Legal Assistant (OA) – Appeals Support

Job Description

Legal Assistant (OA) | United States Attorneys’​ Offices

The Tone:
This is a federal government role at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, located in Washington, District of Columbia. The office’s core mission is multifaceted, encompassing the enforcement of federal and local criminal laws, robust representation of the United States’ interests in civil litigation, and a proactive response to the community’s public safety needs. This position plays a vital part in leading an effective, well-coordinated law enforcement effort, ultimately contributing to the overarching goal of enhancing the quality of life within the District of Columbia. As a Legal Assistant in the Appellate Division, you will directly support attorneys, applying specialized skills and knowledge of legal support processes to significantly increase their operational effectiveness.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Location: In-person, Washington, DC
• Team: Appellate Division support team, assisting attorneys
• Mission: Increase the effectiveness of attorneys in the Appellate Division
• Tech Stack: automated case tracking system

What You’ll Actually Do
• Legal Document Management: Examine, meticulously prepare, and process a wide variety of technical legal documents, ensuring accuracy and adherence to established protocols.
• Briefing Support: Develop comprehensive tables of contents and detailed indices for legal briefs, ensuring all documents comply with the required format for court submissions.
• Administrative Coordination: Perform general clerical and administrative functions, which include precise copying, secure binding, and thorough preparation of record materials essential for court filings.
• Case Tracking & Updates: Execute critical docketing duties, such as the accurate opening, ongoing updating, and timely closing of cases, utilizing the automated case tracking system.
• Information Retrieval: Conduct essential document retrieval and in-depth case material research, obtaining necessary documents from DC Superior Court files, District of Columbia Court of Appeal files, and other pertinent sources as required for legal proceedings.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Early-level understanding of legal support activities, processes, procedures, and practices.
• Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the federal service, obtained in either the public or private sectors, performing three of the following four duties: preparing or processing legal documents; maintaining case files or docket information using automated case management systems; researching or verifying legal information from legal databases or other sources; providing administrative and legal support to attorneys, including organizing case materials, responding to inquiries, or coordinating with court personnel.
• Skills: Typing proficiency of at least 40 words per minute based on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors.