Paralegal
Under the direction of the General Counsel and Director of Government Affairs (GC DGA), the primary job duty of the Paralegal is to provide support to the Legal Division, and as requested, to forensic sections and business departments, in furtherance of their compliance with legal obligations. Primary support will be in assisting HFSC attorneys and the Public Information and Records Management Officer in complex administrative tasks related to legal research, writing, review, analysis, and compliance. Specific duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Legal Division Support
•As directed by the GC DGA, assist legal department with tasks in support of legal projects and duties, including but not limited to, contract review and drafting, legal research, editing and drafting legal documents and presentations.•Utilizes a variety of sources such as statutes, recorded judicial decisions, and legal articles to research and analyze legal topics.
•Drafts and edits legal documents such as briefs, pleadings, memorandums, presentations and motions.
•Assists attorneys with depositions, witness interviews, discovery, and investigations in preparation for court appearances and administrative hearings.
•Serve as contracts administrator for the Contracts Lifecycle Management System (CLMS), screening requests, managing user accounts, tracking review turnaround times through monthly and annual reports, responding to, and fixing system errors or referring errors to designated technical support resources. Provide assistance to the HFSC Public Information Officer in fulfilling records requests subject to the Public Information Act, including, but not limited to redacting records, drafting letters to the Texas Attorney General, and researching previous Open Records letter rulings and decisions from the Texas Attorney General's Office.
•As requested, assist with compilation and review of complex discovery and records requests.
•Assist with the post-conviction review team and workflow, serving as the post-conviction monitor when requested, researching cases, and providing updates to the team as needed.
•Process expunctions and ensure appropriate documents are filed with the court and/or submitted to the parties, including, but not limited to logging, researching, and drafting and filing signature pages and waivers.
•Assist in processing requests for HFSC forensic services and drafting outsourcing agreements under the guidance of the GC DGA.
•Assist with Board meeting materials including drafting action item summaries, conducting research for agenda items, and serving as Board Secretary in the absence of the appointed Board Secretary.
•Provide significant assistance to the HFSC Records Management Officer in administrative tasks related to records management projects.
•Perform tasks in support of HFSC's overall records management processes, including but not limited to records audits, tracking, filing, cataloging, scanning, inventorying, and other related tasks.
•Provide support to the Government and Public Affairs team, including but not limited to preparing documents and compiling data for meetings with elected and appointed officials as well as stakeholder leadership teams.
•Recommends innovative new processes that will benefit the division.
•Serve as s notary public for the organization.
Forensic Section Support
•As assigned or approved by the GC DGA, provide support and assistance to HFSC's seven (7) forensic sections, in furtherance of each section's compliance with legal obligations, including fulfilment of discovery request and subpoenas for records.
•Provide requested updates on court status and case disposition to sections to assist in resolution of pending records, subpoenas, and casework requests.
•Analyze and report subpoena tracking data, as requested.
MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor's degree in a related field is required.
Paralegal certification is required, or ability to obtain certification within 12 months of hire from approved certification program. Failure to obtain certification will result in demotion, reassignment, or termination if no position exists for which the individual is qualified.
MINIMUM EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
•Minimum of 2 years previous experience in a similar industry is required. Similar industries include experience in a legal department or law office, government, forensic laboratory (records department), court, or a county or district clerk's office. Experience need not be as a paralegal.
•Experience in Harris County Criminal Justice System and/or a forensic laboratory environment is a plus.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS
• Demonstrated skill in oral and written communication.
• Ability to manage multiple projects with quick turnaround times simultaneously.
• Excellent attention to detail, laser focus on quality, and ability to consider the big picture.
• Excellent stakeholder management and interpersonal skills, including the confidence to interact with and influence personnel at all levels.
• Demonstrated ability to use complex analytical skills to select and execute duties.
• Demonstrated skills in listening, responsiveness, flexibility, initiative, decision-making, and conflict resolution.
• Demonstrated proficiency in Office Suite products; specifically, Microsoft TEAMS and Office 365.
• Motivated self-starter requiring minimal guidance yet possessing ability to know when to ask for help
• Strong initiative as well as excellent teamwork, creative thinking and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated ability to develop innovative solutions to problems
• Excellent organization skills
• Desire to learn the organization operations as well as the culture of HFSC; ability to quickly assess risk and provide meaningful mission focused guidance.
Benefits:
Houston Forensic Science Center offers a competitive benefit and salary package.
