RESOURCE PARALEGAL

Description

We Want You to Join Our Passionate Public Defense Team!

Do you thrive at the intersection of public service and legal systems? Do you love helping people and navigating the criminal legal system? Are you a natural problem solver who gets satisfaction from connecting the dots? The Washington State Office of Public Defense (OPD) is looking for two Resource Paralegals to join our newly created Trueblood Element Programs Resource Unit! These positions are funded by an interagency-agreement with the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) through June 30, 2027, with a strong possibility of renewed funding after June 30, 2027.

About the Washington State Office of Public Defense (OPD)

We are an independent judicial branch agency mandated to implement the constitutional and statutory guarantees of counsel and to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of indigent defense services funded by the state.

Mission: Upholding the rights of all people who are facing the loss of liberty or family by providing statewide leadership, administration, and support to the multidisciplinary public defense profession.

Vision: Public defense clients, everywhere in the state, receive truly equitable and client-centered representation from fully supported professionals.

Values: Justice * Service * Equity * Excellence

We administer a variety of programs, including systemic improvement programs and programs providing direct representation. To learn about OPD’s programs click here. We are dedicated to excellence in public law and indigent defense, and we seek talented candidates who share this commitment to client-centered service. We value employees who bring diverse backgrounds in education, employment, public policy, community activities, and life experiences to enhance our office.

Background on the Creation of OPD’s Trueblood Element Programs Resource Team

Trueblood v. Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is an active lawsuit that challenged unconstitutional delays in competency evaluation and restoration services. The case resulted in a settlement agreement. The agreement funds several different programs. The Trueblood Element Programs include Outpatient Competency Restoration Programs (OCRP) (Download PDF reader), Forensic Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (FPATH) (Download PDF reader), and Forensic Housing and Recovery through Peer Services (FHARPS) (Download PDF reader), among others. These Trueblood Element Programs are one of multiple pieces of the Trueblood settlement agreement managed by the state Health Care Authority (HCA), in collaboration with other state agencies. HCA contracts with community behavioral health providers, spanning 16 counties in Washington State, to provide services for Trueblood Class Members enrolled in these programs. HCA-Contracted Providers (Providers) consist of multidisciplinary teams within community behavioral health agencies. Providers build relationships with Trueblood Class Members eligible for enrollment in these programs in the community, and connect them with support including housing, basic needs, behavioral health, and health care. Connection to such services reduces the likelihood of future criminal legal system and competency services involvement and aims to increase long-term stability and wellness.

About the Trueblood Element Programs Resource Team at OPD

The Trueblood Element Programs (TEP) Resource Team is a newly created team at OPD, in partnership with the HCA. The TEP Resource Team will consist of a quarter-time resource attorney, and two full-time resource paralegals. The TEP Resource Team will work closely with Providers to deliver consultation, coordination support, and training to support the goal of reducing current and future criminal legal system involvement of Trueblood class members enrolled in Trueblood Element Programs.

Providers help connect eligible individuals with support including housing, basic needs, behavioral health, and health care. However, the individuals they support are often entangled in the criminal legal system. The TEP Resource Team will help the Providers understand and navigate the criminal legal system, to help eliminate barriers to their clients’ basic livability and medical needs.

That's where you come in.

The Position

As our TEP Resource Paralegal, you'll be the go-to legal resource for Providers with questions about their clients’ criminal legal situations—like active warrants, past charges, or pending hearings. Using secure databases, your role is to help identify legal matters and get Providers connected to the right public defenders or legal resources across the state. In a state with 150+ discrete courts, and non-unified prosecutorial and public defense systems, this is no small task. And, this is a new program, so some amount of trial and error should be expected. The successful candidate for this role should be comfortable with collaborating on a team that is essentially building the plane while flying it.

Periodic travel may be required in Washington State, including occasional overnight travel. Out-of-state travel occurs infrequently.

Duties

• Be available to answer calls and emails daily during business hours, Monday through Friday, from Providers in Washington requesting criminal legal system information about their clients;
• Research and analyze relevant points of criminal legal system involvement for eligible individuals as requested by Providers; use public databases or confidential or secure systems daily like JABS, JIS, and Odyssey to identify warrants, pending cases, prior convictions, or other legal-system involvement of the individual as available in existing databases;
• Attend meetings with HCA, Providers, and regional legal system partners;
• Connect Providers with local public defense agencies or other legal resources for follow-up or direct legal representation; help liaise between Providers and legal system actors as needed; provide consultation and support to Providers interfacing with legal system actors.
• Create and lead trainings for Providers and other Trueblood teams on navigating the criminal legal system, understanding legal terminology, or process, or other applicable training topics related to supporting Trueblood class members
• Continually research and compile relevant information about the different courts, prosecutorial, and public defense providers across the state;
• Build relationships with system actors in counties and cities;
• Perform legal research projects as assigned, research all statutes and case law necessary to complete projects under the direction of a supervising attorney;
• Collect and maintain statistical data for the compilation of monthly and/or annual statistics for internal use, budget preparation, public inquiry, and management reports;
• Be part of a collaborative, mission-driven team working to ensure legal and behavioral health systems work better for Washington’s most vulnerable populations;
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• An associate’s degree in legal assistant or paralegal studies, or legal-related studies, and/or Paralegal certificate from an accredited program. Relevant experience may substitute for this requirement.
• 3–5 years of experience as a legal assistant or paralegal in Washington state, with a focus on criminal defense
• 3 years of experience and proficiency with, Washington court systems and legal databases, such as but not limited to JABS, JIS, and Odyssey
• Experience locating, interpreting, and summarizing criminal records, court dockets, and legal documents at the felony and misdemeanor leveL
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong Microsoft Office Suite skills
• Ability to deliver consistent and reliable attendance
• Strong organization and time management skills, including self-direction and punctuality
• Comfort handling sensitive, confidential information with discretion and professionalism
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively across teams and with different system actors (lawyers, prosecutors, social workers, court representatives, etc.)
• Ability to work on-site at our offices in Olympia at least four days per week

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in a public defense office or with an indigent defense contractor
• Experience working directly with vulnerable or justice-involved individuals
• Experience working with behavioral health professionals
• Ability to develop processes, and the flexibility to adapt and evolve processes when necessary
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, justice, and public service

General Responsibilities

• Exercise mature judgment in potentially sensitive, high-stress situations
• Participate in and foster a collaborative working environment at OPD, with statewide stakeholder groups, and in demographically diverse local court systems
• Diligently follow state employee ethics requirements
• Conduct all activities with the highest degree of professionalism in furtherance of OPD’s Mission, Vision and Values

Supplemental Information

Compensation

Application Process

To be considered, interested candidates must apply online at www.careers.wa.gov (Click on the APPLY button above.) You must complete the entire online application. In addition to the online application:

• Letter of interest.
• Current résumé
• At least three professional references.

The hiring authority reserves the right and may exercise the option to make a hiring decision at any time. We encourage all to apply as early as possible.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We vigorously pursue diversity in the work force and are an equal opportunity employer. OPD does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex (including gender identity), marital status, sexual orientation, race, religion, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, those who are formerly incarcerated or have prior child welfare involvement, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.

Pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion means that as an agency, and as individuals, we are committed to ensuring that all employees enjoy a respectful, safe, and supportive working environment.

Teleworking

Our offices are in Olympia, Washington. The TEP Resource Paralegals will be required to be on-site at least four days per week with a telework option one day per week. This option will be considered on an individual basis depending on the needs of the position and availability of adequate equipment.