Paralegal II / Fact Witness Coordinator Supporting the US Attorney's Office - FSA Federal
Albany, NY 12207
About the Job
FSA Federal (FSA) is focused on delivering unsurpassed services in support of law enforcement and homeland security. We currently have a vacancy for a Paralegal II to perform the duties of a Fact Witness Coordinator. In this role, you will be supporting the overall mission of the United States Attorney's Office (USAO). If you are looking for a meaningful, mission driven career, Join FSA!
A Paralegal II performs, but is not limited to the following duties:
- Provide witness management assistance prior to, during, and after trial. Typical assignments include: work directly with fact witnesses, provide assistance and support to ensure appearance for court, pre-trial conferences, and grand jury.
- Receive witnesses, field phone calls, questions and other inquiries from fact witnesses seeking information pertaining to court, pre-trial conferences, grand jury appearances and expense reimbursement.
- Provide witness travel services. Obtain pertinent information for files and documents necessary to arrange witness travel and reimbursements. Initiate contact/notify fact witnesses concerning travel arrangements, appearance date/time, and determine any special circumstances or needs of the fact witness. Use judgment to determine when AUSA should be notified of special circumstances or needs of fact witnesses. Make necessary arrangements for fact witness travel and lodging following Department of Justice and USAO policies and procedures. Arrangements are provided to office personnel for approval and confirmation.
- In the event of witness-related emergencies relating to travel (transportation delays or cancellations due to weather-related disasters and/or emergencies, health emergencies, check in/checkout issues regarding lodging), be available by government cellular service and email to ensure timely resolution of emergencies and prevent delays in scheduled federal court hearings, trials and grand jury matters.
- Confer with AUSA/Agent/Trial Team concerning fact witness appearance and special circumstances regarding witnesses (special circumstances include unusual expenses, international witnesses, military/federal employee witnesses, and hostile witnesses). Resolve complex and unique fact witness travel issues (such as securing translators, special transportation, etc.). Complete and submit proper documentation to JMD Special Authorizations to obtain prior approval before proceeding with travel arrangements. Prior to the witness arrival, seeks necessary pre-approvals from Victim Witness Coordinator, when appropriate.
- Meet with fact witnesses upon arrival to designated hearing or pre-trial conference, offer and perform courtroom orientation, accompany witness to court, ensure a safe waiting area is available, and collect necessary documentation and signatures for fact witness reimbursement documents.
- Serve as office liaison with area hotels. Assist Victim Witness Coordinator with establishing Memorandums of Understanding with area hotels for fact witness lodging.
- Prepare and submit documentation for fact witness reimbursement, i.e. witness vouchers and other required documentation for fact witnesses to F.A.S.T. Furnish requested information concerning pending and completed fact witness vouchers. Create and maintain excel documents for analyzation and auditing of fact witness transportation and lodging expenses, gather required documentation and reconcile Government Travel Accounts monthly relating to transportation and lodging. Provide administrative support to district Budget staff to ensure the prevention of double accruals to the fact witness allocations. Provide assistance to Budget staff on UFMS.
- Coordinate with AUSAs and support staff to obtain most up-to-date information regarding case status and court events. Provides AUSAs with information regarding witness attendance at court/grand jury events and arranges time for preparation and testimony as requested by AUSA.
- Complete variable aspects of recurring documents in conformance with the rules governing their style and format. Compose original letters that do not require legal interpretations, but require a good working knowledge of legal procedures and specialized terminology relevant to fact witness laws and regulations.
- Perform general office procedures pertaining to fact witness management, including, but not limited to: establish and maintain a variety of fact witness files, documents and databases; assemble documents and other information for fact witness; file material and retention in accordance with established procedures and Department of Justice regulations; if requested, establish and maintain calendar and/or database of active and pending fact witness appearances; track hearings, trial dates, grand jury and scheduling conferences; perform other administrative and logistical fact witness management related duties as required/assigned.
- Travel to other offices in the District to provide trial /grand jury assistance, as needed as well as travel to attend training.
- Works independently with little supervision.
A Paralegal II must meet the following qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree is required
- Computer skills including, but not limited to MS Excel, MS Outlook, Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Professional
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to perform word processing and data entry/retrieval
- Ability to review and analyze data and information from multiple sources
- Ability to establish case/project
- Ability to enter and retrieve data from databases
- Ability to prepare and format management reports
- Ability to manipulate, transfer, compute and print information
- Ability to prepare and correct reports and correspondence using word processing software
- Ability to schedule appointments, answer inquiries regarding case-related information maintained in the database, and answer inquiries regarding case-related status
- Ability to obtain additional information on the disposition of designated information, files, and assets
- Ability to assure information is accurate and perform analytic computations necessary to process data
- Ability to provide administrative information and assistance concerning case or file to other agencies/organizations
- Possess a valid driver's license
- Possess US Citizenship
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust Security Access
This position requires U.S. Citizenship and a 7 (or 10) year minimum background investigation.
Agency Overview
The United States Attorney's Office (USAO) serves as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.
Benefits Overview
At FSA Federal, we recognize the diverse needs of our employees and strive to provide an excellent package to help meet those needs. Comprehensive benefits are offered with greater choice and flexibility to support your health, work-life balance, and professional growth. A package providing employee only coverage can be built around our basic plans at $0 employee cost for: Medical, Dental, Vision, Term Life Insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance, Short-Term Disability, and Employee Assistance Program. For more information, click here.
Source : FSA Federal