Paralegal/Legal Assistant 2 (2500063I)
Paralegal/Legal Assistant 2
(2500063I)
Organization: Public Defender Commission
Agency Contact Name and Information: ...
Unposting Date: Aug 24, 2025, 9:59:00 PM
Primary Location: United States of America-OHIO-Franklin County
Compensation: $50,253 - $63,544
Schedule: Full-time
Classified Indicator: Classified
Union: OCSEA
Primary Job Skill: Attorney/Legal
Technical Skills: Attorney/Legal
Professional Skills: Attention to Detail, Customer Focus, Written Communication
Agency Overview
The Office of the Ohio Public Defender (OPD) is the state agency responsible for providing legal representation and other services to people accused or convicted of a crime who cannot afford to hire an attorney.
Our Mission: Advocating. Fighting. Helping.
Our Vision: A Fair Justice System.
Our Values: Compassion. Dignity. Equity. Integrity. Service. Community.
We are committed to building a work environment where all team members have a voice and can embrace our differences to innovate service to the public in our pursuit of fairness and justice for all people.
Follow OPD on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Threads Visit our Website
Job Duties
**This is an internal posting for current employees of the Office of the Ohio Public Defender only.**
The Office of the Ohio Public Defender (OPD) is seeking a dedicated professional to serve as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant 2 in the Wrongful Conviction Project (WCP) and Youth Defense (YD) Department. The WCP team works to identify, investigate, and litigate cases of actual innocence for incarcerated people in Ohio, and provides education on the causes and consequences of wrongful convictions. The YD Department team focuses primarily on post-disposition advocacy and ensures that the constitutional rights of children are fully realized and protected.
In WCP, you will be the primary paralegal and support position; In YD, you will join another paralegal. Your shared workload across the two departments will be, on average, 60% for WCP and 40% for YD. You will report to the WCP Managing Counsel position, and will work closely with both departments' attorneys, investigators, social workers, interns, and leadership teams.
Your job duties will include but are not limited to:
For both departments:
Prepare or assist in preparing briefs and other pleadings for appellate and trial cases for filing in all state and federal courts. Compile and produce appendix materials for briefs according to various court rules.
Conduct research using legal research tools, computer applications, and online databases.
Assist with trial preparation when cases are set for trial including preparing and filing subpoenas, coordinating court appearances for experts/witnesses, and preparing trial binders.
Open and close case files.
Prepare legal correspondence from attorneys to prosecutors, courts, court personnel, defense attorneys and clients.
Act as liaison between courts/attorneys and investigators/experts; work with prosecutors/court personnel to help schedule/reschedule hearings/pre-trials/trial dates.
File legal documents electronically and/or manually in federal, state and local courts. Retrieve and attach cases, affidavits, judgments and journal entries to pleadings to filings.
Perform secretarial assistance including: download/sort trial discovery, conduct client records research, process incoming mail and prepare outgoing mail, scan documents and make photocopies, and collect, bind, and staple documents as requested.
Attend department meetings and contribute to initiatives and projects.
For Wrongful Conviction:
Assist attorneys in making merit decisions: receive applications, letters and phone calls from people who are incarcerated and applying to have their case reviewed for innocence; communicate with individuals who are incarcerated, their family members, and prior counsel to gather information necessary and ensure questionnaire is completed; perform a review of legal factors such as length of sentence, innocence claim, exhaustion of appeals, current representation, and state of residence; if case factors are not exclusionary, assist in making merit evaluation regarding the prospect for being litigated as an innocence claim; prepare written summaries of findings and communicate with attorneys regarding status.
Submit written or verbal requests to county court reporters, outside counsel, county clerks, and prosecutors to obtain trial transcripts and case files.
Travel to counties to obtain client or witness signatures.
Deliver, copy, scan, and retrieve materials and court documents from Supreme Court, clerks of court, public defender offices, county clerk offices, and outside counsel in all counties throughout the State of Ohio.
Deliver service copies of documents on opposing counsel.
Utilize case management system for data entry and running reports.
For Youth Defense:
Assist conditions of confinement attorneys, trial attorneys, and S.B. 256 attorneys in conducting research and preparing written memoranda describing mitigating factors and meritorious factors.
