Resource Paralegal

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 OPDs 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 OPDs 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. TheTrueblood Element Programs includeOutpatient Competency Restoration Programs (OCRP)Forensic Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (FPATH) andForensic Housing and Recovery through Peer Services (FHARPS) 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 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.

Thats where you come in.

The Position

As our TEP Resource Paralegal youll be the go-to legal resource for Providers with questions about their clients criminal legal situationslike 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 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.

• 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 Washingtons most vulnerable populations;
• Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• An associates 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.
• 35 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 OPDs Mission Vision and Values

Compensation

Application Process

To be considered interested candidates must apply online at (Click on the APPLY button above.) You must complete the entire online 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.