Administrative Assistant

Title - Administrative Assistant with experience working for the court or legal system.
Client - United States Attorney’s Office - District of South Carolina
Location - Columbia, SC 29201

Performance Duties:

• Provides witness management assistance prior to, during, and after trial. Typical assignments include working directly with fact witnesses, provide assistance and support to ensure appearance for court, pre-trial conferences, and grand jury.
• Receive visitors, field phone calls, questions and other inquiries from fact witnesses seeking information pertaining to court, pre-trial conferences, grand jury appearances and expense reimbursement. Obtain pertinent information for files and documents necessary to arrange witness travel and reimbursements.
• Initiate contact/notify fact witnesses concerning travel arrangements, appearance date/time, and determine any special circumstances or needs of the fact witness. Use judgment to determine when AUSA should be notified of special circumstances or needs of fact witnesses.
• Confer with AUSA concerning fact witness appearance and special circumstances regarding witnesses (special authorizations, international witnesses, military/federal employee witnesses, or hostile witnesses). Complete and submit proper documentation for special authorizations and obtain prior approval from the Criminal Division Chief and the Contracting Officer before proceeding with travel arrangements.
• Prior to fact witness' appearance, ensure all travel documents and appearance date and time have been provided to the witness. Make necessary arrangements for fact witness travel and lodging according to Department of Justice and USAO policies and procedures.
• Meet with fact witnesses upon arrival to designated hearing or pre-trial conference, offer, and perform courtroom orientation, accompany witness to court, ensure a safe waiting area is available, and collect necessary documentation and signatures for fact witness reimbursement documents.
• Prepare and submit documentation for fact witness reimbursement, i.e. witness vouchers and other required documentation for fact witnesses. Furnish requested information concerning pending and completed fact witness vouchers. Gather required documentation and reconcile Government Travel Accounts.
• Obtain information, confer, and coordinate with the Court, U.S. Marshals Service, investigative agencies, and other counterparts, when necessary.

• Complete variable aspects of recurring documents in conformance with the rules governing their style and format. Compose original letters that do not require legal interpretations but require a good working knowledge of legal procedures and specialized terminology relevant to fact witness laws and regulations.
• Perform general office procedures pertaining to fact witness management, including, but not limited to establish and maintain a variety of fact witness files, documents, and databases. Assemble documents and other information for fact witness file material and retention in accordance with established procedures and Department of Justice regulations; if requested, establish and maintain calendar and/or database of active and pending fact witness appearances, track hearings, trial dates, grand jury, and scheduling conferences; perform other administrative and logistical fact witness management related duties as required/assigned.

Specific Skills and Specialized Experience:
• Computer Skills: Applicant shall have the ability to use MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook, MS Access, and other databases as well as Adobe Acrobat Professional. Experience with Relativity is a plus.
• Communication skills are extremely important. Applicant shall work and interact professionally and effectively with all levels of staff.
• Ability to meet established deadlines and work as a team player in a professional office.
• Skill in meeting and dealing with people in a courteous and tactful manner.
• Ability to review a wide variety of documents, both legal and non-legal, including Motions and Briefs.

Labor Category | Legal Clerk
Required Education | High school diploma is required, undergraduate degree is preferred
Required Experience | ·         Good communication skills·         Provide word processing and data entry/retrieval·         Ability to review and analyze data and information from multiple sources·         Ability to establish case/project files

  | ·         Ability to enter and retrieve data from databases·         Ability to prepare and format management reports·         Ability to manipulate, transfer, compute and print information·         Ability to prepare and correct reports and correspondence using word processing software·         Schedule appointments·         Answer inquiries regarding case-related information as maintained in the database·         Answer inquiries regarding case-related status·         Obtain additional information from other agencies/organizations·         Maintain internal status information on the disposition of designated information, files, and assets·         Assure information is accurate and perform analytical computations necessary to process data·         Provide administrative information and assistance concerning case or file to other agencies or organizations