**This is an internal posting for current employees of the Office of the Ohio Public Defender only.**
The Paralegal/Legal Assistant 2 position is assigned to the State of Ohio's OCSEA Pay Schedule, Pay Range 29, presented below in table format. Starting pay will be at Step 1 unless required by contract/legislation; Candidates with exceptional qualifications may be considered for higher starting pay. Our steps give a standard path for earnings growth: you move to the next step after six months and annually thereafter. We typically have fiscal year Cost of Living Adjustments as well.
FY26 Pay Range
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Hourly
$24.16
$24.86
$25.77
$26.76
$27.92
$29.22
$30.55
Annual
$50,253
$51,709
$53,602
$55,661
$58,074
$60,778
$63,544
The Office of the Ohio Public Defender complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact us at ... or ....
Why Work for the State of Ohio
At the State of Ohio, we take care of the team that cares for Ohioans. We provide a variety of quality, competitive benefits to eligible full-time and part-time employees*. For a list of all the State of Ohio Benefits, visit our Total Rewards website! Our benefits package includes:
Medical Coverage
Free Dental, Vision and Basic Life Insurance premiums after completion of eligibility period
Paid time off, including vacation, personal, sick leave and 11 paid holidays per year
Childbirth, Adoption, and Foster Care leave
Education and Development Opportunities (Employee Development Funds, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and more)
Public Retirement Systems (such as OPERS, STRS, SERS, and HPRS) & Optional Deferred Compensation (Ohio Deferred Compensation)
*Benefits eligibility is dependent on a number of factors. The Agency Contact listed above will be able to provide specific benefits information for this position.
Qualifications
Successful completion of certification program for paralegal or legal assistant; 2 yrs. exp. in legal research & writing.
-Or 24 mos. law school training.
-Or 36 mos. exp. as Paralegal/Legal Assistant 1, 63810.
-Or equivalent of Minimum Class Qualifications for Employment noted above.
Job Skills: Attorney/Legal; Attention to Detail; Customer Focus; Written Communication
Paralegal/Legal Assistant 2
(2500063I)
Organization: Public Defender Commission
Agency Contact Name and Information: ...
Unposting Date: Aug 24, 2025, 9:59:00 PM
Primary Location: United States of America-OHIO-Franklin County
Compensation: $50,253 - $63,544
Schedule: Full-time
Classified Indicator: Classified
Union: OCSEA
Primary Job Skill: Attorney/Legal
Technical Skills: Attorney/Legal
Professional Skills: Attention to Detail, Customer Focus, Written Communication
Agency Overview
The Office of the Ohio Public Defender (OPD) is the state agency responsible for providing legal representation and other services to people accused or convicted of a crime who cannot afford to hire an attorney.
Our Mission: Advocating. Fighting. Helping.
Our Vision: A Fair Justice System.
Our Values: Compassion. Dignity. Equity. Integrity. Service. Community.
We are committed to building a work environment where all team members have a voice and can embrace our differences to innovate service to the public in our pursuit of fairness and justice for all people.
Follow OPD on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Threads Visit our Website
Job Duties
**This is an internal posting for current employees of the Office of the Ohio Public Defender only.**
The Office of the Ohio Public Defender (OPD) is seeking a dedicated professional to serve as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant 2 in the Wrongful Conviction Project (WCP) and Youth Defense (YD) Department. The WCP team works to identify, investigate, and litigate cases of actual innocence for incarcerated people in Ohio, and provides education on the causes and consequences of wrongful convictions. The YD Department team focuses primarily on post-disposition advocacy and ensures that the constitutional rights of children are fully realized and protected.
In WCP, you will be the primary paralegal and support position; In YD, you will join another paralegal. Your shared workload across the two departments will be, on average, 60% for WCP and 40% for YD. You will report to the WCP Managing Counsel position, and will work closely with both departments' attorneys, investigators, social workers, interns, and leadership teams.
Your job duties will include but are not limited to:
For both departments:
Prepare or assist in preparing briefs and other pleadings for appellate and trial cases for filing in all state and federal courts. Compile and produce appendix materials for briefs according to various court rules.
Conduct research using legal research tools, computer applications, and online databases.
