Paralegal/Judicial Assistant

Vacancy Announcement #: 2025-03-USDC     

POSITION: Paralegal/Judicial Assistant

POSITION TYPE: Full-Time (Mon-Fri, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm)

SALARY RANGE:  JSP 9/1 to JSP 11/10 ($66,670 - $104,861)

**Starting salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. Current federal employees will be offered a lateral transfer.

OPEN DATE:  December 18, 2024

CLOSING DATE: Open until filled, with preference given to those who apply by January 6, 2025

AREA OF CONSIDERATION:  Open to all qualified individuals

LOCATION:  Denver, Colorado

The U.S. District Court, for the District Court of Colorado has an opening for a Paralegal/Judicial Assistant in the chambers of Senior U.S. District Judge William J. Martinez. The Paralegal/Judicial Assistant performs administrative and legal duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. This person will assist the judge in the daily activities of the office, performing administrative management, legal, and related paralegal duties as assigned by the judge. 

The Paralegal/Judicial Assistant is a permanent staff member in the Judge’s Chambers. The successful candidate will be professional, organized, optimistic, and proficient, and must be committed to preserving the respectful culture of the court and the chambers. The office includes a staff of law clerks, and the position is responsible for ensuring that operations run smoothly in the Judge’s absence. This position is a solid combination of both an executive assistant and a paralegal. The ideal candidate will have experience, aptitude, and willingness to perform both roles. 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform administrative duties, including using computer applications to prepare documents and correspondence, reviewing legal documents submitted to the court for completeness and accuracy, and other related duties. 
• Create and update templates and standard documents for orders, motions, and other related documents. Maintain office supplies and inventory of property assigned to chambers. Place calls for repair of office equipment. 
• Monitor deadlines, prioritize tasks, and determine need for action by the judge. Monitor caseload, organize filings and correspondence related to cases, log motions and other actions, and update the case list. Compile and arrange information and data and prepare required periodic reports regarding court and non-court activities. 
• Receive, screen, and refer questions in person or via telephone. Respond to basic questions related to the status and scheduling of cases. 
• Manage the judge’s schedule, continuously updating and coordinating with the judge, legal parties, attorneys, the clerk’s office, and other judicial officers and court unit executives.
• Track and monitor calendars, filings, hearings, etc. Review daily reports (electronic and paper) to identify new filings. 
• Maintain chambers information storage and filing systems (electronic and paper) for case filings, correspondence, publications, data, forms, and other documents.
• File orders, notices, and opinions in the court’s electronic filing system. 
• Conduct legal research using source material or the internet. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• For JSP-9, the candidate must have a bachelor’s degree or paralegal certificate and one year of specialized experience.
• For JSP-10, the candidate must have a bachelor’s degree or paralegal certificate and two years of specialized experience.
• For JSP-11, the candidate must have a bachelor’s degree or paralegal certificate and three years of specialized experience, or a juris doctor (JD) from a law school of recognized standing.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in the process of applying for citizenship. Successful applicants are provisionally hired pending results of background investigation and fingerprinting. Positions with the U.S. Courts are at-will, excepted service appointments, and may be terminated with or without cause by the Court. Employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees. Direct deposit of pay required. The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement, for any reason including, but not limited to, budgetary issues. Said modifications may occur without prior written or other notice.

BENEFITS

A generous benefits package is available and includes the following: 

• 13 days of paid vacation leave for first three years (increases with tenure) 
• 13 days of sick leave
• 11 paid holidays
• Retirement benefits and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government match up to 5%
• Health and group life Insurance, dental, and vision
• Flexible spending accounts (Health, Dependent, Parking)
• RTD Eco Pass (if budget permits)
• Potential on-site parking
• On-site fitness facilities
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
• Student loan forgiveness to qualified persons, pursuant to the terms of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program

See the complete list of benefits on our employment website here.

HOW TO APPLY

All qualified applicants should submit the following:

• Application form AO78 (Download it here) 
• Cover letter and resume
• Names and contact information for three professional references

Your application packet must be submitted as a single pdf document by email to: cod_hrd@cod.uscourts.gov.  Please note “Vacancy Announcement: 2025-03-USDC” in the subject line of the email.  Incomplete applications and applications received after the closing date may not be considered.

THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER