The Kings County District Attorney’s Office, located in the Metrotech area of Brooklyn, New York, has an exciting opportunity to work as a Paralegal in the Hate Crimes Bureau.

Brooklyn is divided into 23 police precincts, each with its commander and community precinct council. To better serve these diverse communities, the office is divided into five trial zones that prosecute non-specialized felony and Misdemeanor cases. Each zone encompasses four or five police precincts within a specified geographic area, and is distinguishable by a color-coded designation: Red, Blue, Grey, Green, and Orange.

The Hate Crimes Bureau also investigates and prosecutes crimes motivated by a victim’s race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.

Under direct supervision, with some latitude for independent initiative and judgment, the preferred candidate will be responsible for the following:
- Provide input into staff assignments and oversee and monitor the progress and status of paralegals’ case preparation.
- Provide feedback on job performance to staff.
- Keep the Bureau Chief informed of all issues and potential problems.
- Develop Tasks and Standards in accordance with agency guidelines and issues and discuss them with staff.
- Maintain up-to-date records on the status of Grand Jury minutes and apprise supervisors of problems in obtaining minutes. Promptly distribute minutes to the attorneys and outer bureaus
when appropriate.
- Liaison to copying and submitting documents to the Law Department – Family Court Division.
- Prep cases for trial and Grand Jury.
- Disseminate all relevant documents and information to staff.
- Assure that the paralegals are thoroughly and accurately trained on how to prep cases.
- Assure Witnesses are produced in a timely fashion by means of correspondence, notifications, telephone contacts, material witness orders or field team requests to detective investigators.
- Obtain information and documents through visits to court and other governmental agencies.
- Review all files and documents for proper action to be taken.
- Report to supervisor on status of projects and immediately inform him/her of any problems.
- Work with Bureau Chief on developing plans and recommendations to improve the knowledge, skills and abilities of the staff.
- Order files, plea and/or sentencing minutes as well as prepare any necessary motions or orders.
- Maintain hearings and trials for the bureau.
- Maintain case tracking for the bureau.
- Provide backup coverage for non-legal staff as needed.
- Complete forms or legal papers necessary to obtain materials.
- Providing administrative support for the bureau in a variety of areas, including but not limited to compiling data in written and graphic formats, assisting in the creation and display of Exhibits, reviewing prison phone logs, visitation logs, and related materials.
- Maintain case files, update files with criminal histories, and archive files according to records retention policies established by the office.
- Perform other related duties as necessary.

Preferred Skills

- Prior experience working as a paralegal.
- Prior experience supervising and managing a team.
- Leadership skills and ability to exhibit dependability and good judgment.
- Excellent organizational, time-management and multi-tasking skills, including the ability to take initiative, prioritize duties, and work both independently and within a team environment is a plus.
- Excellent communication skills and writing skills.
- Strong attention to detail is essential.

Additional Information:

Candidates must meet the additional requirements:

-. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or;
- An associate degree and two to four years of full-time satisfactory work experience in the performance of paralegal (legal assistant) services; or
- A Paralegal Certification from a program approved by the American Bar Association.
- Must have supervisory experience.

Employees of the City of New York may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. The federal government provides student loan forgiveness through its Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) to all qualifying public service employees.
Please visit the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program site to view the eligibility requirements: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
2. High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.