Paralegal III

State of North Carolina; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 55,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

12 paid holidays

Vacation and sick leave

Retirement benefits

Job summary

The North Carolina Department of Justice, Appellate and Post-Conviction Section, seeks a Paralegal III to provide essential clerical and legal support to appellate attorneys. Duties include proofreading, filing, and organizing case materials for both capital and non-capital matters; some travel is required.

Requirements include formal paralegal training with three years of experience, or a bachelor’s with three years of paralegal work, or equivalent as described.

Qualifications

• Ability to communicate effectively and efficiently.
• Ability to create documents with minimal errors.
• Knowledge of appellate and post-conviction legal processes is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide paralegal and clerical support to appellate and post-conviction attorneys.
• Proof, cite check, and format filings and authorities for briefs.
• Prepare templates, proofread, and create Tables of Authorities and Contents for briefs.
• Electronically file documents in federal and state courts.
• Prepare service copies and exhibits for filings.
• Collect and prepare discovery documents for capital and non-capital cases.
• Check citations and edit documents with minimal review.
• Organize case information and manage document storage.
• Track attorney cases and deadlines.

Skills

Effective communication

Document drafting

Attention to detail

Education

Paralegal training + 3 years experience

Bachelor’s degree + 3 years paralegal experience

GED/HS + 7 years paralegal experience

Job description

Agency

Dept of Justice

Division

DOJ Legal Services

Job Classification Title

Paralegal III (S)

Position Number

60010220

Grade

LG05

About Us

The North Carolina Department of Justice, led by the Attorney General of North Carolina, represents the state, state agencies, and elected officials, and defends the rights of the people of North Carolina. The Department handles all state criminal appeals cases and assists district attorneys with complex criminal cases at their request. Additionally, the Department of Justice includes the North Carolina State Crime Lab, the North Carolina Justice Academy, and the Sheriffs’ and Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Divisions.

Description of Work

Recruitment Range: Up to $61,600

IMPORTANT NOTE: This posting closes at 11:59:59 PM the night BEFORE the End Date listed.

Some key job duties are as follows:

1. Provide paralegal and clerical support to Appellate and Post-conviction attorneys preparing the State’s briefs, motions, petitions, responses and other legal documents.
2. Proof, cite check, run tables of contents and authorities for filings and other duties for the section as needed.
3. Prepare templates for documents, proofread and edit all documents, prepare the Tables of Authorities, Tables of Content and Appendixes for briefs and other appellate filings.
4. Electronically file documents in the United States and North Carolina courts.
5. Prepare service copies and exhibits for filings.
6. Collect and prepare discovery documents for capital and non-capital criminal cases.
7. Check citations to applicable legal authorities, make corrections as necessary and independently make review decisions with minimal review in making final edits.
8. Organize attorney case information and manage document collection and/or storage.
9. Track attorney cases.

Some travel, including some occasional overnight stays are required.

The Appellate and Post-Conviction Section of the Criminal Division of the North Carolina Department of Justice is to represent the State in criminal matters after a defendant’s trial is completed. This includes: (1) direct appeals of criminal convictions in any of the judicial districts of the State before the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of North Carolina as well as state post-conviction petitions filed in the State Appellate Courts;(2) to research and prepare the State’s briefs and present oral argument in federal habeas corpus litigation in the federal district courts and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals; (3)the attorneys in the section handle the most difficult and complex criminal appeals and petitions, and therefore, because of their expertise, also serve as resources for all of the attorneys in the Department of Justice who handle occasional criminal appeals as part of their duties through the criminal brief rotation; (4) the section attorneys also represent the State of North Carolina in capital (death penalty) litigation, particularly at the state and federal post-conviction levels before the North Carolina Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of the United States, and the lower federal courts; (5) assist District Attorneys in all aspects of such state capital litigation, both at trial and in post-conviction proceedings; (6) act as liaison with Attorneys General and prosecutors on criminal law issues; (7) the section attorneys represent the State in non-capital state post-conviction petitions filed upon request of the District Attorneys and approval of the Criminal Bureau Chief; (8) the section also has the responsibility to defend against non-capital federal habeas corpus actions filed in federal courts by State prisoners seeking to overturn their North Carolina state court convictions, and thereby prevent expensive and time-consuming retrials or the premature release of criminals who cannot be retried.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities/Management Preferences

• Ability to communicate effectively and efficiently.
• Ability to create documents with minimal errors.

Minimum Education and Experience

Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See the Education and Experience Equivalency Guide for details.

Graduation from an appropriately accredited institution for paralegal training and three years of experience as a paralegal; or Bachelor’s degree from an appropriately accredited institution and three years of substantive paralegal experience; or High school or General Education Development (GED) diploma and seven years of paralegal experience performing delegated, substantive legal work; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

The North Carolina Department of Justice, includes the North Carolina State Crime Lab, the North Carolina Justice Academy, and the Sheriffs’ and Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Divisions.

The State of North Carolina offers employer paid health insurance plus twelve paid holidays, generous vacation and sick leave accrual, dental, vision, and other insurance options, and retirement benefits.

Supplemental Information

Resumes and cover letters: To receive credit for your work history and credentials, you must list the information on the online application form. This information is used to determine if you meet the requirements of the position, and if you are selected, it is used to determine a salary offer.

Using the terms “See Resume” or “See Attachment” will not be accepted, and your application will be rejected as incomplete. Cover letters are highly encouraged but not required.

Credit for foreign degrees will only be given if verification of degree certification is attached to your application. Transcripts for foreign degrees have to be evaluated by an organization like World Education Services to determine US equivalency.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

NC Department of Justice
Human Resources
[e-mail]

EEO Statement

The State of North Carolina is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and dedicated to providing employees with a work environment free from all forms of unlawful employment discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. The state provides reasonable accommodation to employees and applicants with disabilities; known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; and for religious beliefs, observances, and practices.

Recruiter:

Wendy K Minich

Recruiter Email:

[e-mail]