Paralegal

Court Name/Organization Mississippi Southern Federal Public Defender

Overview of the Position The Federal Public Defender for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi is accepting applications for the position of a full-time paralegal to be stationed in Jackson. The Federal Public Defender operates under authority of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 3006A(g)(2)(A), to provide federal criminal defense services by court appointment to individuals unable to afford counsel. The organization has staffed offices in Jackson, Gulfport, and Oxford.

Location Jackson, MS

Opening and Closing Dates 02/04/2026 - Open Until Filled

Appointment Type Permanent

Salary Not specified

Duties of the paralegal include, assisting in preparation and filing of pleadings, maintenance of banks of substantive motions, briefs and jury instructions, citation verification, organizing discovery, coordinating witnesses and documents for trial, word-processing, record keeping, filing, calendaring court dates and client appointments, timekeeping, travel record management, photocopying legal documents, legal research and litigation support, and other duties as assigned.

To qualify for entry level paralegal, a person must be a high school graduate or equivalent and have at least three years of general experience and three years of specialized experience; some higher education may be substituted for specialized experience.
Personal-computer, advanced word-processing skills, administrative support, and law-office experience are required. Law office experience in a criminal defense firm preferred. Employment is subject to a satisfactory background investigation.

The starting salary for the paralegal position will be fixed commensurate with the experience and qualifications of the applicant within a range from JSP 11-Step 1, to JSP 14-Step 1, currently yielding $74,678 to $125,776 per annum for the paralegal position. The position is in the excepted service and does not carry the tenure rights of the competitive Civil Service. The position includes regular government employee benefits including health and life insurance, retirement, and the Thrift Savings Plan.

Salary is payable only by Electronic Funds Transfer (direct deposit).

Qualified persons may apply by emailing a letter of interest and résumé to Dean Applegate, Administrative Officer at .

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.