Assistant Paralegal - Phoenix

Overview

The Federal Public Defender for the District of Arizona is accepting applications for the position of full-time assistant paralegal to be stationed in Phoenix. More than one position may be filled from this announcement. The Federal Public Defender operates under authority of Title 18, United States 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 Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, and Flagstaff.

• To qualify for an assistant paralegal a person must be a high school graduate or equivalent and have at least three years of general experience and two years of specialized experience. Some higher education may be substituted for specialized experience. Bachelor s degree or paralegal certificate preferred. Personal computer, advanced word-processing skills are required. Law office experience, computer literacy and experience with Word, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Excel,  and Westlaw is preferred.
  
  The applicant must be a U.S. citizen. Employment is subject to a satisfactory background investigation.

• The assistant paralegal provides support services to several staff attorneys. Duties of the assistant paralegal include assisting with case file management; gathering, organizing, and indexing of electronic and paper documents and other discovery materials; assisting with client contact; preparing case related forms, litigation support services, calendaring and scheduling court hearings, client meetings, and jail visits; typing letters/motions; filing motions/pleadings; contact with court personnel and detention facilities;
  
  and performing all other duties as assigned. Applicant must be able to handle multiple tasks.

The starting salary for the assistant paralegal commensurate with the experience and qualifications of the applicant is currently fixed at Grade 9, Step 1 yielding $64,564 per annum. This position is in the excepted service and does not carry the tenure rights of the competitive Civil Service. The position does include regular government employee benefits including health and life insurance, retirement, telework opportunities and the Thrift Savings Plan.

Salary is payable only by Electronic Funds Transfer (direct deposit). All positions are at will and are subject to the availability of funds.

Please include a letter of interest along with resume. References will be required from candidates selected for an interview.

The Federal Public Defender is an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or age, are encouraged to apply.