Paralegal Specialist

Headquarters

300 7th Street SW

Washington, DC 20024, USA

Description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties and / or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.

• Responds to subpoenas, records requests, discovery requests, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by gathering documents, reviewing for legal sufficiency, and preparing responses in compliance with applicable laws and deadlines.
• Understands and applies District of Columbia, HUD, and federal rules and procedures when reviewing legal matters, drafting documents, and communicating with internal and external stakeholders.
• Coordinates with clients and agency departments to obtain information required for timely and complete legal responses.
• Tracks all subpoenas, FOIA requests, and legal deadlines to ensure timely follow-up and resolution.
• Performs legal research and reviews relevant case law, statutes, and policies to support subpoena and FOIA response efforts.
• Maintains high attention to detail when preparing, proofreading, and organizing legal documents, correspondence, and case files.
• Supports and serves at the direction of the General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel and / or their designee; provides a wide range of paralegal and general administrative support to OGC attorneys in all legal matters as assigned, including, but not limited to, litigation, corporate or real estate matters, development and / or modernization activities, property sale / acquisitions, mixed finance and RAD redevelopments, contracts and procurement, leasing, Housing Choice Voucher Program (“"HCVP”") and other DCHA programs, public and assisted housing, Landlord / Tenant law, eviction proceedings, landlord contract claims, bankruptcy, tort claims, personal injury, and police matters.
• Provides support and assistance to outside counsel (for all types of legal matters) as directed;
• Investigates facts in connection with litigation; interviews and prepares witnesses; checks legal citations in court filings; assists in discovery and brief writing;
• Assists and prepares eviction notices and other documents for landlord / tenant cases;
• Drafts initial versions of standard real estate and transactional documents, including contracts and closing documents;
• Assists and prepares attorneys in connection with court appearances, real estate closings, client meetings and witness interviews;
• Assists attorneys with scheduling meetings and maintaining their calendars as requested;
• Prepares and organizes case files (electronic and hard copy), including reviewing files against standards for submission to outside counsel;
• Organizes, maintains and tracks files of case documents, including closing documents and litigation files, and makes them available and easily accessible to attorneys;
• Copies, scans and prepares documents and files as requested;
• Assists in communicating with internal and external clients as directed to support OGC customer-oriented focus;
• Conducts legal research such as studying relevant court decisions and legislative documents; searches title and governmental records;
• Reviews and analyzes available precedents relevant to assigned cases or matters;
• Drafts and proofreads legal documents for accuracy, proper grammar, legal sufficiency and proper citation format;
• Coordinates work assignments and / or efforts to ensure timeliness, thoroughness, and compliance to deadlines;
• Tracks assigned cases / matters and provides information on the status of all such cases on a weekly / bi-weekly / monthly basis; ensures that attorneys are aware of and assists in meeting all deadlines;
• Prepares monthly / bi-weekly / weekly reports and correspondence as required to keep General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel informed and their designee, and advised of status of assigned cases; enters and tracks time as required;
• Assists in the maintenance of a file retention / archival plan for systematic retention, protection, retrieval, transfer and disposal of records in accordance with administrative directives and accepted practices;
• Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned related to the efficiency and effectiveness of the OGC;
• Supports all department activities, serves as back-up for other paralegals and OGC clerical staff as needed;
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and / or ability required.

Education and / or Experience

Must possess an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies or a related field or a paralegal certificate obtained through a paralegal studies program approved by the American Bar Association or from an accredited college or university; and at least (3) three years of paralegal experience; or other combination of education and experience which meet the minimum qualifications requirement may be substituted at the discretion of the General Counsel.

The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) conducts pre-employment screening on specified positions, which may include but is not limited to a criminal background check, drug and alcohol testing, verification of academic credentials, licenses, and certifications, and / or verification of work history.

This position has been designated by the department to require a drug and alcohol screening and background check. Finalist(s) for this position will be subject to drug and alcohol testing and will be required to consent to a pre-employment background check as a condition of employment.

Technical Skills

Knowledge of database, spreadsheet, presentation and word processing software; knowledge of legal practice and document management software, including Worldox, or similar system; and proficiency in typing; knowledge of and experience in the use of Westlaw, the internet and other legal research databases. Ability to learn other computer software programs as required by assigned tasks.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS

The supervisor makes assignments by defining objectives, priorities and deadlines, and assists the employee with unusual situations which do not have clear precedents.

The Paralegal Specialist independently conducts legal research, and prepares drafts of briefs, etc., or other litigation papers or opinions. He / she carries out assignments, coordinating work assignments as appropriate,resolving problems and deviations in line with previous training, directives, legal precedents, practices and governing laws and regulations, policies and procedures; and assuring timeliness, thoroughness and compliance with deadlines.

GUIDELINES

Guidelines used include governing laws, rules, regulations, codes, standards, legal references, rules of practice of courts, digests, legal precedents, legal publications, governing policies, directives, and procedures. The guidelines may not be completely applicable to all situations and issues encountered. Therefore, the Paralegal Specialist must search for appropriate guidelines from numerous sources and use judgment regarding careful interpretation to determine which most nearly fit the situation or in adapting guidelines to specific issues.

COMPLEXITY

The incumbent performs duties that are diverse and often complex. Difficulties in assignments can vary from assignment to assignment sometimes due to unrelated facts and conflicting information from different sources. The incumbent must identify and reconcile conflicting information and adapt various problem solving methods.

SCOPE AND EFFECT

The purpose of the work is to provide legal assistance in the development of legal documents and agencylegal position in cases, issues, etc. The incumbent’s work product and efforts have a direct effect on final litigation decisions, actions, recommendations, and interpretations.

PERSONAL CONTACTS

Contacts are with Authority personnel inside and outside the immediate office, witnesses, outside attorneys, as appropriate landlords, tenants, other paralegals, and the general public.

PURPOSE OF CONTACTS

The purpose of the contacts is to plan and coordinate assignments requiring the cooperation of others, to exchange and clarify information, to meet with potential witnesses, or to persuade individuals with differing viewpoints on the merits of releasing or withholding documents based on provisions of various laws.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The work requires no unusual physical demands. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit and talk or listen. The employee is required to stand and walk. The employee may occasionally lift and / or move up to 25 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work is performed in the normal office setting. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

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