Paralegal I - Civil Litigation - City Attorney's Office
Employment Requirement: City employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. All persons offered a position will be required to provide valid proof of vaccination prior to starting employment. Refer to the COVID-19 Employee Vaccination Mandate Candidate Q&A for additional information.
This posting will accept applications until 11:59pm on January 16, 2022.
The Denver City Attorney’s Office (CAO) is one of the largest law firms in Colorado, with approximately 120 attorneys and approximately 120 staff members, including paralegals, victim advocates, and other support staff members. Clients include the Mayor; the Auditor; the Clerk and Recorder; City Council; and all city agencies, departments, offices, boards, commissions and authorities. The CAO is dedicated to providing an inclusive and diverse work environment. Through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, we respect and honor our differences, we create a culture of compassion, collaboration, and common purpose of sharing our talents and creativity with each other and the City we serve. We celebrate bringing our whole selves to work every day.
The Denver City Attorney’s Office embraces an environment of compassion, trust, belonging and inclusion where all voices are engaged and respected, and where we nurture the talents of our diverse employees. We are an anti-racist office. We are committed to removing barriers, providing opportunities, supporting everyone by embracing our differences, condemning inequalities and oppression, and respecting everyone’s unique qualities.
The City Attorney’s Office is seeking Paralegal I applicants for its Civil Litigation Section. The Paralegal I position performs entry level paraprofessional legal work assisting the City’s civil litigation attorneys with a full range of legal support work including research, analysis, docketing, filing, discovery, and drafting documents. The Civil Litigation Section represents the City, City employees and City officials in lawsuits involving torts and alleged civil rights violations. The team regularly appears in all federal and state courts. This job is a perfect fit for a paralegal that is interested in working in litigation and gaining valuable trial support experience while in a dynamic work environment with good work-life balance and regular working hours.
Job responsibilities for Paralegal I in the Civil Litigation Section include:
- Perform litigation support as necessary, resolve problems encountered during daily operations, and determine appropriate solutions
- Assist attorneys in the investigation of the facts of cases and ensure that all relevant information is obtained from agencies and considered as part of the case evaluation process
- Conduct legal research in a variety of legal areas, and assist with the drafting of certain pleadings, discovery responses, complaints, affidavits, motions, and other pleadings connected with trial preparation
- Collect, compile, organize, and analyze various data for use in reports and pending litigation matters, including ensuring appropriate redaction, de-duplication, indexing and the creation of privilege logs
- Maintain complex litigation calendars, noting deadline dates for responsive pleadings/motions, court appearances, and other important dates. Remind attorneys about upcoming deadlines in advance
- Assist attorneys in preparing for depositions, motions hearings, oral arguments and trials, including operating appropriate technology to assist with the presentation of exhibits to the jury or court
- Ensure compliance with civil court and judge specific rules and procedures, including calendaring deadlines, the creation of exhibit notebooks and witness lists, and general pleading requirements
- Assist with locating witnesses and issuing subpoenas and subpoena duces tecum for appearances at depositions and trials
- Organize and track case documentation to ensure that it may be quickly located. Ensure all case related matters, including electronic communications, are stored in the case management filing system and internal databases are appropriately maintained. Assist in the creation of litigation files and ensure information related to pending lawsuits is accurate and kept up-to-date
- Other duties as assigned
About You
We are looking for a team player who is detail-oriented and wants to be a part of a team of professionals whose primary focus is legal support. You must be self-motivated, very dependable and think critically. The candidate should thrive in a demanding environment that is constantly changing and be willing to assist with additional duties when needed. The Paralegal I should possess the following capabilities:
- Knowledge of electronic court filing procedures and rules for state and federal courts, including appellate courts
- Experience with and proficiency with the following: Microsoft-Word Office 2010, Excel, Adobe-Pro, Westlaw or LexisNexis, Sanction or other trial management software, and E-discovery and case management software
- Ability to effectively communicate with clients, attorneys and other staff members
- Ability to multi-task, prioritize and work effectively in a fast-paced environment
- Strong attention to detail
- Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work well under pressure
- A self-starter, great collaborator, and team player
We realize your time is valuable so please do not apply if you do not have at least the following required minimum qualifications:
- Education: Graduation from high school or the possession of a GED, HiSET or TASC Certificate.
- Experience: At least one (1) year of full-time paralegal experience in a public or private law office, not including internships.
- Equivalency: Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements
- Licensures/Certification(s): None