Legal Assistant
Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho
Position Announcement
Legal Assistant
Yakima, Washington
Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho is now accepting applications
for a Legal Assistant position in Yakima, Washington. The primary practice areas
are before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington and United
States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. This organization litigates cases in
four locations: Richland, Yakima, and Spokane, WA (all in the Eastern District of
Washington); and Coeur d’Alene, ID (District of Idaho). The organization's main
office is in Spokane, Washington, with a branch office in Yakima, Washington.
Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho is the Community Defender
Organization (see 18 U.S.C. § 3006A(g)(2)(B)) for the Eastern District of
Washington and the Northern District of Idaho. The organization is a non-profit
corporation funded by a grant from the federal government. Employees of Federal
Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho are considered “at will” and are not
government employees. The organization provides defense services in federal
criminal cases and related matters appointed by the court.
Job Description: Performs legal assisting functions to one or more trial attorney(s)
utilizing advanced knowledge of legal terminology, word and information processing
software; understands federal district and appellate rules and protocols for
CMF/ECF efiling in appellate and federal criminal cases; edits and proofreads
initial drafts, performs cite checking, prepares correspondence to clients; reviews
incoming mail and distributes appropriately; assembles attachments and prepares
documents for efiling; orders transcripts as instructed by trial attorney; and has
knowledge of law office experience.
This is a paperlight office with case files kept on the common drive for legal
assistant to update and organize with efiled documents, docket sheets as well as
scanned correspondence; assist with closing out cases; accurately and timely
maintains Outlook calendar for assigned trial attorney(s) by posting/updating court
deadlines and hearings; required to keep time on case and administrative work
utilizing software timekeeping program.
The ideal candidate must believe in this office’s mission for protecting the
constitutional interests of our indigent clients and communicate with them in a
professional and respectful manner. This position is Monday through Friday, 8:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Requirements & Qualifications: Must be a high school graduate or equivalent and
have at least three (3) years of experience, i.e. at least two years in public service or
a business which provided a knowledge of office clerical procedures and at least one
year working in a legal environment. Higher education is preferred. Computer
proficiency in MS Word, Excel, Outlook and Adobe Acrobat. Applicant must have
strong organizational skills, set priorities and meet critical deadlines. Applicant
must be dependable, punctual, detail-oriented and able to multi-task. Applicant
must also possess the ability to work in a team environment and communicate
effectively both orally and in writing. Spanish language proficiency is preferred but
not required. The successful candidate must be fully vaccinated as of the date of
hire.
This office believes true excellence is achieved through collaboration between people
of diverse perspectives and shared respect. We therefore ask any who share these
beliefs apply for this position.
Salary/Benefits: This is a full-time, salaried position. Salary is commensurate with
qualifications and experience with starting range of $39,311 Grade/Step 6-1 to
$48,378 Grade/Step 8-1. Benefits are provided, and salary is payable by direct
deposit.
To Apply: Send Resume with letter of interest and 3 references by electronic
submissions in PDF format only to:
Email: wae_employment@fd.org
Subject Line: Legal Assistant-YK
No telephone calls: Only applicants selected for an interview will be
contacted. The interview process will be discussed with selected applicants.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Open until filled.
Current and future positions may be filled from this position announcement.
Position subject to the availability of federal funding.
FDEWI is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people of diverse
backgrounds to apply.