Legal Administrative Specialist

Legal Administrative Specialist
Cognitive Professional Services Inc. is submitting a proposal bid and is seeking a qualified Legal Assistant to support the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) Eastern District of Kentucky's (EDKY) Civil Division. The USAO remains one of the Department of Justice's broadest and most comprehensive areas of law enforcement and is responsible for enforcing federal criminal law and representing the federal government in civil litigation. The Legal Assistant's work complements and supports the work of Assistant United States Attorneys. Specific assignments vary based on the case, but characteristically involve managing and analyzing documents, compiling substantive information on legal subjects, and collecting, analyzing, and evaluating evidence. This work is performed in close collaboration with the case attorneys. Assignments could originate from Criminal Division as the need arises.

Location:
U.S. Attorney's Office - Eastern District of Texas
801 Cherry St., Suite 1700
Fort Worth, Texas 76102

Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. citizen. Must be and have the ability to prove U.S. citizenship.
• Security Requirement: Successfully pass a Background Investigation (BI) and security screening.
• Experience: Must possess at least two years' experience providing legal support. An Associate's degree or higher

Tasks, Duties & Responsibilities :
The Legal Assistant will perform a variety of complex legal support assignments, including but not limited to:

• Manage intake and organization of documents and electronic information (in a wide variety of formats) obtained in connection with litigation matters and investigations. Prepare subpoenas, demands for documents and information, responses to discovery, and other discovery-related documents; assist with appellate and post-conviction matters;
• Process the documents/information (e.g., redact and Bates number) with existing United States Department of Justice discovery tools (e.g., E-Scan It, Ipro Eclipse, Relativity) or similar tools;
• Analyze, organize, and designate relevance of documents using existing United States Department of Justice tools and resources (e.g., Casemap, Ipro Eclipse, Relativity), or similar tools, and prepare, log, and maintain discovery productions;
• Prepare analysis of financial records and chronologies of documentary and other evidence using existing United States Department of Justice tools and resources (e.g., Timemap, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint), or similar tools;
• Prepares summaries of evidence including deposition testimony;
• Research, analyze and summarize relevant legal precedents for applicability to assigned cases, and prepare digest of points of law involved;
• Conduct factual research on subjects and witnesses using public information databases and other resources;
• Monitor pending case progress and initiate action to ensure that legal pleadings, forms, reports, correspondence, and other documents are prepared and submitted within established deadlines;
• Prepare index of exhibits and exhibits for use at trial or summary judgment;
• Communicate with United States agency personnel, law enforcement agencies, private litigants, and counsel for parties representing private litigants as needed;
• Create demonstrative exhibits (charts, maps, photo boards, presentations);
• Operate courtroom technology when needed;
• Help to prepare attorneys for trial and summary judgment in coordination with Automated Litigation Support personnel using Microsoft PowerPoint, Keynote, and/or Trial Director or similar trial presentation software.

The Legal Assistant will be expected to also perform a variety of administrative duties, including automation, in support of assigned Assistant United States Attorneys and the mission of the USAO-EDKY. Typical administrative duties may include the following:

• Draft, edit, review, and finalize pleadings, memoranda, research reports and correspondence relating to cases;
• Verify citations and legal references on legal documents;
• Use one or more types of software, i.e., word processing, spreadsheet, or database management, to develop methods for
• automating reports, statistical data, text and graphics;
• Identifies user requirements, selects appropriate software, and establishes detailed functional procedures needed to enter and to retrieve data for other application users; and
• Uses established databases to perform data searches, report design, and other data retrieval assignments.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

• Must possess at least two years' experience providing legal support.
• Associate's degree or higher required.
• Trial experience is highly desirable but not required.
• Conducting factual and legal research and writing summaries of research findings.
• Organizing case files, investigative files, discovery materials, and legal records.
• Using discovery database systems to review, analyze, and designate documents that may be relevant to pending investigations or litigation
• Using Microsoft Office Suite to summarize records, create presentations, and create chronologies
• Preparing routine pleadings and correspondence
• Editing and reviewing case-related documents for typographical and citation errors
• Strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple assignments and deadlines.