Courtesy Posting: Legal Assistant – Temporary, Colorado State Public Defender

POSITION INFORMATION

***This is a courtesy posting for the Colorado State Public Defender.***

Salary:

$21.47/hour

This is a temporary entry-level assignment, not to exceed nine months. Under direct supervision, legal assistants are responsible for performing legal support duties and basic paralegal functions for assigned cases. Legal Assistants are expected to develop fundamental skills necessary to provide litigation support on a wide range of juvenile and adult cases including homicides and complex crimes, Grand Jury indictments and juvenile transfer and reverse transfer cases. Legal Assistants require strong interpersonal skills in order to successfully work with colleagues, clients, and court staff, and also must have strong organizational skills to manage a high volume of work. As a temporary employee you will not be eligible for group benefits and will not accrue paid time-off benefits. You will accrue paid sick time at a rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours of work, subject to the maximum accruals defined by the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act.

MISSION STATEMENT

Colorado’s Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD) maintains a reputation as one of the top organizations in the nation specializing in the delivery of indigent criminal defense representation. It operates as an independent agency within the Judicial Branch of Colorado State Government with approximately 1000 dedicated and zealous individuals assigned to twenty-one Regional Trial Offices across the state, an Appellate Division, and a centralized Administrative Office.

The mission of OSPD is to defend and protect the rights, liberties, and dignity of those accused of crimes who cannot afford to retain counsel. We do so by providing constitutionally and statutorily mandated representation that is effective, zealous, inspired and compassionate.

We seek to hire professionals who are dedicated to public service and committed to serving our clients. We are a fast paced, team-oriented environment, where self-motivation and a personal commitment to high performance are important attributes for success.

STATEMENT OF DUTIES

Typical responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Management (creation, organization and updates) of large volumes of hard and soft copy documents and files.
• Tracks and monitors status of cases and ensures records are processed within appropriate timelines; and, keeps attorneys apprised of deadlines.
• Collects information and conducts legal research as directed, using a variety of sources and resources (e.g. court database, internet, legal publications, direct contact with individuals).
• Assists in contacting clients, client family members and other parties as directed to identify and obtain information necessary for completing client records or drafting motions. Prepares standard correspondence and release forms as required to access information.
• Files basic motions.
• Transcribes witness interviews, which may include being called to testify in court or signing a sworn affidavit to verify information presented in transcripts or motions.
• May perform similar duties to assist other regional offices as needed.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

How to Apply:

Submit résumé and cover letter via e-mail outlining reasons for applying with the Public Defender’s Office to:

Agency: Colorado Springs Public Defender

Attention: Deana O’Riley

Email: Deana.O'Riley@coloradodefenders.us

Additional information about the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender can be found at:

http://www.coloradodefenders.us/

NON-DISCRIMINATION

The Office of the Colorado State Public Defender provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability or other protected status, in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Consistent with this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including the application and selection process. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation, please contact Laura Darrow at, laura.darrow@coloradofedenders.us.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Paralegal certificate from an ABA approved certification program. Training, college coursework, and/or experience that demonstrate the knowledge, skills and competencies required to perform the job duties of this position may substitute for the required education.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Highly proficient in spoken and written English
• Strong attention to detail

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies, or related field
• Experience conducting legal research
• Experience in criminal defense legal support
• Experience working with Adobe Acrobat

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to walk; sit; use hands and fingers and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

It is frequently subject to interruptions, and multiple calls and inquiries. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Occasionally, handles emergency or crisis situations.