Human Services Paralegal II

About Our Job

Who We Are

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level.

The Denver City Attorney’s Office is one of the largest law firms in Colorado, with over 240 attorneys and staff members comprised of paralegals, victim advocates, and other support and supervisory staff members. It may have the most diverse practice of any law firm in Colorado since Denver is a home rule city and county. Clients include the Mayor, City Council, all other elected and appointed officials, all city agencies, departments, boards, commissions, and employees.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The salary range for this position is $31.65 - $49.06/hour, based on education and experience. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which includes but is not limited to:

A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service

457B Retirement plan

132 hours of PTO earned within first year + 11 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday and 1 volunteer day per year

Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site several days a week and off-site as needed. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days.

This position will be located at the Richard T. Castro Building at 1200 Federal Boulevard, Denver, CO 80204.

What You’ll Do

The Denver City’s Attorney’s Office seeks an experienced Paralegal II (specifically in our Intake Team) for the Child Welfare Litigation Unit of the Human Services Section of the Department of Law.

Paralegal II’s perform intermediate level paraprofessional legal work assisting attorneys with a full-range of legal support work such as drafting legal documents, e-filing, preparing files for hearings, researching all elements of their cases, supporting their assigned attorney in the courtroom, database maintenance, docketing, and corresponding with the in-house client.

The Child Protection and Youth Services Unit is dedicated to meeting the legal needs of the Division of Child Welfare of the Denver Department of Human Services, including providing the legal framework and representation for DHS to serve families of abused or neglected children through the Dependency or Neglect process, providing legal representation for DHS in juvenile delinquency cases, or through providing legal advice and counsel on the many initiatives and collaborations the Division and its stakeholders are involved in.

This job is a perfect fit for an experienced paralegal that is highly skilled, highly organized, detail oriented, able to work in a fast-paced environment, and a self-starter. This position offers the opportunity for meaningful and interesting legal work in a dynamic environment with good work-life balance and regular hours. This position is specific to our Intake Team, and requires the ability to:

Handle difficult subject matters;

Work a heavy and consistent virtual and paperless litigation docket;

Draft very detailed pleadings (outside of templates);

Navigate Trails (the automated case management system for Child Welfare, Child Care and Youth Corrections data);

Provide exceptional customer service;

Learn on the job;

Track follow-up tasks

Responsibilities

As an Intake Paralegal for the Child Welfare Litigation Unit, your day-to-day responsibilities will include:

Handle New filings (alpha split between intake paralegals), including gathering information on parties, drafting and e-filing initial pleadings such as Petition, Summons, proposed orders, etc.

Judge Holds, Bench Warrants, Detention Hearings, Unaccompanied Refugee Minors and Petition in Need of Placement (beginning of case)

Docket Prep

Conduct diligent search to identify and locate parties

Judge Holds, Bench Warrants, Detention Hearings (beginning of case)

Affidavits of Parentage, and Parentage Orders

Draft Adjudicatory and Dispositional Orders

Genetic Testing

Draft and e-file Amended Petitions if names of parties have change (update captions, worksheets, and case management system)

Initiate service on parties vis personal/certified mail and publications

Handle Defaults

Draft, e-file and mail to Tribes Initial ICWA notices (track delivery receipts and update case management system)

Gather information for, draft and e-file ICWA Affidavits/Declarations (for Dispositional & Paternity hearings)

Draft ICWA F&O (for Dispositional & Paternity hearings)

Certifying APR Orders down to Juvenile Court (including identifying companion cases)

Approve service/publication invoices

Upload intake-related pleadings to client’s case management system

Performs other related duties as assigned

Employees may be re-deployed to work in other capacities in their own agencies or in other City agencies to support core functions of the City during a City-wide emergency declared by the Mayor.

Any one position may not include all of the duties listed. However, the allocation of positions will be determined by the amount of time spent in performing the essential duties listed above.

About You

What You’ll Bring

Our ideal candidate is an experienced paralegal with a strong commitment to provide quality service to the citizens of Denver, and, has the following experience:

Paralegal certification

Preferred paralegal experienced in civil litigation

Knowledge of Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure

Experience with Colorado Courts E-Filing system and Colorado Courts Data Access

Experience with trial preparation and in trial support in state courts

Experience with and demonstrated proficiency with the following:

Westlaw or LexisNexis

Proficient with MS-Word, Adobe DC Pro, Excel, Outlook and Teams.

Ability to effectively communicate with clients, attorneys, and other staff members

Ability to prioritize and work effectively in a fast-paced environment

Strong attention to detail

Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work well under pressure

A self-starter and team player

Experience with Trails and Passport is a plus

Required Minimum Qualifications

Education requirement: Graduation from high school or the possession of a GED, HiSET or TASC Certificate.

Experience Requirement: Two (2) years of full-time paralegal experience in a public or private law office, not including internships.

Education/Experience Equivalency: Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.

License and Certifications: Must be able to pass an initial pre-security clearance screening and maintain CBI (Colorado Bureau of Investigation) certification as a condition of employment. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

Application Deadline

This posting is expected to stay open until June 30th. Please submit your application as soon as possible.

To be considered for this position, you must include the following on your job application (Upload the attachment(s) to the Resume/CV section on the My Experience tab):

Resume

Cover letter - Highly preferred

About Everything Else

Job ProfileCL0367 Paralegal II

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position TypeUnlimited

Position Salary Range$31.65 - $49.06

Starting PayAlthough our full pay range is included above, the budgeted hiring range for this position is based on education and experience

AgencyCity Attorney's Office

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.

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