Litigation Paralegal - County Attorney's Office

Multnomah County; Portland (OR); Hybrid; USD 99,532,000 - 149,470,000; Full time

Job summary

Multnomah County’s Office of the County Attorney seeks a Paralegal to support complex litigation, discovery, and trial preparation in a collaborative, non-billable environment.

You'll manage case files, draft pleadings, coordinate witnesses, and assist with eDiscovery while ensuring compliance with court rules and Bluebook formatting. This hybrid Portland, OR role offers growth and public-service impact.

Qualifications

• Paralegal Certification, the completion of an authorized Paralegals Program, or a Bachelor’s Degree approved by the ABA.
• Two (2) years of litigation paralegal experience
• E-discovery certifications or demonstrated skillset in e-discovery software

Responsibilities

• Manage the comprehensive lifecycle of litigation files from case initiation and discovery through trial preparation, settlement, or final disposition.
• File management, including creating, organizing and maintaining electronic and physical files, and tracking systems across cases for critical information and deadlines.
• Conduct initial case research and gather matter-related documents from various departments for review by County attorneys.
• Develop and maintain case chronologies and timelines from evidentiary materials.
• Coordinate witness logistics, scheduling interviews and depositions, and prepare for mediation/arbitration/trial.
• Draft pleadings, motions, subpoenas, and other case documents.
• Prepare case-related correspondence and communications with parties, court, vendors, experts and witnesses.
• Serve as litigation support point person and train team on document management systems.
• Assist attorneys with cite-checking and proofreading of documents using Bluebook style.
• Identify gaps in legal technology/workflows and propose improvements.

Skills

Litigation paralegal experience

Education

Paralegal Certification / ABA-approved degree

Tools

eDiscovery software

Job description

Current employees: Please apply through the employee portal to be considered for this opportunity.

Pay Range

$34.77 - $52.16 Hourly

Department

County Chair

Job Type

Regular Non-Represented

Exemption Status

United States of America (Non-Exempt)

The Opportunity

Closing Date (Open Until Filled if No Date Specified): This position is open continuous, with a first review of applications occurring at 9:00 a.m. on September 4, 2026. Interested applicants should apply without delay.

Join a mission-driven team at Multnomah County’s Office of the County Attorney, where your expertise as a Paralegal directly impacts our community and the integrity of our legal system. We offer a collaborative and supportive environment that values teamwork with no billable hour requirement. As a key member of our team, you will engage in challenging, high-impact work, providing sophisticated legal support that drives successful outcomes for the County. If you are looking for a career where your strategic contributions and e-discovery expertise are valued, we invite you to apply.

Essential Job Duties

Administrative

• Manage the comprehensive lifecycle of litigation files, from case initiation and discovery through trial preparation, settlement, or final disposition.
• File management, including creating, organizing and maintaining electronic files and physical files, and establishing consistent tracking systems across cases for matter-critical information and deadlines.
• Conduct initial case research, including gathering, organizing and tracking matter related documents from various departments required for initial case review and analysis by County attorneys.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive case chronologies and timelines derived from evidentiary materials.
• Manage witness logistics, including identification, scheduling interviews and depositions, and coordinating preparation sessions to support County attorneys through all stages of litigation, including mediations, arbitrations, and trial.
• Draft answers and affirmative defenses based on interviews; draft motions, declarations, orders, subpoenas and other case pleadings.
• Prepare case related correspondence and communications with parties, court, vendors, experts and witnesses. Issue civil subpoenas for depositions and trials.
• File, distribute and serve true copies of pleadings and exhibits accurately with the jurisdictional court, opposing parties, Court staff and attorneys.
• Maintain calendars for County attorneys and schedule activities, meetings, court dates, and coordinate all participants including client representatives, witnesses, court reporters, videographers and investigators.
• Create and maintain templates for routine legal correspondence and case pleadings to enhance document consistency and operational efficiency.
• Serve as point person for litigation support; leverage technological proficiency to troubleshoot issues and train team members on document management systems..
• Assist attorneys by conducting comprehensive cite-checking and proofreading of legal documents, ensuring all citations are accurate, properly formatted using BlueBook, and up to date.
• Identify and assess gaps in existing legal technology and workflows; research potential solutions and navigate established procurement and approval channels to implement improvements.

