Legal Assistant

Fact Witness Coordinator
ROLE
We need an experienced Fact Witness Coordinator to support the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) in the Western District of Virginia (WDVA). The USAO WDVA prosecutes federal crimes and represents the United States in civil litigation across the district. As part of the Victim-Witness Program, this role specifically supports the management and coordination of fact witnesses in federal cases. In this position, you will work closely with Victim-Witness personnel, Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs), and legal staff to ensure witnesses are prepared and present for court proceedings, pre-trial conferences, and grand jury sessions. You will coordinate all logistics related to witness appearance and reimbursement, helping to reduce delays and enhance compliance with Department of Justice procedures. This is a full-time opportunity. We can offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package. Apply today.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide witness management assistance prior to, during, and after trial
• Work directly with fact witnesses; provide assistance and support to ensure appearance for court, pre-trial conferences, and grand jury
• Receive visitors, field phone calls, questions and other inquiries from fact witnesses seeking information pertaining to court, pre-trial conferences, grand jury appearances and expense reimbursement
• Obtain pertinent information for files and documents necessary to arrange witness travel and reimbursements
• Initiate contact/notify fact witnesses concerning travel arrangements, appearance date/time, and determine any special circumstances or needs of the fact witness
• Use judgment to determine when AUSA should be notified of special circumstances or needs of fact witnesses
• Confer with AUSA concerning fact witness appearance and special circumstances regarding witnesses (special authorizations, international witnesses, military/federal employee witnesses, or hostile witnesses)
• Complete and submit proper documentation for special authorizations and obtain prior approval before proceeding with travel arrangement
• Prior to fact witness' appearance, ensure all travel documents and appearance date and time have been provided to witness
• Make necessary arrangements for fact witness travel and lodging according to Department of Justice and USAO policies and procedures
• Meet with fact witnesses upon arrival to designated hearing or pre-trial conference, offer and perform courtroom orientation, accompany witness to court, ensure a safe waiting area is available, and collect necessary documentation and signatures for fact witness reimbursement documents
• Prepare and submit documentation for fact witness reimbursement, i.e. witness vouchers and other required documentation for fact witnesses
• Furnish requested information concerning pending and completed fact witness vouchers
• Gather required documentation and reconcile Government Travel Accounts
• Obtain information, confer, and coordinate with the Court, Probation, Pretrial, U.S. Marshals Service, investigative agencies, and other counterparts, when necessary
• Complete variable aspects of recurring documents in conformance with the rules governing their style and format
• Compose original letters that do not require legal interpretations, but require a good working knowledge of legal procedures and specialized terminology relevant to fact witness laws and regulations
• Perform general office procedures pertaining to fact witness management
• Establish and maintain a variety of fact witness files, documents, and databases
• Assemble documents and other information for fact witness file material and retention in accordance with established procedures and Department of Justice regulations
• Establish and maintain calendar and/or database of active and pending fact witness appearances
• Track hearings, trial dates, grand jury, and scheduling conferences
• Perform other administrative and logistical fact witness management related duties as required/assigned

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Good communication skills
• Provide word processing and data entry/retrieval
• Ability to review and analyze data and information from multiple sources
• Ability to establish case/project files
• Ability to enter and retrieve data from databases
• Ability to prepare and format management reports
• Ability to manipulate, transfer, compute, and print information
• Ability to prepare and correct reports and correspondence using word processing software
• Schedule appointments
• Answer inquiries regarding case-related information as maintained in the database
• Answer inquiries regarding case-related status
• Obtain additional information from other agencies/organizations
• Maintain internal status information on the disposition of designated information, files, and assets
• Assure information is accurate and perform analytical computations necessary to process data
• Provide administrative information and assistance concerning case or file to other agencies or organizations

BACKGROUND

• Progressive and relevant experience

EDUCATION

• High school diploma or GED required
• Bachelor's degree is preferred

LOCATION

• Charlottesville, VA 22902

CLEARANCE

• U.S. citizenship required since this role supports the U.S. federal government

CLIENT

• U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia

TRAVEL

• No travel required

WORK HOURS

• 40 hours per week
• 8 hours per day

EMPLOYMENT CLASSIFICATION

• Employment Classification Eligibility - W2

RELOCATION

• Not eligible for relocation benefits

West 4th Strategy is an Equal Opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, age, marital status, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, pregnancy, political affiliation, military or veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by federal or state law.

Other Considerations: applicants will be subject to a background investigation. Individual's primary workstation is located in an office area. The noise level in this environment is low to moderate. Regularly required to sit for extended periods up to 80% of the time; frequently required to move about to access file cabinets and use office equipment such as PC, copier, fax, telephone, cell phone, etc. Occasionally required to reach overhead, bend, and lift objects of up to 10 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the use of computer monitor screens up to 80% of the time.