Paralegal

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The Office of Corporation Counsel (OCC) provides legal services to the City and County through its three main divisions. OCC represents the City, County agencies, and City-County employees in litigation, handling a diverse docket that ranges from tort and contract matters to constitutional law. Through its counseling division, OCC provides legal advice to City and County agencies, officials, and oversight bodies to ensure public entities remain compliant with the law and standards of ethical conduct, safeguard public funds, and promote the efficient functioning of local government for Marion County taxpayers.

OCC’s third division is the Office of the City Prosecutor, which is responsible for enforcing City-County ordinances. OCC also oversees the Office of Equal Opportunity, which administers the City’s human rights ordinance, protecting against discrimination in employment and other contexts.

In exercising these crucial legal functions, OCC cultivates a productive, collaborative, and compliant work environment that prioritizes the needs of our clients and the residents of Indianapolis and Marion County.

Litigation paralegals are responsible for working with and providing legal support services for attorneys in the litigation division of the Office of Corporation Counsel. Position holders perform administrative work, as well as more substantive legal support work under the supervision of practicing attorneys. This position will allow for independent organization and prioritizing of responsibilities and duties along with moderate supervision according to standard operating policies and procedures.

The City-County is involved in a diverse array of litigation matters, including federal civil rights suits, tort claims, contract disputes, prisoner litigation, appeals at the state and federal level, and administrative and regulatory matters. The primary responsibility of litigation paralegals is to assist litigation attorneys with all stages of the litigation process.

• Creating and maintaining comprehensive case management files for each litigation matter for which they have primary responsibility.
• Exercising independent responsibility for creating and submitting more routine court filings under the overall direction of a litigation attorney.
• For more complex court filings (such as dispositive motions and briefs) providing active assistance to a litigation attorney with certain elements of research and drafting.
• Handling communications with court staff and support staff for opposing counsel.
• Ensuring that case management schedules are kept up to date and important litigation deadlines are not missed.
• Assisting with the discovery process, including the management and preparation of evidence.
• Performing editing, proofreading, and cite‑checking.
• Assisting attorneys at trial and other court hearings, including by compiling evidence, creating visual aids and exhibits, creating and running slide presentations, and by assisting in all facets of pre‑trial preparation.
• Assisting with office‑wide needs, including staffing the reception desk, answering and forwarding telephone calls, greeting visitors and accepting deliveries.

In addition to the responsibilities listed above, litigation paralegals may perform special research or other assignments on behalf of office leadership and are encouraged to develop areas of expertise that enhance the efficiency of the office overall. Litigation paralegals may also assist with the tort claim investigation and response process and may assist the office’s attorneys with administrative and other matters that take place outside the civil litigation setting.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all‑inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities that management may deem necessary from time to time.

• Strong independent judgment
  :
  Guidance from litigation attorneys will be available, but successful litigation paralegals must have the good judgment to take responsibility for what they can…