Paralegal II Supporting the US Attorney's Office

Paralegal II Criminal DivisionBe a part of the nationwide law enforcement initiative that removes the tools of crime from criminal organizations, depriving wrongdoers of proceeds from their crime and impacting the infrastructure of criminal enterprises.FSA Federal (FSA) is focused on delivering unsurpassed services in support of law enforcement and homeland security. We currently have a potential vacancy for a Paralegal II Criminal Division. If you are looking for a meaningful, mission driven career, Join FSA!ResponsibilitiesThe paralegal will be responsible for directly and independently supporting pending investigations and cases within the Criminal Division by performing a wide variety of administrative and case-support functions, including document management and review, searches within various data and document sets, analysis and summary of various data sets, case file organization and management. The position requires knowledge of office skills, personal computers, scanners, copy and fax machines, and the ability to work as a team member and to facilitate work processes among other staff members.Communication skills are extremely important. The position requires working and interacting professionally and effectively with all levels of staff, including legal support staff, document management teams, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs). Ability to meet established deadlines and work as a team player in a professional office setting is also required. The position requires meeting and dealing with people in a courteous and tactful manner.Applicant must have the ability to use MS Excel, MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat Professional, and ideally has experience reviewing documents and working in Eclipse, and/or Casemap. Experience viewing, accessing, and searching publicly available materials, governmental databases, and other such sources to identify possible violations of federal fraud and other applicable criminal statutes is a plus.The Paralegal may also be asked to perform duties or support other divisions of the USAO and the Department of Justice, based on the current staffing needs of the USAO. Typical assignments include:Examines, prepares, and processes a variety of technical legal, financial, and other documents. Reviews incoming material and organizes such materials according to custodian and category. Determines the need for organization, document management, assembly and preparation of documents and data sets.Assists in the preparation of a variety of legal documents, e.g., indictments, complaints, affidavits, applications, notices, motions, orders, subpoenas, search warrants, briefs, and memoranda. In preparing legal documents, considers the nature and the status of the case. Completes various aspects of recurring legal documents in conformance with the rules governing their style and format.Obtains needed information from files, law enforcement agencies, or other sources.Assist with interviews of agents and potential witnesses to assist the AUSA in preparation for charging or trial. Reviews, summarizes, and outlines grand jury and/or trial testimony to assist the AUSA in preparation for charging or trial. Researches, analyzes, and summarizes relevant legal precedents for applicability to assigned cases; and prepares digests of points of law involved; analyzes appellate records to isolate facts pertinent to distinct legal issues. Utilizes a variety of automated legal research tools as well as public information databases and other automated resources to research factual and/or legal matters related to cases or programs, and to participate in electronic discovery and other assigned areas of criminal proceedings.Reviews documents and other materials produced pursuant to subpoena, maintains inventory of materials produced pursuant to subpoena; reviews and summarizes documents and data produced pursuant to subpoena; and prepares outline of substance of documents/materials produced pursuant to subpoena.Provides a variety of support assistance services to AUSA staff. Typical assignments are:Provides litigative case management and organizes cases for presentation either in court, or to attorneys by preparing and organizing exhibits containing a variety of visual material, e.g., statistical charts and photographs. Note's deficiencies in case materials, e.g., missing documents, conflicting statements, and request further investigation by investigative personnel to correct deficiencies, or personally conducts limited investigations at the pre-trial stage.Monitors the progress of pending cases and initiates action to ensure that legal pleadings, forms, reports, correspondence, and other documents are prepared and submitted within established deadlines. Keeps appropriate staff members informed about the status of cases.Compiles, organizes, and indexes various discovery and evidence exhibits for trial, witness testimony as it relates to specific criminal charge evidence, and develops and compiles jury instructions to assist AUSA in preparing for trial. Works closely with assigned attorney(s) to ensure material is efficiently arranged. Produces and provides to the attorney the appropriate legal documents, information, exhibits, or witnesses at the appropriate time during those court proceedings.Performs docketing duties such as opening, updating, and closing cases through use of the automated case tracking system. As necessary, searches database for required information. Using established databases, performs data searches, report design, and other data retrieval assignments. Reports may be of a recurring nature or of a special, one-time nature based on user information requirements.Maintains calendar of assigned active cases. Track's filing, hearing, and trial dates, and scheduling conferences and interviews. Develops and maintains suspense system for ongoing cases and informs the AUSA of pending dates and deadlines. Maintains calendar(s) of the AUSA(s), scheduling appointments, interviews, and conferences, and provides reminders of commitments and court appearances.Produces a variety of written documents and materials utilizing a wide range of office software applications. For example, assignments may include integrating output from different software types, e.g., tables produced by database applications and charts and graphs produced by electronic spreadsheet applications, into word processing or desk top publishing text. Products include complicated tables, graphs and charts which may be incorporated into legal documents or courtroom presentations. Ensures proper format, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar.RequirementsBachelor's degree or equivalent combination of training/ paralegal certificationTwo (2) to four (4) years' related experience providing assistance to attorneys and preparing legal documents.Must have valid State driver's licenseProficient in Microsoft Office software programs (i.e., Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook).Automated litigation support experience very helpful.Basic paralegal knowledge, including knowledge of standard legal citation system sufficient to perform basic legal research.Excellent written and oral communication skills and thorough knowledge of legal research tools.Hands-on familiarity with a variety of computer applications, including word processing, database, spreadsheet, and telecommunications.Ability to consistently deliver highest quality work under extreme pressure.This position requires U.S. Citizenship and a 7 (or 10) year minimum background investigation.Agency OverviewThe mission of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey (USAO-DNJ) is to prosecute and defend cases on behalf of the federal government. The Criminal Division of the USAO-DNJ oversees the prosecution of a wide range of criminal cases filed in federal court. The investigations conducted by the USAO-DNJ's Criminal Division are often complex and involve organizing, tracking, and analyzing voluminous amounts of digital evidence.Benefit OverviewAt FSA Federal, we recognize the diverse needs of our employees and strive to provide an excellent package to help meet those needs. Comprehensive benefits are offered with greater choice and flexibility to support your health, work-life balance, and professional growth. A package providing employee only coverage can be built around our basic plans at $0 employee cost for: Medical, Dental, Vision, Term Life Insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance, Short-Term Disability, and Employee Assistance Program. For more information, click here.