Paralegal - Trial Division (Salem)

State of Oregon • Salem, OR

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Oregon Department of Justice, Trial Division is expanding! The Trial Division defends the State of Oregon and all its agencies, departments, boards, commissions, and district attorney's offices before the state and federal trial courts in Oregon. If you are looking for a challenging opportunity with day-to-day variety, this may be the position for you. If selected, you will work closely with Assistant Attorneys General in the Trial Division to investigate, analyze, and prepare cases for litigation. To accommodate growth, we are seeking to hire a seasoned Paralegal for the Salem Legal Office. This position offers a hybrid schedule which requires a minimum of 1 day in the office and up to 4 days remote work after successful completion of training. In exchange, we'll ensure you are paid well, we'll make work-life balance attainable, and we'll show you the door to professional development and job satisfaction!

Requirements

• Two-year Associate degree in Paralegal or Legal Assistant Studies; OR
• Eighteen months of Paralegal experience; OR
• Any combination of training and experience that demonstrates experience in legal work, independent judgment, legal terminology principles, concepts, systems, and processes. Experience must include discovery and trial methods and procedures, legal ethics, and skill in preparing legal documents, interviewing witnesses, and explaining legal issues.
• Work experience is based on a 40-hour work week. (Example: 20 hours a week for one year would equal six months of work experience.)

Nice To Haves

• Experience working independently as a paralegal with a trial caseload.
• Experience reviewing, analyzing, and organizing large volumes of discovery documents, on paper and in databases such as Relativity, EDT, Summation, or Everlaw.
• Experience in trial.
• Experience in working independently to prepare a busy team of lawyers for trial.
• Experience in working with clients in either written or oral communication.
• Preference may be given to those with professional experience as a paralegal versus those qualifying by education alone.

Responsibilities

• Assist in trial and trial preparation, including organizing exhibits, preparing factual portions of pretrial order, consulting with attorneys regarding witnesses' ability to effectively testify at trial, preparing trial notebooks and witness notebooks, tracking trial exhibits, taking notes during trial, coordinating trial witnesses, and suggesting questions or additional documents to be used in examination of witnesses.
• Conduct factual investigation of assigned cases, including arranging, preparing for, and assisting with, subpoenas and document collections from clients and third parties, and conducting interviews of witnesses.
• Independently manage proposed pleadings and correspondence relating to cases.
• Draft discovery requests and responses for your attorneys' review, including requests for production, interrogatories, and requests for admissions, and responses and objections to each of those forms.
• Read, organize, and analyze document production from our client agencies, third parties, and opposing parties.
• Assist in the process of preparing for depositions, including identifying potential exhibits, organizing, and preparing the exhibit sets, and assisting in depositions.
• Work with expert witnesses or consultants on cases and assist them by supplying information and documents necessary for their testimony and reports.

Benefits

• Job satisfaction as part of a team whose mission is to serve Oregon's public and government agencies.
• Permanent, full-time employment in Salem, Oregon.
• Vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, and special days off.
• Excellent medical, vision, and dental.
• Pension and retirement programs.
• Endless peer and management support, and representation by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
• Opportunity to expand your professional skills.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree