Paralegal I (Riverside) - Public Defender

ABOUT THE POSITION

The County of Riverside Law Offices of the Public Defender is seeking a Paralegal I to support the Mental Health Division in Riverside.

This is a full-time, in-office position.

As a Paralegal I, the incumbent will perform a broad range of paralegal duties for one or more attorneys engaged in administrative, civil or criminal law; assist in the preparation of cases for trial and hearing matters; prepare exhibits, witnesses and indexes documents for trial; and perform other related duties as required.

Candidates with experience in a law office setting, working with individuals dealing with mental illness, and who are bilingual in Spanish, are encouraged to apply.

Who May Apply
This recruitment is open to all applicants.

Current employees of the County of Riverside and/or the County of Riverside Law Offices of the Public Defender may be considered before other applicants, depending on the volume of applications received.

Meet the Team!

It is the mission of the Law Offices of the Public Defender to provide the highest quality legal representation to any person unable to afford it for criminal, juvenile, or certain civil proceedings.

The Public Defender strives to preserve human dignity in all cases where citizens' liberties are at stake.

The Public Defender is dedicated to the principle that no citizen shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without competent, professional, and vigorous representation so that due process is implemented fairly, equitably, and without prejudice.

The Public Defender is headquartered in Riverside, with additional offices providing support to residents in Banning, Blythe, Murrieta, and Indio.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Research and analyze law sources (i.e., statutes, ordinances, court decisions, criminal pleadings, police reports, legal documents, and articles) for use in preparing legal documents (i.e., briefs, pleadings, contracts, deeds, opinions) for review, approval and use by an attorney.

• Interview witnesses, defendants and others in civil or criminal cases for pre-trial or pre-hearing declarations; respond to propounding discovery and discovery requests.

• Correspond with clients and witnesses; collect client background information; assist in the identification of rehabilitative placement resources; research and identify placement resources for alternative sentencing of clients and assist in the placement therein of clients.

• Draft motions, memoranda of points and authorities, interrogatories and answers, complaints and answers, cross-claims, affidavits, briefs, and declarations.

• Review legal documents and forms for completeness and conformance to specific requirements set forth in applicable legal codes.

• Review and process requests for criminal record background information in order to determine the existence or non-existence of prior convictions; obtain criminal record information and related documents and screen for legal sufficiency.

• Gather...