Legal Assistant
Location: Fairfax, VA
Job ID: 5005632
Salary: $43,697
Closing Date: January 11, 2024
Job Duties
The Virginia Indigent Defense Commission (VIDC), a Commonwealth of Virginia Independent Agency, is dedicated to protecting and defending the rights of our clients through zealous, compassionate, high-quality legal advocacy. The Fairfax Public Defender Office is committed to providing dedicated, compassionate, client-based, and community-embedded representation for the indigent clients that we represent. The Fairfax Public Defender Office is now accepting applications for the position of Legal Assistant. The qualified candidate will provide administrative and clerical support for attorneys, investigators, and mitigation specialists in the Public Defenders’ office. The Legal Assistant position reports to the Chief Public Defender of the Fairfax Office and is employed at-will. This position also includes a local city supplement.
Duties:
Duties for the position include greeting persons entering the Public Defender Office as well as operating a multi-line telephone system, screening and forwarding calls, providing information to callers, taking messages, and scheduling appointments. Additional qualifications include typing a variety of documents to include but not limited to memos, letters, and various types of legal documents; maintaining a filing and record-keeping system; collecting, sorting, distributing, and preparing mail and communicating and interacting with public defender office colleagues, clients and judicial system personnel. The Legal Assistant candidate will communicate effectively and compassionately with clients, client support networks, and with members of the public or other members of the legal community.
The IDC is committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our workforce. We encourage and welcome qualified applicants of all identities, cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.
Minimum Qualifications
Being bilingual in Spanish and English is required. The position requires a working knowledge of office practices and procedures to include creating and editing letters, memos, and legal documents. The position requires experience in use of computer software to include word processing, spreadsheet and database applications and specifically experience using Microsoft applications to include, Word and Excel. The position requires familiarity with Google Suite applications, to include Gmail, Google Docs, etc. The qualified candidate will have experience creating and managing an electronic and manual filing system and skills in keyboarding. The qualified candidate will effectively communicate both orally and in writing and work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, team-driven environment. The Legal Assistant position also requires the ability to communicate both effectively and compassionately with clients as well as their support networks and other participants in the legal system. Direct communication with members of the public and the ability to respond to their immediate needs is required.
Additional Considerations
Candidates with prior experience providing administrative and clerical support in a criminal justice and/or legal environment will be strongly considered.