Research

• Research case facts and perform case research. Determine immediate necessary case procedure and action.
• Analyze and review federal, state and local laws, regulations, policies and procedures in order to ensure compliance.
• Proactively conduct advanced legal and factual research; utilize critical thinking to analyze complex case data, identify key issues, assess potential liability, and provide actionable recommendations to County attorneys.
• Research criminal and judicial systems / networks to obtain relevant police reports and other discoverable information on behalf of attorneys.
• Prepare legal research memos for attorneys on various legal issues; summarize positions / deposition summaries.

Discovery

• Draft and issue timely legal hold notices across County departments immediately upon the identification of potential litigation
• Use legal expertise to identify and obtain documents relating to litigation claims and responsive to discovery requests. You will work collaboratively with County departments to ensure all documents required are retrieved.
• Coordinate, draft, and track discovery requests and responses, including analyzing opposing counsel’s requests and preparing responses based on document retrieval and assert various objections based on court rules and rules of evidence.
• Perform initial document reviews to identify key case facts and potential issues, utilizing critical thinking to filter and flag relevant materials for deeper attorney analysis.
• Independently manage review progress and take initiative in collaborating with attorneys to define review protocols, assist in the setup of review assignments, and ensure all discovery deadlines are met.
• Utilize eDiscovery software to manage and organize case documents, develop effective search queries to target relevant information, generate Bates-stamped productions, and maintain itemized document and privilege logs.
• Perform quality control reviews of document productions, including checking for privileged or confidential information, ensuring redactions are applied correctly, and verifying that all productions meet court-ordered formatting and metadata specifications.

Trial Preparation

• Proactively participate in trial strategy meetings, anticipating the needs of the trial team. Use technology tools available to you to create, assign and independently manage trial task lists.
• Prepare case related trial documents including but not limited to, case statements, trial memorandums, motions in limine, jury instructions, deposition clips and indexing, expert contracts and evidence binders, exhibits and exhibits lists, and subpoenas.
• Use legal expertise to perform trial support including creation, organization and exchanging of trial exhibits and trial notebooks, annotate depositions, subpoena and coordinate witnesses for trial testimony.
• Attend trials to support attorneys during trial by coordinating witnesses, exhibits, technical support issues and any other needs that arise during trial. Coordinate exhibits with the Court and provide admitted exhibits to jurors for use during deliberation.
• Coordinate and set up all technology used during trial to include court reporters, videos, projectors, televisions for discovery review and deposition clips, and demonstrative exhibits.
• Provide expert guidance regarding legal procedures and processes. Respond to questions from witnesses regarding legal procedure and the process of discovery, hearings, depositions, mediation, arbitration and trial.

To Qualify

We will consider any combination of relevant work experience, volunteering, education, and transferable skills as qualifying unless an item or section is labeled required. Please be clear and specific about how your background is relevant. For details about how we typically screen applications, review our overview of the selection process page.

Minimum Qualifications

• Paralegal Certification, the completion of an authorized Paralegals Program, or a Bachelor’s Degree approved by the American Bar Association
• Two (2) years of litigation paralegal experience
• E-discovery certifications or demonstrated skillset in e-discovery software

Preferred Qualifications/Transferable Skills*

You do not need to have the following preferred qualifications / transferable skills to qualify. However, keep in mind we may consider some or all of the following when identifying the most qualified candidates. Please clearly explain on your application how you meet any of the following preferred qualifications/transferable skills.

• Experience in public sector municipal law
• Transferable Skills: Your transferable skills are any skills you have gained through education, work experience (including the military) or life experience that are relevant for this position. Be sure to describe any transferable skills on your application and clearly explain how they apply to this position.

Screening And Evaluation

Application Packet:

The application packet consists of the following documents. Please ensure that you upload these documents in your online application.

• A completed online application
• An uploaded resume covering relevant experience and education. Please be sure your resume includes the following for each employer: name of employer, location, dates of employment, your title, a brief summary of your responsibilities, the number of employees under your supervision.
• An uploaded cover letter that expands on your resume and details your prior experience and how it may align with the preferred and desired areas.

The application, resume and cover letter should demonstrate your work experience/skills and how it is related to those shown in the To Qualify section of the job announcement. Please be thorough, as these materials will be scored and determine your eligibility to advance in this recruitment process.

Internal Applicants:

After you have submitted your application, please check your Workday inbox and complete the Veterans’ Preference Questionnaire prior to the application deadline.

The Selection Process

For details about how we typically screen applications, review our overview of the selection process page. We expect to evaluate candidates for this recruitment as follows:

• Initial review of minimum qualifications: We may do an additional preferred review, phone screen, and/or send out additional supplemental questions to identify those highest qualified.
• Consideration of top candidates: We will consider qualified candidates in order of rank and score from the list of eligible candidates. This may include panel interview(s), a hiring interview, and/or additional testing to determine the best candidates for a position.
• Professional reference checks.

Multnomah County offers an exceptional benefits package, including employer-funded retirement savings; health and dental insurance at very low cost to full-time employees and their dependents; paid parental leave; wellness programs; a focus on work-life balance; and much more. Find more details on our benefits website.

Equal Pay Law

Please be advised that the pay range listed for this position is intended to provide general guidance on the earning potential for the role. However, actual compensation will be determined in accordance with the Oregon Equal Pay Law and will take into account factors such as the candidate's relevant experience, education seniority, training, and/or tenure. Candidates should expect that initial offers will be made within the listed pay range and may not be at or near the top of the range.

Serving The Public, Even During Disasters

Everyday, Multnomah County staff work together to serve as a safety net for our communities. During a disaster, this safety net becomes even more critical. All County employees have a role in serving the public during inclement weather, natural disaster, or other types of community emergency response. During these emergency responses, while typically there begins with a call for volunteers, county employees may ultimately be reassigned from their current position to a role in the emergency response in order to support the critical needs presented by our communities. For more information, please visit the Disaster Service Worker Information page.

Additional Information

• This position is a classified management position and is eligible for overtime.
• This position is approved for a hybrid schedule. The onsite work location is at the Multnomah Building, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214.
• All employees must reside in Oregon or Washington; the county cannot support ongoing telework from other locations.
• This recruitment may be used to fill full-time, part-time, temporary, limited duration and on-call positions.

In accordance with Oregon Law

Multnomah County is not collecting school attendance dates in the initial application process; please do not include these dates in your resume, cover letter and other application materials.

Diversity and Inclusion:

At Multnomah County, we don't just accept difference; we value it and support it to create a culture of dignity and respect for our employees.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran or protected veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected characteristics. The EEO Know Your Rights poster is available for your reference. Multnomah County is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We request priority protected veteran referrals.

Veterans’ Preference:

Under Oregon Law, qualifying veterans may apply for veterans’ preference. Review our veterans’ preference page for details about eligibility and how to apply.

Accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act:

We gladly provide reasonable accommodation to anyone whose specific disability prevents them from completing an application or participating in this recruitment process. Please contact the recruiter below in advance to request assistance. Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may contact the recruiter through the Telecommunications Relay Service by dialing 711.

Questions?

Recruiter

Dale Cornelius

Email

[e-mail]

Phone

[phone]

Job Profile

9054 - Paralegal

Disclaimer: This announcement is intended as a general descriptive recruitment guide and is subject to change. It does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.