Paralegal II

Job Description

Paralegal II | Harris County Sheriff’s Office

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, located in Houston, TX. As part of the Executive Bureau’s Legal Department, this position supports the critical legal functions of a major law enforcement agency. The role is essential for ensuring the prompt and accurate preparation of legal cases and fulfilling the diverse legal needs of the office.

The TL;DR
• Role: Experienced Paralegal
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person, Houston, TX

• Team: Executive Bureau – Legal Department; reports to an assigned supervisor
• Mission: Support the Legal Services Division by ensuring the prompt preparation of legal cases and assisting with all legal needs of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
• Tech Stack: JIMS, HCSO mugshot database, EXCEL, ACCESS, GovQA, IAPro, Superion, SIRS, CAD, LexisNexis or Westlaw, Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel)

What You’ll Actually Do
• Request Management: Handle and prepare comprehensive responses to open records and subpoena requests.
• Disciplinary Support: Draft letters and monitor administrative appeals to support employee disciplinary action processes.
• Litigation Assistance: Assist the Harris County Attorney’s Office with discovery requests related to ongoing litigation.
• Document Preparation: Draft and prepare official correspondence for Grand Jury proceedings.
• Information Management: Update and maintain various databases within the Legal Services Division and gather legal documents from HCSO bureaus.

The Must-Haves
• Background: An Associate’s degree in paralegal studies or a certificate of completion from a paralegal certification program is required. You should possess knowledge of Texas Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedures, TPIA, Texas Government Code, and HCSO Policies and Procedures.
• Experience: Three years of paralegal experience is required.
• Skills: Proficient with Microsoft Office, specifically Outlook, Word, and Excel. You must have exceptional written and oral communication skills, be highly organized, self-motivated, and capable of handling confidential information.
• Bonus: Five years of paralegal experience with a strong background in handling and processing subpoenas, discovery requests, and open records requests is preferred. Previous knowledge of, or the ability to quickly learn, systems such as JIMS, HCSO mugshot database, GovQA, IAPro, Superion, SIRS, CAD, and legal research platforms like LexisNexis or Westlaw is also a plus.