Paralegal

The Opportunity

The ACLU of Northern California (ACLU NorCal) is seeking a paralegal. This position is represented by IFPTE Local 20 and is subject to telecommute under the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.

Paralegals will manage a range of diverse litigation support projects, in both state and federal court, at all stages of litigation, from initial pleadings to appeals. The work of a paralegal will also involve coordination and implementation of e-discovery solutions, organization of paper and electronic case files for litigation case files. The work of a paralegal will help to manage open records requests, as well as all stages of policy advocacy projects and campaigns. Paralegals will also support the Supervising Paralegal in maintaining department-wide systems and protocols. This position will report directly to the Supervising Paralegal and will be based in one of the ACLU NorCal offices (San Francisco, Sacramento, or Fresno).

Duties & Responsibilities

• Coordination of Ongoing and Potential Litigation
• Serve and file legal pleadings in state and federal court;
• Create and generate Table of Contents and Table of Authorities in legal briefs;
• Proof, format, and/or cite check legal briefs and pleadings;
• Assist with fact development of cases and discovery, including eDiscovery projects and the organization, collection, review, and production of documents obtained from clients and opposing parties;
• Prepare materials and provide assistance at depositions, court hearings, and trials;
• Monitor relevant deadlines, calculate court deadlines, and update case calendars; and
• Conduct Westlaw and PACER searches and document retrievals; other internet research.

• Coordination of Ongoing and Emerging Policy Advocacy
• Prepare and maintain documents for tracking legislation and/or media coverage;
• Track Public Records Act and Freedom of Information Act requests and responses, and where necessary, follow-up to ensure complete responses and assist with review of responses; and
• Format documents such as letters and reports and assist in the creation of PowerPoint or other presentations.
• Coordination of Department-Wide Systems & Administrative Tasks
• Coordinate with case teams on implementation and application of e-discovery strategies;
• Identify opportunities and implement solutions for improved use of systems and software to streamline workflow across the Department;
• Facilitate conflicts checks and case opening procedures for litigation matters;
• Conduct data-related tasks, including data entry, formatting worksheets, and basic analysis of worksheets;
• Prepare expense reports, reconcile credit card statements, coordinate check requests and contract approvals, book travel arrangements, mail and photocopy bulk materials;
• Update online case pages and other program materials on Program Teams' web pages; and
• Collaborate with Supervising Paralegal to provide back-up coverage for the Department's professional staff.
• Meetings
  • Participate in team, department, and org-wide meetings; help to set a collaborative, inclusive culture for those spaces; engage with ACLU colleagues as well as with external partners.

Qualifications

Education / Experience:

• At least 3 years' experience working in a law firm, legal non-profit or legal services organization, or providing paralegal or other litigation support; and
• A paralegal certificate in accordance with California Business and Professions Code 6450(c) or a Bachelor's degree.

Required Skills / Competencies:

• Strong project and time management skills, including ability to manage and prioritize competing projects and complete assignments under deadlines;
• Ability to effectively research and coordinate action plans for legal support workstreams (including for complex litigation filings);
• Working knowledge of ECF and other filing and service procedures in federal and CA state courts;
• Working knowledge of Westlaw and PACER;
• Ability to cite check using both Blue Book and California styles of citation;
• Ability to assist with discovery, including eDiscovery, and the organization, case management, collection, review strategy, and production of documents obtained over the course of litigation;
• High level of organization, attention to detail, and follow-through;
• Good judgment, dependable, punctual, and able to maintain a high level of confidentiality;
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including strong interpersonal skills;
• Commitment to pursuing public interest advocacy work, particularly in ACLU NorCal's core Program Areas;
• Solutions-oriented approach, including the ability to work independently and on a team, and willingness to take initiative while juggling several priorities all with personal enthusiasm; and
• Ability to occasionally come into the office early or stay late to effectuate filings.

Preferred Skills / Competencies:

• Experience and effectiveness in coordinating and organizing logistics, meetings, employee onboarding, and trainings; and
• Familiarity with conducting database searches in e-discovery databases (e.g., IPRO Eclipse, Relativity, Concordance, etc.) and reviewing documents within these programs for relevance, responsiveness, and privilege; facility with organizing large volumes of data.

Technical Skills:

• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Outlook, Adobe Acrobat, PowerPoint, Excel and other Office programs, including facility with mail merge, spreadsheets, tables, and charts; and
• Familiarity and comfort with e-discovery databases and case management software

Total Compensation

Compensation is administered in accordance with our CBA. This position is a Scale 2 role, starting salary range for this position is $80,739 - $107,652.

To Apply

Applications will be accepted until the position has been filled. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we will be evaluating applications on a rolling basis. Applications must include (1) a resume and (2) a cover letter.

The ACLU NorCal is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please e- mail . If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

The ACLU of Northern California advances equity and inclusion in the workplace by providing equal employment opportunity to support a work environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (over 40), sexual orientation, military and veteran status, and any other basis prohibited by law. The organization also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. This equal employment opportunity policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, advancement, training, problem resolution, and separation from employment. Through this policy, the ACLU NorCal strives to establish and maintain an equitable and accessible work environment that is free from discrimination and supportive of a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of our communities and the people we serve. ACLU NorCal will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).