Job Description

Duties

ICE OPLA is the largest legal department within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with more than 3,000 attorneys and 500 support staff working nationwide in 143 offices located within nine Regions throughout the United States. Pursuant to statute, OPLA serves as the exclusive representative of DHS in removal proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review litigating cases involving criminal aliens, terrorists, human rights violators, and other priority aliens. OPLA also provides a full range of legal services to all ICE programs and offices. Legal Operations (Legal Ops) paralegals assist OPLA attorneys who serve as agency counsel before the DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review, in federal litigation, and on a robust and diverse client services portfolio. Legal Ops attorneys serve as the exclusive representatives of the U.S. Government in immigration proceedings before the 73 immigration courts and three adjudication centers nationwide, as well as the Board of Immigration Appeals. Legal Ops attorneys and paralegals support the U.S. Attorney's Offices nationwide in handling federal litigation pending in the U.S. District Courts, including petitions for writs of habeas corpus, motions for injunctive relief, and class action lawsuits. At the full performance level, OPLA Legal Ops paralegal responsibilities include:

• Researching laws, regulations, court decisions, opinions, legislative history, and other legal authorities and analyzing and applying such findings to support attorneys, including using automated legal research tools where appropriate.
• Assisting attorneys in preparing for and representing the United States Government in immigration proceedings before immigration judges or other tribunals, frequently involving evidentiary, procedural, and substantive issues in pending cases, and facilitating communication between attorneys and clients, witnesses, or other parties.
• Reviewing case-related documents for conformity with standardized formatting, grammar, legal citations, and practice manuals prior to signature and issuance by attorneys.
• Monitoring and updating databases and repositories using an electronic case management system or similar system.
• Assisting in preparing correspondence, motions, briefs, case summaries, and other written work product in draft and final form; and affidavits, discovery requests, responses, evidentiary packages, and other legal documents for immigration proceedings and federal litigation.
• Compiling, summarizing, and analyzing case information, statistics, or other relevant data for attorneys or to support leadership's decision-making and performance tracking.
• Managing calendars, deadlines, and other logistical aspects of legal work.
• Other duties as assigned.

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