Job Description
A Paralegal/Legal Assistant III executes the following duties:
- Performs basic legal research in support of forfeiture work, including research of case law, slip opinions, etc. Utilizes a variety of automated legal research tools as well as public information databases and other automated resources to research case- or program-specific legal matters, and to participate in assigned areas of criminal or civil proceedings, e.g. electronic discovery
- Receives, examines, and evaluates new and complex cases referred for judicial forfeiture proceedings by the seizing agencies with reference to the facts of the case and agency standards for case litigation worthiness, appropriate titles of law, and pertinent case law
- Reviews investigative reports for probable cause for forfeiture, determines the need for additional information and evidence, and plans a comprehensive approach to obtain this information and evidence
- Advises the forfeiture attorney regarding the merits of the potential forfeiture and the probabilities of success of the forfeiture in light of the strengths and weaknesses of probable cause and potential defenses
- Assists forfeiture attorney in persuading claimants and claimants’ attorneys of the correctness of the agency’s legal position and the appropriateness of the agency’s proposed settlement. Prepares appropriate documents for settlement or other appropriate disposition. If settlements cannot be agreed upon, prepares all necessary pleadings for the court in order to attain the issuance of default decrees of forfeiture
- Assists forfeiture attorney in pretrial preparations by preparing, reviewing, and organizing discovery; notifying, interviewing, preparing summaries of, and managing witnesses; and researching case law
- Interviews federal agents and other local law enforcement officers concerning the probable cause for forfeiture and the availability of evidence and witnesses
- Prepares legal pleadings necessary to commence judicial forfeiture proceedings and subsequent motions, papers, and proposed orders to accomplish forfeiture, settlement or dismissal
- Assists in preparing for court proceedings by compiling, organizing, and indexing various evidentiary exhibits
- Receives transcripts of depositions and prepares summaries to assist attorneys
- Uses CATS database to extrapolate data for reports, charts, graphs, and trial exhibits
- Provides training to other contractor paralegals as needed
Requirements
A Paralegal/Legal Assistant III must meet the following qualifications:
- Possession of a paralegal certificate.
- At least two years of paralegal litigation experience; trial experience is very helpful
- Knowledge of forfeiture laws, policies, and procedures
- Knowledge of the capabilities and use of automated resources and technology for the development, presentation, and prosecution of federal cases; at least one year of automated litigation support experience
- Knowledge of the principles, concepts, and methods of legal research and analysis sufficient to perform assigned case development and documentation assignments which are typically covered by established precedents
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, analytic ability, and thorough knowledge of legal research tools
- Hands-on familiarity with a variety of computer applications, including word processing, databases, spreadsheets, and telecommunications equipment
This position requires U.S. Citizenship and a 7 (or 10) year minimum background investigation.
