Paralegal

American Oversight is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that advances truth, accountability, and democracy by enforcing the public's right to government records. We use multiple tools, backed by aggressive litigation, to fight attacks on democratic institutions, threats to civil rights and liberties, abuses of power, and erosion of government transparency. We expose and disrupt these attacks, and the officials and networks behind them, by forcing the government to turn over records officials would rather keep secret.

Since our founding in 2017, American Oversight has:

• Shut down Trump's bogus "voter fraud" commission.
• Revealed the Trump-sanctioned pressure campaign on the Ukrainian government by forcing the Trump administration to turn over records initially withheld from Congress.
• Uncovered rampant preventable deaths of immigrants in federal custody.
• Unmasked taxpayer-funded sham "audits" of the 2020 election.
• Obtained the fake electors' forged certificates submitted by fake electors during the 2020 election.
• Exposed networks of election denialists and subverters around the country.
• Halted the impeachment of a newly elected state supreme court justice in Wisconsin.
• Blocked state election board members in Georgia and Wisconsin from taking anti-democratic actions in secret.

We are committed to fighting threats of democracy at the federal, state, and local levels, using time-tested and innovative tools to expose misconduct, defend against attacks on marginalized communities, and demand accountability.

For more information, please visit our website: www.americanoversight.org

About the Role:

American Oversight is seeking a Paralegal to join its team. The Paralegal will play a critical role in supporting American Oversight’s legal team by issuing and tracking the progress of public records requests and processing and organizing related agency correspondence and documents. This includes preparing and submitting outgoing federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state open records requests, triaging and tracking incoming responses, and processing document productions to ensure accessibility and usability for the broader team. This role will also provide essential litigation support to the organization’s legal team, ensuring that the organization's legal operations remain organized and efficient.

What You Will Do:

• Monitor FOIA or state open records email inboxes for incoming correspondence and document productions from government agencies and offices.
• Communicate with FOIA and state agency open records personnel regarding the status of requests or other procedural matters, or notify American Oversight attorneys of correspondence requiring their review.
• Finalize and file FOIA and state open records requests with government agencies. Prioritize critical requests as assigned or instructed.
• Create and organize folders and database entries within American Oversight’s document management systems. Track and manage deadlines related to pending FOIA and state open records requests.
• Process incoming document productions, including by entering production information in American Oversight’s internal database, saving documents to their proper locations, converting the documents to make them text searchable, and applying pagination and American Oversight’s logo. Troubleshoot production processing issues using relevant software tools and platforms.
• Provide litigation case support to attorneys, including service of process, organizing and maintaining litigation files and calendars, and assist with other litigation support projects such as table of authorities, table of contents, exhibits, and/or case binders.
• Manage the public records request fee payment process including reviewing detailed invoices and preparing necessary payment materials such as fee cover letters, check drafts, and mailing labels.
• Perform continuous database management and data maintenance, as well as special projects, as needed, to contribute to operational organization and streamlining.
• Manage and sort incoming physical mail from agencies, including letters, USB drives, and disks; follow detailed mail processing procedures, including updating mail log, filing documents in appropriate folders, and updating relevant database entries.
• Facilitate training on paralegal systems and processes for attorney onboarding, and assist with additional training as needed, such as basic document processing for attorneys and researchers or various training for new and existing paralegal team members.
• Identify new or propose refined processes, practices, systems, or norms to promote collaboration, knowledge sharing, and functional and cross-functional effectiveness. Provide ad hoc administrative support for discrete projects and initiatives impacting organization-wide workflows as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

What You Will Bring:

• 1+ years of experience working in a professional office environment or prior experience in a legal clerk or legal administrative role.
• Interest in American Oversight’s mission of government accountability and transparency.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong skills in the following:
  • Time Management: Ability to independently and effectively prioritize tasks and projects, tackling day-to-day responsibilities with speed, efficiency, and accuracy.
  • Collaboration: Is an inclusive, highly engaged team player, who proactively seeks and provides thought partnership, assistance, and/or resources with/to colleagues; can seamlessly jump in to support teammates when there is a large volume of work, as needed.
  • Problem Solving: uses critical thinking to proactively identify issues, troubleshoot problems, and surface creative solutions to achieve desired outcomes; takes initiative to provide solutions and knows when to ask for support.
  • Judgment and Decision Making: Practices sound judgment and the ability to apply existing protocols to a variety of situations while properly identifying when situations do not fit within preexisting processes; escalates and addresses concerns/challenges appropriately and in a timely manner.
  • Communication:
    • Oral: Conveys information and ideas in a clear, concise, and professional manner.
    • Written: Conveys information and ideas in a clear, concise, and professional manner; appropriately adapts language to different audiences and contexts; ensures communications are free from errors, typos, or inconsistencies.
• Demonstrated proficiency in standard office software and/or document/file management systems and tools; ability to ramp up quickly on and learn new software programs and systems.
• High degree of professional ethics and integrity.
• Experience working in and/or desire to contribute to workplaces with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• This is a hybrid position and requires working on site at American Oversight’s Washington, DC office two days a week.

Desired Qualifications:

• Prior experience using Airtable, Dropbox, Logikcull, Westlaw, Box.com, Adobe, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and Google Drive.
• An interest in pro-democracy issues, including but not limited to voting rights, election administration, civil rights and civil liberties, or threats like abuse of power, corruption, or undue influence.

We encourage individuals to apply even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications.

Location:

This is a hybrid position and requires working onsite at American Oversight’s Washington, DC office two days a week.

Timeline:

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply by January 3, 2025 to ensure consideration of your application. Following this deadline, we will be interviewing candidates and continue to review applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace:

At American Oversight, we value and strive to hire, develop, and grow a diverse and inclusive team. We are an equal opportunity employer, and encourage applications from all individuals without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws. We strongly encourage individuals to apply for opportunities at American Oversight even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications.