Paralegal

United States Courts; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 84,000 - 141,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Washington (FPD) in Seattle is seeking a full-time paralegal to provide litigation support under the direction of the case attorney. The role involves organizing discovery, managing records, preparing pleadings, and assisting with trial preparation for clients facing federal charges.

The paralegal will work with the case team, uphold social justice values, and utilize tools like Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office, Everlaw,

Qualifications

• College degree or equivalent and a minimum of three years of specialized experience.
• Eligible for employment with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
• Ability to fingerprint and pass a background check; prior criminal conviction not necessarily disqualifying.

Responsibilities

• Provide case support at all stages of litigation.
• Organize and maintain voluminous discovery and electronically stored information.
• Review and analyze discovery and case documents.
• Gather and maintain records; prepare pleadings with attention to detail.
• Identify subject-matter experts and assist with their hiring.
• Provide direct client services and assistance with ancillary matters.
• Travel as necessary for client meetings, including to the local Federal Detention Center.
• Prepare demonstrative evidence and exhibits for hearings with presentation software.
• Assist attorneys in trial preparation and during trial, including voir dire and sentencing memoranda.
• Assist with appellate briefs and preparation of excerpts of record.

Skills

Case management

Legal writing

Communication

Attention to detail

Team collaboration

Education

College degree or equivalent

3+ years specialized paralegal experience

Tools

Adobe Acrobat

Microsoft Office

Everlaw

Relativity

IPro Eclipse

Trial Director

Job description

Court Name/Organization Washington Western Federal Public Defender

Overview of the Position The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Washington (FPD) is accepting applications for a full-time paralegal for our Seattle office. The FPD represents people charged with federal crimes who cannot afford to hire an attorney. The Court appoints our attorneys to represent accused persons before charges are filed, upon arrest, for the appeals process, and through federal habeas corpus review.

Paralegals provide litigation support for our clients under the direction of the case attorney and work collaboratively with all members of the case team. We seek a paralegal dedicated to defending those accused of committing crimes even when the evidence against them appears strong. Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to social justice and the promotion of equity and anti-oppressive practices. This position is supervised by the Chief Paralegal.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide case support at all stages of litigation;
• Organize and maintain voluminous discovery and electronically stored information using a range of formats and platforms;
• Review and analyze discovery and case documents;
• Gather and maintain records;
• Prepare pleadings efficiently and with attention to detail;
• Identify subject-matter experts and assist with their hiring and work;
• Provide direct client services and assistance with ancillary matters;
• Travel as necessary, including to the local Federal Detention Center to meet with detained clients;
• Prepare demonstrative evidence and exhibits for hearings, trials, and sentencings, including the use of presentation software such as Trial Director and PowerPoint;
• Assist attorneys in trial preparation and during trial, including with pretrial motions, jury instructions, voir dire, sentencing memoranda, and mitigation videos; and
• Assist attorneys with appellate briefs and preparation of excerpts of record.

We seek a colleague with excellent communication and interpersonal skills and a high degree of personal responsibility and integrity. Candidates should be self-motivated, resourceful, creative, and client focused. Experience working with Adobe Acrobat and the full Microsoft Office Suite is essential. Familiarity with electronic discovery management tools such as Everlaw, IPro Eclipse, and/or Relativity is desirable. Foreign language proficiency is also desirable.

Qualifications

The successful candidate must have (1) a college degree or the equivalent of three years of general experience and (2) a minimum of three years of specialized experience in the primary duties of this position. We encourage applications from people who do not have a college degree but have equivalent experience.

Applicants must meet the employment eligibility requirements of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. As a condition of employment, candidates must be fingerprinted and complete a background check. A prior criminal conviction is not necessarily disqualifying.

Employee Benefits

This position has a starting salary range of $83,935 to $141,367 (Grade 11, Step 1 to Grade 14, Step 1) and a full performance salary range of $109,122 to $183,782 (Grade 11, Step 10 to Grade 14, Step 10) based on the Judicial Salary Plan effective January 12, 2026. Salary will be based on professional experience. Benefits include health and life insurance plus 11 paid federal holidays, 13 days of paid sick leave, and 13 days of paid vacation leave annually. (The rate of vacation accrual increases with years of service.) The position is eligible for the Federal Employees Retirement System and the Thrift Savings Plan, which matches up to 5% of employee contributions. Salary is paid biweekly and only by direct deposit. Partial telework is available for this position. Work outside of regular business hours may be required.

Our office values diversity, is committed to equity and inclusion, and aspires to create a culture of mutual respect, collaboration, openness, and humility that honors the people we represent. We believe representation is better when members of the defense team have diverse backgrounds and experiences, and we seek applications from a diverse group of qualified individuals. We especially encourage applications from people who have been affected by the criminal legal system and people from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups. We are interested in applicants’ talent, intelligence, dedication, persistence, and desire to see that all people are treated fairly and respectfully—no matter the allegation or circumstance.

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.