PARALEGAL

Job Description

Job Description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Paralegal is responsible for aiding the Attorney in producing and filing proper legal documents with the appropriate agency, either in the York County Courthouse or one of the Appellate Courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Paralegal acts as a liaison with the Attorney’s clients in taking phone calls, answering questions, and scheduling meetings with the Attorney’s. The position requires knowledge of the criminal Justice system, including, but not limited to, the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, Appellate Procedure, and the York County Rules. This person must be an individual that can work with the complex office management system Just Ware.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies; OR Associate’s Degree in any discipline and two (2) years of Paralegal experience; OR Five years of Paralegal experience
2. Responsible for assisting 4-5 Attorneys.
3. Responsible to assist attorneys in their duties, including but not limited to dictation, copying, typing and filing of motions/petitions/subpoenas/Summary Conviction Appeals. 
4. To assist in obtaining paperwork from entities outside of office, taking phone calls, making contact with clients, experts and witnesses for purposes of case preparation, mailing Pre-Trial Conference letters and other correspondence, filing, and maintaining Just Ware case files. Furthermore, with respect to the Paralegal that assists in DUI Treatment Court, to maintain information relevant to that court.
5. Responsible for scheduling appointments of assigned attorneys and screening calls/walk-ins to determine the need for such appointment.
6. This includes scheduling appointments in the scheduling book, entering it into Just Ware and emailing the attorney.
7. Responsible for processing files after arraignment for the attorneys to keep prior to the Pre-Trial Conference which includes as noted above, sending Pre-Trial Conference letters to the respective clients as well as checking/entering the Judge, Pre-Trial Conference date and time, and accurate address information.
8. Responsible to pull and prepare files for DRO/Summary Conviction Appeals and Indirect Criminal Contempt cases, updating sentencing information in Just Ware and liaison with other agencies to ensure accuracy of information.
9. Responsible for in conjunction with the Office Manager the tracking of file space in the office and when needed preparation of files and boxes to be shipped to archives.
10. Responsible to backup Administrative Assistant 3, to receive all Probation/Parole violation files after the hearing and enter all appropriate information into excel and Just Ware and to request/return files from archives in the event of that persons absence.
11. All Paralegals are responsible for filing bench warrants, any matters that get filed in the Lektriever or return to archives.
12. Responsible for importing e-discovery in Just Ware for each assigned attorney.
13. Responsible for processing all Court-Appointment cases according to the established guidelines including typing and filing court-appointment petitions, and ensuring all parties (Court and new attorney) receive notice of the court appointment. This includes the obtaining of information from various agencies and entities to determine the validity and accuracy of the information contained in the petitions.
14. Provide coverage for breaks of the Receptionist on an as needed basis as directed by the Office Manager and maintain all coverage responsibilities. 
15. Provide backup to other Paralegals and/or Administrative Assistants on an as needed basis in the event of their absence.
16. Responsible for any other duties as directed by the Office Manager, Chief Public Defender or First Assistant Public Defender.

In addition to the above there is a Paralegal assigned to the Juvenile Unit and those duties include the following:

1. Assist the attorneys in the Juvenile Unit including preparing and filing of motions, dictation, Petitions for Court Appointed Counsel and contacting Court Administration for the assigned attorney information. In addition, to contact juveniles/families for appointments and send follow up letters as directed.
2. Process intake files for juvenile cases, including:
3. Making files and requesting police reports;
4. Reviewing for potential or actual conflicts in representation;
5. Numbering and re-numbering of cases as needed;
6. Maintaining the juvenile intake records in Just Ware and Excel;
7. Update Public Defender records and files regarding Expungments;
8. Process Consent Decrees cases;
9. Send files to archives as directed.
10. Process and file all juvenile paperwork.
11. Including all paperwork for Juvenile Drug Court, Jump Court and Fast Track;
12. Contact Juvenile Probation and process cases for Detention/Probable Cause hearings;
13. In the absence of the Senior Juvenile Public Defender, assist in the assigning of cases to the juvenile attorneys and ensuring there are no scheduling conflicts.
14. Create and maintain the Juvenile Calendars.
15. Including contact with Juvenile Probation for the Juvenile Probation weekly schedule.
16. Answer and screen all juvenile telephone calls and internal and external correspondence.
17. Give appropriate memorandum and emails to assigned PD and update Just Ware as needed.
18. Provide coverage for breaks of the Receptionist on an as needed basis as directed by the Office Manager and maintain all coverage responsibilities.
19. Responsible for following policy regulations within the Juvenile Case and Paperwork Processing Manual.
20. In addition, all of the duties and responsibilities whether adult or juvenile it should be noted that this person should have a superior understanding and working ability of the Just Ware office management system, CPCMS, and LaserFische to gain information. Further, all Legal Assistants have access to LexisNexis, which is a legal research engine that is also provided to the attorneys for the purpose of researching the law and cases.