Paralegal (Collateral Litigation Unit - Ft. Lauderdale)
BlackFish Federal
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- $35.06 per hour
- Permanent
- Part-time
- Knowledge of principles, concepts and methods of legal research and analysis sufficient to perform assigned case development.
- Knowledge of the litigation process, local court rules and court procedures to perform assignments such as reviewing incoming documents and determining the need for the preparation of various legal documents.
- Knowledge of legal terminology.
- Knowledge of applicable automation support hardware and software to automate various legal and office support functions and to perform data retrieval from various legal and administrative subject- matter databases.
- Skill in operating a computer terminal, personal computer, and electronic typewriter.
- Familiarity with office machines sufficient to perform recurring operations as well as user-selected custom features, e.g., copy enlargement and reduction.
- This position requires that candidates obtain/maintain a Department of Justice (DOJ) clearance.
- U.S. citizenship is required.
- The ability to pass a drug test is required.
- Receives, examines, and evaluates complex cases regarding the government's court-ordered responses to habeas corpus motions filed under 28 U.S.C. 2255 or 2241.
- Monitors output from automated case tracking system(s) for cases which include government's court-ordered responses to habeas corpus motions filed under 28 U.S.C. 2255 or 2241 to provide the attorneys of the assigned section and other interested parties with the status of each case and to determine the legal action necessary to process each case expeditiously.
- Reviews literature on issues and legislation relating to the government's court-ordered responses to habeas corpus motions filed under 28 U.S.C. 2255 or 2241 and distributes to operation members.
- Perform specialized criminal legal research and processing in support of the USAO, SDFL habeas corpus motions filed under 28 U.S.C. 2255 or 2241 activities for the assigned section including research of legislative intent, controversial judicial precedents, case law, law review articles, and slip opinions, often in cases with short deadlines, using the LEXIS-NEXIS system, WESTLAW, and the internet. Prepares in final form for attorney review and signature, responsive pleadings, memoranda of law in support thereof, trial briefs, appellate briefs, inter-office memoranda and other legal documents. Obtains and reviews legal periodical monograph materials on a variety of litigation related topics within the criminal spectrum in order to keep abreast of changes in the law.
- Advises the attorney regarding the merits, and demerits of the case, probabilities of success of the government's court-ordered responses to habeas corpus motions filed under 28 U.S.C. 2255 or 2241 in light of the strengths and weaknesses.
- Prepares, in final form, legal pleadings necessary in judicial proceedings relating to the government's court-ordered responses to habeas corpus motions filed under 28 U.S.C. 2255 or 2241, subsequent motions and papers.
- Interviews federal agents and other local law enforcement officers for the government's court- ordered responses to habeas corpus motions filed under 28 U.S.C. 2255 or 2241 and the availability of evidence and witnesses.
- Prepares presentations for court proceedings by compiling, organizing, and indexing various evidentiary exhibits.
- Performs other duties as needed.
- Work is primarily performed in an office environment.