$61,636 – 96,941* (JS 9 – JS 11)

SAN DIEGO, CA

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Paralegal/Judicial Assistant (JA) is a permanent staff member in the Judge's chambers. The successful candidate will have a professional demeanor, positive attitude, excellent organizational skills, the initiative to ensure smooth running of the chambers, and the ability to act as the institutional memory of a small office with four law clerks who turn over annually and externs who serve for an academic semester.

The Paralegal/JA performs administrative and legal duties using legal terminology, procedures, and documents. Duties include administrative management of the chambers, assisting the judge in the daily activities of the office and other assignments, cite checking, drafting orders, maintaining electronic case files and databases, travel management and preparing expense reports, regular monitoring and scheduling of the Judge's calendar, monitoring of email, preparing correspondence and reports, supply procurement, coordinating with the clerk's office, IT staff and other court departments, and assisting in coordination of the Judge's committee work.

The Paralegal/JA is responsible for the administrative aspects of preparing the Judge for calendar. These duties include coordinating with law clerks, staff attorneys, and clerk's office; assisting in the check for potential conflicts of interest; tracking deadlines; and organizing paper and electronic briefs and files.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, or a paralegal certificate from an accredited paralegal program.  See further qualification levels, below.
• Must possess a strong legal, administrative or paralegal background. Excellent command of English grammar and spelling.
• Excellent organization, communication and administrative skills. Computer proficiency with word processing, email, legal research and database maintenance.
• Progressively responsible general clerical or secretarial experience that provided a good knowledge of office clerical practices such as filing, telephone usage, and typing.
• Proficiency with making travel arrangements and submitting expense reports.
• Ability to work collegially in a small working environment.
• Integrity, character, and good judgment.

*Salary: Depending on qualifications and experience:

• FOR GRADE JS 9: 1 year of specialized work experience.*
• FOR GRADE JS 10: 2 years of specialized work experience.*
• FOR GRADE JS 11:  3 years of specialized work experience*, or a juris doctor (JD) from a law school of recognized standing.

** Specialized work experience is defined as experience that is in or closely related to the work of the position that has provided the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior federal court litigation experience
• Prior experience with court procedures

TOTAL REWARDS AND WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Salary*: Depending on qualifications and experience, $61,636 – 96,941 (JS-9 to JS-11)

Time off: 13 days of paid vacation for the first three years, increasing with tenure thereafter, 13 sick days accrued per year, 11 paid holidays.

Benefits:

• Federal pension plan and optional employer-matching Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401K).
• Choice of a variety of employer-subsidized federal health and life insurance plans. Optional dental, vision, and long-term care coverage.
• Flexible spending account to pay out-of-pocket health and dependent care expenses with tax-free dollars.

Other Perks: Eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program; public transit subsidy; alternate work schedules; and reasonable work hours.

HOW TO APPLY AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Please submit a PDF application through the Court's Career Portal that includes:

(1) cover letter;

(2) resume;

(3) 2 letters of recommendation or references.

Only complete applications will be considered.

NEXT STEPS

• PRIORITY GIVEN TO APPLICATIONS RECEIVED BY JANUARY 26, 2022.
• VIDEO CONFERENCE INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE.
• POSITION OPEN UNTIL FILLED.

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.  The court requires all its employees to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID 19 absent an exemption from the requirement based on a documented medical reason or a sincerely held religious belief.

EQUAL FOCUSED EMPLOYER

We value diversity and are committed to equity and inclusion in our workplace.  The Ninth Circuit encourages applications from all qualified individuals and seeks a diverse pool of applicants in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, languages spoken, veteran's status, disability, religion, and socio-economic circumstance.