Website Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho
Community Defender Organization
Who we are. We are a Community Defender Organization[1], making us a non-profit corporation funded exclusively by a grant by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts and operates under the authority of the Criminal Justice Act to provide defense services in criminal cases in federal court. We are not government employees, and our employment status is considered “at will.” The organization’s main office is in Spokane, Washington, with a branch office in Yakima, Washington.
Position Description. Provides support services to three or more attorneys and is responsible for all aspects of case preparation and file management, drafting pleadings and correspondence, managing and organizing discovery, calendaring, collecting and organizing records and various other duties necessary to support the attorneys and investigators.
Paralegal duties also includes: (1) performing legal research utilizing available resources, i.e. computer-assisted legal research tools; and (2) providing litigation support working with the team to understand substantive issues of the case so that the most effective tools can be identified and used; to work closely with ACSA on workflow and management of discovery using appropriate software; and assist with technology in court if needed.
Applicants must be technologically savvy as we are a paper-light office with cases stored digitally, utilizing Outlook for calendaring deadlines/court hearings and federal pleadings filed using CM/ECF. Knowledge of the criminal legal system to include federal district and appellate rules and protocols for CMF/ECF e-filing in appellate and federal criminal cases is preferred. Law office experience and adherence to confidentiality is required.
The ideal candidate must believe in this office’s mission to protect the constitutional interests of our indigent clients and communicate with them in a professional and respectful manner.
This position is in the Yakima office, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Duties & Responsibilities: Must be a high school graduate or equivalent and have at least four (4) years of experience, i.e. at least two years in public service or a business which provided a knowledge of office clerical procedures and at least two years working in a legal environment. Advanced computer proficiency in MS Word, Excel, Outlook and Adobe Acrobat is necessary. Applicants must have strong organizational skills, set priorities and meet critical deadlines. Applicants must be dependable, punctual, detail-oriented and able to multi-task. Applicants must also possess the ability to work in a team environment and communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Spanish language proficiency is preferred but not required.
[1] See 18 U.S.C. § 3006A(g)(2)(B).
To apply for this job email your details to wae_employment@fd.org
