open-meetings laws and the Public Information Act; Court-system procedures and legal terminology; discovery; and current legal trends relating to law and professional ethics.
Knowledge of statistical and record-keeping applications, including databases and spreadsheets, and of business-letter writing, grammar, punctuation, and report preparation.
Ability to acquire, maintain, organize, analyze, and summarize case evidence and accurately examine case files for documentation.
Ability to understand legal terminology and English grammar, perform legal research, and accurately and succinctly summarize legal information.
Skill operating modern office equipment, including a computer, and in verbal and written communication.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with County employees and officials, judges, attorneys, Court personnel, civil-justice-system participants, outside agencies, and the public.
Ability to train and supervise clerical and administrative employees.
May be required to develop knowledge of and comply with federal and state laws on confidential handling of certain health information.
Must meet physical requirements that include occasionally lifting or carrying 20–50 pounds, visual acuity, speech and hearing, hand-eye coordination, and manual dexterity for operating a computer and office equipment.
Driving, education, and employment background checks are required.

Responsibilities

Prepares and organizes pretrial case materials and retrieves computer information to support case documentation.
Contacts office staff, Court personnel, employees of other criminal justice agencies, and others to obtain information needed for case prosecution.
Reviews, screens, and analyzes case materials and summarizes facts for assigned attorneys.
Processes documents, including preparing, filing, and issuing information.
Obtains, indexes, and outlines criminal histories, offense reports, and other relevant documents; analyzes jury lists.
Assists attorneys in preparing for depositions, trials, Court proceedings, and administrative hearings.
Coordinates witness appearances and Court appearances, trials, depositions, and meetings; maintains Court settings on attorneys’ calendars.
Investigates facts, files pleadings and orders, and drafts correspondence about case status, contracts, or opinions.
Conducts legal research and prepares case files, subpoenas, pleadings, discovery, motions, affidavits, and other legal documents.
Meets with opposing attorneys to provide case information or discovery and negotiates agreed judgments with defense attorneys.
Drafts judgments, orders, contracts, payment agreements, discovery responses, and objections for assigned cases.
Coordinates discovery, including drafting and calendaring requests and related materials in accordance with applicable rules and procedures.
May appear in Court with attorneys to take notes and follow up on requested items; files documents and may appear on behalf of a supervising attorney in Civil or District Court and call to obtain default judgments.
Responds to case inquiries, returns messages for assigned attorneys, and communicates with office staff, opposing counsel, Court personnel, County employees, and other participants.
Contacts and interviews witnesses and expert witnesses and prepares interview summaries.
Receives and responds to open records requests.
Maintains personal time and billing records, statistical records, and reports.
May select, train, and supervise clerical support staff and review their prepared files and documents.
May locate and arrange contracts with foreign-language interpreters.
Performs other job-related duties as assigned.
May be assigned to business-continuity efforts outside normal job functions.