Legal Assistant

Note: Three Professional references are required including the position title and

relationship to the key personnel

The Contractor will independently provide services to satisfy the overall operational objectives of the USAO NDCA. Although working in the field of Law, this is not a typical Legal Assistant position. The Contractor shall provide all administrative and social work services required to perform the tasks related to the support of the USAO fact witness management process by providing a variety of direct assistance to USAO Victim-Witness personnel, AUSAs, legal assistants, administrative staff, and other USAO personnel. The bulk of the work is on the phone and computer, fielding questions and other inquiries from fact witnesses, for either grand jury or trial testimony, seeking information pertaining to receiving a trial subpoena for court, pre-trial conferences, grand jury and trial appearances and expense

reimbursement.

TASKS/SERVICES: The Contractor will perform tasks that may include but are not limited to

the following examples:

Work directly with fact witnesses, for either grand jury or trial testimony, who are most often

public citizens, to assist and support them to ensure appearance for their testimony in court, pre-

trial conferences, and reimbursement of their expenses.

Provide witness management assistance prior to, during, and after trial.

Keep track of multiple trials and multiple fact witnesses at a time.

Communicate with the Trial Team (Prosecuting Attorney, Investigative Agent and Legal

Assistant) to determine the details of the witness schedule for trial.

Utilize critical thinking skills when fact witnesses present with difficult situations that may

impede them from getting to court when they are expected to be there.

Explain to fact witnesses what to expect in court when they testify and how the reimbursement

process works.

Work with travel agents to arrange air travel and call hotels to book hotel stays as needed for out

of town witnesses.

Be available to make last minute changes to travel and working under time constraints.

Obtain proper documents necessary to maintain records and to obtain witness 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 the AUSA should be notified of special circumstances or needs

of fact witnesses.

Confer with the 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

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 assist them with finding the 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, Probation, Pretrial, U.S. Marshals

Service, investigative agencies, and other counterparts, when necessary.

Complete various 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 and scheduling conferences.

Perform other administrative and logistical fact witness management related duties as required/assigned.

Provide a variety of ancillary office support functions.