Career Opportunity

8173-Legal Assistant

Recruitment: RTF0125746-01151445

Published: September 21, 2022

Accepting applications until: October 04, 2022

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal Learn More

About:

Specific Information Regarding this Recruitment Process

Department: Public Defender's Office- Clean Slate 
Job class: 8173- Legal Assistant
Role type: Temporary Exempt What does this mean?
Hours: Part-time 

This is a part time (20 hours per week) grant position approved until 6/30/2024.

The Public Defender’s office provides legal representation to persons charged with a crime in San Francisco who do not have the financial means to retain their own counsel. Each year, the office serves approximately 20,000 people. The San Francisco Public Defender’s office is a nationally recognized model of public defense. The Public Defender provides legal staffing for each of the misdemeanor and felony preliminary hearing and trial courts, the Mental Health and Youth Defender Unit divisions, the Community Justice Center, Domestic Violence Court, Behavioral Health Court, Veterans’ Justice Court, Drug Court, Intensive Supervision court, Parole Court, Young Adult Court, and Extradition.

The Crankstart Project is a grant supporting the mission and objectives of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Clean Slate program. The Project is designed to substantially expand program staffing to meet the growing demands of background clearance so clients can get connected to jobs, housing, education and public benefits.

Role description

The primary responsibilities of the Clean Slate Unit paralegal are as follows:

·       Conducting comprehensive legal research and writing to ever-changing body of Clean Slate/expungement law;

·       Managing a high-volume of weekly Clean Slate applications (hundreds);

·       Requesting confidential criminal background reports;

·       Communicating with other agencies such as San Francisco Police Department, California Department of Corrections, Criminal Division of the Superior Court, Office of the City Attorney and Office of the District Attorney;

·       Working closely with Public Defender staff, such as attorneys in the Immigration and Trial Units, investigators, and clerks;

The paralegal will frequently be required to travel to jail facilities and conduct client interviews, specifically requiring a stellar ability to communicate and interact with challenging clients who may sometimes be psychiatrically impaired. The position also requires an excellent working relationship with community justice partners in order to facilitate community clinics, presentation and outreach activities. This position, while often working independently, will be working with a small collaborative team and keep the team members informed.

How to qualify

Education:

Completion of a certificated Paralegal Studies curriculum approved by the American Bar Association

Substitution:

The education as described above may be substituted by one of the following:

Possession of an associate (AA) degree from an accredited college or university AND six (6) months of law-related work experience;

OR

Completion of thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter units of law-related courses from a postsecondary institution that has been accredited by the American Bar Association or by a national/regional accrediting organization or approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education;

OR

Two (2) years of paralegal or law-related work experience under the direct supervision of an attorney

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

·       Bilingual proficiency in Spanish or Cantonese;

·       Experience in conducting legal interviews;

·       Experience in using EXCEL and setting up a database;

·       Experience in reviewing, sorting, and summarizing voluminous court records, police reports and rehabilitation materials submitted by Clean Slate petitioners;

·       Familiarity with reviewing criminal background “rap” sheets that range from local San Francisco rap sheets, Statewide “CII” rap sheets, and FBI or federal rap sheets;

·       Knowledge of statutes dealing with expungement under Penal Code section 1203.4, factual innocence under Penal Code section 851.8, and Vacaturs under Penal Code section 1473.7;

·       Comprehensive knowledge of prosecutorial statute of limitations on felony and misdemeanor arrests;

·       Works Independently but a team player

What else should I know?

HOW TO APPLY:

In addition to the application process, please provide all the following materials by 11:59pm on October 4, 2022 via email to PUBDEF.HR@sfgov.org

Subject: 8173- Legal Assistant - Interested in the Position

a.     A contact list (emails & phone numbers) of 4 professional references (3 supervisors and 1 colleague).

b.     An updated resume

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.