Paralegal II - Felony Competency, Forensic Mental Health and Not Guilty Reason of Insanity

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office is looking for a highly motivated individual to join our team as a Paralegal II
.

The paralegal in this position will join an active unit of three Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys, a current Paralegal, and a Victim Advocate. This position tracks all felony cases that raise competency issues from arraignment to sentencing. It requires careful oversight from the first evaluation until a defendant is found competent or the case is dismissed. The felony competency practice spans all three adult criminal practice divisions.

The paralegal provides support during testimonial motions and occasional trials to the assigned DPAs and handles all Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) cases post‑acquittal, including complex discovery, expert witness coordination, trial testimony, defense interviews, depositions, and NGRI review and contested hearings.

Our mission is to do Justice: we exercise the power given to us by the people with fairness and humility; we serve our diverse community, support victims and families, and hold individuals accountable; we develop innovative and collaborative solutions for King County and the State of Washington.

• Integrity
• Compassion
• Professionalism
• Leadership

This position is open to all qualified applicants.

King County Courthouse (KCCH) 5th floor; the paralegal may be asked to occasionally work at the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC).

The position works a 40‑hour work week, Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is eligible for King County’s benefits package and offers a hybrid work schedule allowing telecommuting, with a minimum of two days in office per week, subject to business needs. New candidates will be required to work in office three days a week for the first six months.

Range $39.81 (step one) – $50.47 (step ten) hourly* [2026 rates]

Positions in this classification are represented by Teamsters Local No. 117.

Interested individuals must complete the three application components:
1) Submit a resume and cover letter
2) Respond to the supplemental questions
3) Fully complete the King County application. Applications that are incomplete, such as “see my resume,” will not be considered competitive.

Materials will be reviewed for qualifications. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in a panel interview. Current PAO employees represented by Teamsters Local No. 117 receive priority consideration.

Finalists must successfully submit to a criminal background check, reference check, and be fingerprinted.

• Receive and process requests for competency, restoration, and civil commitments.
• Request, review, process, and disseminate discovery related to the competency process including complex medical and forensic health records.
• Determine which progress reports require elevated attention by DPAs.
• Transition civil commitment case supervision to the Attorney General’s Office and request certified documents.
• Communicate and serve as a liaison with doctors, administrative professionals at DSHS, contracted treatment facilities, and the Attorney General’s Office.
• Electronically file court documents such as briefs, notes for criminal motion, and continuance orders.
• Ensure calendars are prepared and distributed to all parties.
• Subpoena and coordinate schedules of experts and witnesses for motion hearings, trials, and defense interviews.
• Maintain communication and coordinate availability with prosecutors, defense attorneys, expert witnesses, and victims.
• Support prosecutors with trial and testimonial hearing preparation for competency and NGRI cases.
• Maintain, update, and search case management systems including county, state, and federal databases.
• Manage competency correspondence through assigned distribution lists and inboxes.
• Track NGRI cases from acquittal through hospitalization, including reviews by the Public Safety Review Panel and requests for increased privileges.
• Ensure DPAs have all reports and information needed to complete competency…