Paralegal

Colorado State Public Defender•Castle Rock, CO

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Colorado State Public Defender’s Office (OSPD) is recruiting a Paralegal for its regional trial offices. OSPD is an independent agency within the Colorado Judicial Branch that provides constitutionally and statutorily mandated criminal defense representation to people who cannot afford counsel. Paralegals are members of the defense team and work under the specific direction, instruction, and guidance of a defense attorney. They learn and apply criminal procedures, rules, and laws, and provide paralegal support for litigation needs. The role is subject to the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct, including requirements concerning attorney-client privilege and client confidentiality. The position requires Colorado residency on the first day of employment and throughout employment. Relocation assistance and visa sponsorship are not available; candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume as one document. Resumes must include employment dates, though applicants may remove identifying age or education-attendance information.

Requirements

Paralegal certificate from an ABA-approved paralegal studies program or accredited institution; or an associate or bachelor’s degree in social sciences, humanities, or a related field; or two years of combined training and experience performing legal support functions.
Legal support experience may include organizing and preparing large legal case files, legal research, preparing client communications, drafting or proofreading legal documents, and compiling and analyzing records and data from legal sources.
Ability to work independently and take initiative.
Ability to take direction from multiple individuals.
Ability to prioritize and multitask while remaining deadline- and detail-oriented.
Experience making and implementing decisions when no precedent or training guide exists.
Strong organizational skills.
Ability to search for and correlate client and case-related information.
Ability to conduct legal research using legal research tools.
Ability, under attorney direction, to prepare and finalize immigration advisements in appropriate cases.
Demonstrated passion and dedication to serving non-citizen clients.
Ability to meet the physical demands of sedentary work, with or without reasonable accommodation, including extended sitting, occasional stooping and kneeling, talking, hearing, seeing, reaching, and using hands and fingers and electronic devices.
Must reside in Colorado on the first day of employment and maintain Colorado residency throughout employment.
Must be currently authorized to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Experience in legal writing.
Experience in a criminal justice or criminal defense environment.
Experience working in an environment serving indigent populations.
Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish, both oral and written.

Responsibilities

Manage and organize discovery, convert electronic files into PDF and other formats, and create trial notebooks, digital bookmarks, indexes, and spreadsheets for case information.
Review and summarize discovery, videos, and witness interviews; identify significant matters and bring them to the defense team’s attention.
Order transcripts and request and review client records, court records, and transcripts to complete case files.
Review discovery with clients and review charges, pleadings, and court orders.
Research legal issues at an attorney’s request, including statutes, case law, and legal articles relating to precedent, mitigation, and sentencing.
Search for case-related information in media and other sources to support case, hearing, trial, juror-selection, or defense-strategy preparation.
Keep attorneys and defense teams updated as information is added to case files.
Under attorney direction and review, draft routine and standard motions, briefs, and legal memoranda; proofread and edit attorney-prepared motions; file pleadings and motions; and redact documents.
Assist with appellate materials as applicable: trial-office paralegals may prepare appellate packets and coordinate with the Appellate Office, while Appellate paralegals review packets and communicate with trial offices and other counsel about materials needed for timely appeals or completion of the record.
Track case status and critical deadlines, ensuring filings comply with criminal procedures, rules, and laws; keep attorneys and clients appropriately apprised.
Support hearings and trials, including jury selection, witness and exhibit tracking, client communication, note-taking, event documentation, trial-material coordination, audio/visual evidence support, and preparation of PowerPoint presentations.
Draft and respond to correspondence with clients, client family members, and representatives of collateral agencies to obtain and exchange pertinent information in accordance with policy and procedure.
Perform administrative tasks supporting the defense team and client, processing forms, documents, and transactions in accordance with State Office policy and procedure.
Perform duties in compliance with applicable laws and practices promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and perform other duties as assigned.