Court Appointment Program Paralegal (part-time)

Court Appointment Program Paralegal (part-time) Direct message the job poster from The Bar Association of San Francisco The Bar Association’s Indigent Defense Administration (IDA) is expanding its current role of providing robust legal representation through a panel of qualified attorneys in all criminal, juvenile, and post-conviction cases for which there is a conflict of interest with the Public Defender. This expansion includes recruiting, training, and providing a pool of well‑trained paralegals familiar with the demands of a busy criminal defense practitioner. This new paralegal position is designed to develop a training program and materials needed to educate and train paralegals to serve as dedicated and knowledgeable members of the criminal defense team. This position requires a strong working knowledge of criminal defense organization and strategies and a strong skillset capable of providing efficient and informed assistance to trial attorneys – including but not limited to: efficient collection of community, school, medical, mental health, and/or court records, jail or prison records, the ability to obtain and organize discovery provided by prosecutors in the criminal courts, such as creating usable indexed summaries of large volumes of written discovery, body‑worn camera footage, surveillance footage, cell phone data, and jail calls, as well as legal assistance, research, and support to the court‑appointed counsel. BASF’s Indigent Defense Criminal Panel is composed of experienced trial attorneys in private practice who accept appointments in the San Francisco Superior Court to undertake this work. This position requires a demonstrated commitment to indigent criminal defense and a sound working knowledge of criminal law and procedures. In addition to recruiting skilled paralegals to assist our panel of attorneys, this position will recruit and supervise interns in paralegal programs by placing and supervising their work with Court‑appointed criminal defense counsel. Familiarity with or the willingness to become familiar with AI assistance useful for summaries and organization of defense materials is required.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Work with Attorney Administrators as well as the Director of the Court Programs to determine specific avenues of support for criminal defense practitioners. Work with Attorney Administrators as well as the Director of the Court Programs, Operations Manager, and Multidisciplinary Representation Program Coordinator to organize and develop training materials for paralegals and attorneys regarding the benefits and the role of incorporating skilled paralegals into the defense team. Familiarity with all aspects of criminal defense protocols in San Francisco, including but not limited to retrieval of all requisite records, retrieval of discovery, and the efficient and thorough ability to summarize and index vast amounts of written or recorded materials. Familiarity with supporting criminal defense counsel at trial, including but not limited to useful and clear exhibits, such as PowerPoint presentations, excerpts from written documents, or recorded materials. Ability to work as a team member and/or coordinator of materials, data, and research needed for trial or mitigation reports. Identify varying protocols for obtaining records and/or files from different offices and/or jurisdictions, including community, school, juvenile, foster care, prison or jail records, or court records of San Francisco or other jurisdictions. A strong ability to communicate, recruit, and train others to undertake this important work alongside defense counsel and the defense team. Strong organizational skills are an absolute prerequisite to this role, as well as the ability to create and demonstrate efficiencies. Meet and advise assigned counsel of case status and needs. Create and maintain a database to track and document the creation of this program so those funding the program readily understand the benefits, cost savings, and improvements in skilled legal representation before or at trial. Create a brief bank for a host of forms, orders, and declarations, motions, and pleadings utilized in criminal defense work. Create and assist with roundtable and listserv discussions to support this work and create efficiencies in representation. Assist with outreach to the Bay Area legal community to recruit additional paralegals and student paralegals to augment a trained pool of paralegals available to assist appointed criminal defense practitioners.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work is performed both via telecommuting and in person at the BASF office location. A quiet, professional home workspace with reliable high‑speed internet and a PC is required for telecommuting. Work is also performed in an open‑area workstation at BASF’s office located in downtown San Francisco, during normal business hours, which are Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. This position also requires excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Pro, and excellent interpersonal and telephone skills.

EDUCATION

Paralegal Degree and certification.

EXPERIENCE

Strong background in providing paralegal support in complex criminal litigation and either the experience or the skillset needed to conduct outreach to build a paralegal panel, including the supervision and training of interns assigned to work on specific cases.

PREREQUISITE SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

Ability to communicate in person, on the telephone, and in writing in a clear and courteous manner. Ability to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills (professional and diplomatic interactions). Ability to multi‑task in a high volume, fast‑paced environment and independently prioritize work duties with high attention to detail, accuracy, and speed. Ability to identify, obtain, and summarize a vast array of records, including medical, school, community, jail/prison, and court records of conviction, and work seamlessly with experienced criminal defense practitioners. Ability to produce database reports, perform statistical analysis, and maintain records. Ability to work closely and collegially with staff, attorney panel members, court, public defender, district attorney, and prison representatives. Ability to be self‑directed and work as part of a team. Ability to manage one’s own projects with excellent attention to detail. Proficiency in the general use of database systems, MS Office (Word, Excel, Access), and Adobe Professional are essential to this position.

WHY WORK FOR US

We offer a collaborative work environment, a progressive work culture, and a wonderfully diverse staff. Additionally, we have a standard 35‑hour workweek, flexible scheduling (manager’s discretion), and we are a mission and values‑based organization. We also offer competitive pay and a generous benefits package that includes: a choice of medical insurance plans, dental insurance, vision insurance, pretax commuter, health, and dependent care accounts, employer paid short‑and long‑term disability insurance, life insurance, and a retirement and profit‑sharing benefit, and more!

TO APPLY

Please submit cover letter along with a resume.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

BASF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We conduct all employment‑related activities without regard to race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or any other classification protected by applicable Local, State or Federal employment discrimination laws. #J-18808-Ljbffr The Bar Association of San Francisco