Assist with trial preparation when cases are set for trial including preparing and filing subpoenas, coordinating court appearances for experts/witnesses, and preparing trial binders.
Open and close case files.
Prepare legal correspondence from attorneys to prosecutors, courts, court personnel, defense attorneys and clients.
Act as liaison between courts/attorneys and investigators/experts; work with prosecutors/court personnel to help schedule/reschedule hearings/pre-trials/trial dates.
File legal documents electronically and/or manually in federal, state and local courts. Retrieve and attach cases, affidavits, judgments and journal entries to pleadings to filings.
Perform secretarial assistance including: download/sort trial discovery, conduct client records research, process incoming mail and prepare outgoing mail, scan documents and make photocopies, and collect, bind, and staple documents as requested.
Attend department meetings and contribute to initiatives and projects.
For Wrongful Conviction:
Assist attorneys in making merit decisions: receive applications, letters and phone calls from people who are incarcerated and applying to have their case reviewed for innocence; communicate with individuals who are incarcerated, their family members, and prior counsel to gather information necessary and ensure questionnaire is completed; perform a review of legal factors such as length of sentence, innocence claim, exhaustion of appeals, current representation, and state of residence; if case factors are not exclusionary, assist in making merit evaluation regarding the prospect for being litigated as an innocence claim; prepare written summaries of findings and communicate with attorneys regarding status.
Submit written or verbal requests to county court reporters, outside counsel, county clerks, and prosecutors to obtain trial transcripts and case files.
Travel to counties to obtain client or witness signatures.
Deliver, copy, scan, and retrieve materials and court documents from Supreme Court, clerks of court, public defender offices, county clerk offices, and outside counsel in all counties throughout the State of Ohio.
Deliver service copies of documents on opposing counsel.
Utilize case management system for data entry and running reports.
For Youth Defense:
Assist conditions of confinement attorneys, trial attorneys, and S.B. 256 attorneys in conducting research and preparing written memoranda describing mitigating factors and meritorious factors.
**This is an internal posting for current employees of the Office of the Ohio Public Defender only.**
The Paralegal/Legal Assistant 2 position is assigned to the State of Ohio's OCSEA Pay Schedule, Pay Range 29, presented below in table format. Starting pay will be at Step 1 unless required by contract/legislation; Candidates with exceptional qualifications may be considered for higher starting pay. Our steps give a standard path for earnings growth: you move to the next step after six months and annually thereafter. We typically have fiscal year Cost of Living Adjustments as well.
FY26 Pay Range
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Hourly
$24.16
$24.86
$25.77
$26.76
$27.92
$29.22
$30.55
Annual
$50,253
$51,709
$53,602
$55,661
$58,074
$60,778
$63,544
The Office of the Ohio Public Defender complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact us at ... or ....
Why Work for the State of Ohio
At the State of Ohio, we take care of the team that cares for Ohioans. We provide a variety of quality, competitive benefits to eligible full-time and part-time employees*. For a list of all the State of Ohio Benefits, visit our Total Rewards website! Our benefits package includes:
Medical Coverage
Free Dental, Vision and Basic Life Insurance premiums after completion of eligibility period
Paid time off, including vacation, personal, sick leave and 11 paid holidays per year
Childbirth, Adoption, and Foster Care leave
Education and Development Opportunities (Employee Development Funds, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and more)
Public Retirement Systems (such as OPERS, STRS, SERS, and HPRS) & Optional Deferred Compensation (Ohio Deferred Compensation)
*Benefits eligibility is dependent on a number of factors. The Agency Contact listed above will be able to provide specific benefits information for this position.
Qualifications
Successful completion of certification program for paralegal or legal assistant; 2 yrs. exp. in legal research & writing.
-Or 24 mos. law school training.
-Or 36 mos. exp. as Paralegal/Legal Assistant 1, 63810.
-Or equivalent of Minimum Class Qualifications for Employment noted above.
Job Skills: Attorney/Legal; Attention to Detail; Customer Focus; Written Communication
Job ID: 490587633
Originally Posted on: 8/24/2025
Want to find more Legal opportunities?
Check out the 19,479 verified Legal jobs on iHireLegal
Similar Jobs
Sign Up for Job Alerts
