Paralegal Job at Defender Association of Philadelphia
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
LITIGATION PARALEGAL
One position
The Federal Community Defender for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is accepting applications for a Litigation Support Specialist. This is a full-time position located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is a dynamic position that supports our litigation teams (consisting of lawyers, investigators, and paralegals) in the use of technological litigation support tools for the collection, review, analysis, production, and presentation of case materials. We are looking for applicants with advanced computer, paralegal, and organizational abilities and strong communication and interpersonal skills, who can work independently and collaboratively with litigation teams, supervisors, and IT staff.
This Litigation Support Specialist is classified as a Paralegal position. Starting salary will be based on education and experience. Salary for this position can range from Grade 11 of the current Judiciary Salary Plan (beginning at $75, 833) to Grade 14 (beginning at $127,722).
Our Office
The Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (the FCDO) was established by the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania as the Federal Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act of 1964 (CJA), 18 US.C. 3006A, to provide representation to persons accused of crimes against the United States and are unable to afford private counsel. The FCDO represents indigent persons charged with federal crimes in the federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which encompasses nine counties in southeastern Pennsylvania. Our federal district has courthouses in Philadelphia, Allentown, Reading, and Easton.
Our office has diverse criminal defense practice groups and specialties. Our Trial and Appeals Units represent persons facing prosecution for all types of federal offenses, and our lawyers maintain varied caseloads that include offenses involving firearms, controlled substances, immigration, kidnapping, terrorism, homicide (including capital offenses), complex white-collar fraud, public corruption, child exploitation, human trafficking, robbery, and other crimes. Our Capital and Non-Capital Habeas Units represent state and federal prisoners in habeas corpus proceedings. Our Capital Trial and Capital Habeas Corpus attorneys represent clients outside of our home district and throughout the country. We are committed to providing legal services to our clients with zealousness, excellence, and integrity.
Philadelphia, one of America’s most preeminent historical cities, is rich in culture, entertainment, and history. Our office is in Philadelphia’s Center City district, in the historic Curtis building, close to the federal courthouse and across from Independence Mall, the Liberty Bell and Washington Square Park.
Position Responsibilities and Requirements
The Litigation Support Specialist supports our litigation teams in three main areas: (1) the organization, management and analysis of paper documents and their scanned paper electronic equivalents as well as electronically stored information, such as electronic discovery in all its forms; (2) preparing and presenting effective electronic courtroom presentations; and (3) assisting litigation teams in identifying, learning and using litigation and investigative support tools, and developing, in conjunction with supervisors and IT staff, strategic initiatives to advance and improve the office’s use of technological tools for litigation purposes. A strong background in technology, knowledge of the criminal defense function, and litigation experience (particularly experience in complex litigation) are highly desirable.
The Litigation Support Specialist is expected to use tools such as Adobe, Excel, dtSearch, CaseMap, Summation, Eclipse, Sanctions, CasePoint, Teams, SharePoint or similar programs, and knowledge and experience with some or all of these programs are necessary. Candidates for the position should also be familiar with procedures for indexing paper files for scanning, inputting into the chosen database, organizing electronic case files, and coding case data.
The Litigation Support Specialist will work closely with litigation teams to understand substantive case issues so that the most effective tools can be identified and used, and act as a discovery manager, to understand the volume, format, and content of discovery received and other case documents in order to assist litigation teams in selecting the proper tools to host, review, analyze, organize, and use the discovery or other case materials. The Litigation Support Specialist should be able to operate audio/video equipment, cameras, and video cameras and assist in courtroom presentations in hearings, trials and for mitigation. Experience using PowerPoint, Trial Director and similar programs is strongly preferred.
The Litigation Support Specialist will be expected to assist in developing and implementing initiatives to advance and improve the office’s use of technological tools for litigation purposes. Thus, candidates for this position will be expected to: conduct research regarding litigation support systems and/or automation systems and assess new technology developments; research and evaluate potential software packages and litigation support tools; and be familiar with office technology to ensure that any new systems introduced are compatible with already existing systems. Familiarity with network and system requirements is therefore desirable. The Litigation Support Specialist will also train nontechnical users, one-on-one or in groups, on the effective use of document management software and/or litigation support applications, especially programs new to the office. Consultation and collaboration with the National IT Operations and Applications Development Branch (NITOAD) of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts will be required.
This position carries substantial potential for growth for those who can manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, work with teams to develop and support case theory/defenses, communicate effectively, and think creatively. Appropriate training will be provided.
Education above the high school level/college degree from an accredited institution may be substituted for a portion of an applicant’s general and/or specialized experience. Candidates must possess strong organizational skills and analytical abilities and be able to understand and manage complex factual and legal issues as well as have strong interpersonal skills and solid oral and written communication skills. A bachelor’s degree is preferred. Knowledge of Word Perfect 12 and X4 for Windows, Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft Office Suite is required. Proficiency in litigation support and case management software is strongly encouraged. Experience with computer-assisted research is required.
While performing the duties of this job, the Litigation Support Specialist must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Fluency (oral and written) in the Spanish language is helpful but not required. Ability to travel throughout the country is required.
Interested applicants should apply at Federal Community Defender Office Careers by June 9, 2023. Candidates will be interviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Salary will be based upon experience consistent with federal guidelines and regulations. Kindly note that the filling of this position is subject to the funding restrictions and approval of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.
The Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. We are dedicated to promoting a professional work environment that supports and respects all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, gender identity, national origin, religion, or disability. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
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