Paralegal

$50000-60000
Full-time
Disability Rights Legal Center
Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that will celebrate its 49th year in 2024 as the nation’s oldest cross-disability rights advocacy organization. Our mission is to champion the rights of people with disabilities through education, advocacy, and litigation. The DRLC strives to bring high-impact cases in administrative, state, and federal court. These cases impact the lives and conditions for many similarly situated people. Under the supervision of the Director of Litigation the Paralegal will assist DRLC’s litigation team by providing administrative, legal, and research support including document management, interviewing clients, interviewing witnesses, research, investigations, fact checking, and trial preparation.
Description

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Support

  • Provide the litigation team with administrative and litigation support with exceptional attention to detail.
  • Draft and format legal documents including routine pleadings, motions, affidavits, subpoenas, discovery, proposed orders, and interrogatories.
  • Able to create table of authorities and table of contents.
  • Draft and format day-to-day correspondence, such as releases of information, demand letters, and emails.
  • Responsible for meticulously maintaining case files and ensuring best practices, clearly organizing files, and ensuring easily accessible files.
  • Prepare, organize, store, and retrieve case files, which may include evidence, exhibits, depositions, pleadings, exhibits, and other items.
  • Responsible for properly filing and serving court and legal documents within State and Federal Court and upon opposing counsel, including motions, pleadings, and other legal filings. Able to research rules and processes to ensure compliance with all legal and judicial requirements.
  • Coordinate, review, analyze, and synthesize documents and respond to discovery requests.
  • Research and analyze statutes, regulations, legal articles, judicial decisions, and other legal sources; provide written analysis to attorneys.
  • Summarize deposition, trial transcripts, documents, and exhibits.
  • Meet with attorneys, clients, and other professionals to discuss assigned cases and projects.
  • Independently and with attorney assistance, interview clients and witnesses and prepare statement summaries.
  • Assist attorneys with trial preparation including organizing exhibits, witness, binders, and appendices for depositions and court filings. Help attorneys during trials and hearings.
  • Work with law clerks and volunteers.

Administrative Support

  • Develop and maintain records regarding billable hours spent on specific cases.
  • Create and run attorney productivity billing reports and other case related reports.
  • Create and run grant related reports in collaboration with the Director of Development.
  • Organize and manage documents in SharePoint. This includes creating spreadsheets.
  • Maintain case management database and case calendar for litigation team.
  • Calendar events between attorneys, staff, co-counsel, opposing counsel, and others.
  • Help maintain a database of clerk and volunteer activities and assignments.
  • Other administrative tasks such as interpretation, copying, and printing.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned.

 

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

  • Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
  • Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
  • Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • Excellent written and verbal communications skills, flexibility, and good humor.
  • Strong work ethic & resourceful.
  • Understand legal language and principles, research methods, court pleadings and processes, and other related matters.
  • Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment.
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality, and to exercise discretion and good judgment.
  • Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and to initiate and follow through on work independently.
  • Ability to perform multiple tasks while maintaining attention to detail.
  • Ability to prioritize workload and assignments.
  • Investigative mind and strong research skills.
  • Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe, and other necessary software.
  • Working knowledge of legal database software.
  • Experience preparing legal reports.
  • Ability to work weekends and evenings.

 

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

  • Bachelor’s degree preferred.
  • Paralegal certificate from an ABA accredited program preferred, or a combination of education and/or experience.
  • 2-3 years of significant and substantive litigation experience as a paralegal/legal assistant in a legal services/non-profit setting.
  • Experience drafting, cite-checking, and correcting legal briefs (trial and appellate).
  • Experience managing medium to large-scale document productions.
  • Proficiency with Document Review Software.
  • Working knowledge and competency with case management software.
  • Proficiency with word processing and spreadsheet software.

 

Benefits offered include:  

  • Employee medical insurance HMO or PPO plan 100% employer-paid.
  • Employee dental and vision insurance 100% employer paid.
  • Employee life & long-term disability insurance 100% employer paid.
  • Vacation Days: 15 days per year, 20 days per year beginning the 3rd year of employment, accrued every pay period.
  • Health & Wellness (sick) leave: 12 days per year.
  • 15 days paid holidays, including Winter Break the last week of the year.
  • Job-related professional development fees (including annual state bar dues and professional memberships).

Employees with federal student loan debt may be eligible to apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the Department of Education. For more information, go to https://myfedloan.org/borrowers/special-programs/pslf.