Paralegal Generalist, Juvenile Services Program (Contractor)

Open Date: Aug 13, 2026
Close Date: Aug 26, 2026
Position Type: Contractor
Job Vacancy #: PDS 2026-31
Location: 633 3rd St NW Washington, District of Columbia 20001

About The Job

PDS Overview:

The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) is a federally funded, independent organization governed by an eleven-member board of trustees. PDS provides legal representation to individuals facing a loss of freedom in the District of Columbia’s criminal,  delinquency, and mental health systems. PDS’s approximately 230 employees, comprising attorneys, social workers, professional counselors, mitigation specialists, investigative specialists, administrative, and technical staff, collaborate to advance the PDS mission. PDS’ main office is located at 633 3rd Street, NW, Washington, D.C. District of Columbia residency is not a requirement for employment.

Employment at the Public Defender Service (PDS) is neither federal nor District of Columbia government employment, and all employees are at-will.

Division Overview:

The Community Defender Division (CDD) provides services through two specialized programs. The Prisoner Reentry Legal Services program for adult clients, and the Juvenile Services Program (JSP) for juvenile clients.

Position Description:

The Paralegal Generalist (Contractor) provides a number of paralegal and administrative functions to support the mission of the organization. The focus of the position will be to support JSP’s legal practice in support of youth incarcerated in DYRS’s juvenile detention facilities and reintegrating into the community, and CDD’s community engagement priorities and events.

This position requires frequent travel to juvenile detention facilities and other locations throughout the District of Columbia and the surrounding metropolitan area. Applicants must have reliable transportation to fulfill these responsibilities.

This is a full-time temporary 12-month position. Due to the nature of the position, JSP paralegals are required to intermittently work nights, weekends, and other non-traditional schedules. This is an in-office position without the opportunity to telework.

Major Duties:

The JSP Paralegal will work at the Youth Services Center (YSC) and New Beginnings detention facilities to monitor youths’ placement, assess the legality of their length of stay, assess youths’ programming options and opportunities, interview clients and assist in preparing for institutional disciplinary hearings, provide confidential meeting space to ensure communication between youth and their legal teams, and other tasks as assigned.

Additional Paralegal Specialist duties may include, but are not limited to:

  1.  Responding to client requests for information; contacting appropriate authorities at various government agencies to address client inquiries; serving as a liaison to other PDS divisions on client-related issues; contacting appropriate authorities at DYRS, out-of-state facilities, BOP, and DOC to set up attorney-client visits and attorney-client telephone calls; communicating with family members of clients.
  2. Drafting and editing motions for filing in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia (DCSC) and other administrative bodies, and ensuring their timely service and filing.
  3. Performing legal and non-legal research on issues pertinent to the rights of youth during incarceration and reentry, and drafting memos explaining the applicability of rulings and opinions to the work of the division.
  4. Requesting, reviewing, and organizing a broad range of client records in support of JSP’s representation and litigation.
  5. Supporting the reestablishment of the JSP hotline and responding to inquiries received and triaging questions from incarcerated youth, their family members, and others.
  6. Participating in CDD events, with an emphasis on community outreach, training, and education consistent with the PDS mission. Assisting at workshops for formerly incarcerated clients and other community members affected by the criminal and juvenile legal systems. Preparing materials (booklets, flyers, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) for training sessions conducted by division attorneys; creating synopses of cases relating to youths’ rights and reentry issues for use in training sessions on recent developments in the law; and developing training materials for internal PDS use and external trainings.
  7. Assisting JSP and other division staff with the court-based electronic case filing system, case management, archiving, systems development, and data analysis; and other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

Degree from an accredited community or four-year college, or equivalent work experience. Excellent attention to detail, strong research, writing, editing, and customer service skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience working with people who have had contact with the juvenile or adult criminal legal system. Experience conducting legal research using Westlaw, Lexis or other tools and platforms. Experience drafting and/or editing legal writing including motions and briefs. Experience cite checking and Blue Booking legal documents, and fluency in written and oral Spanish.

How to Apply:

Applicants must submit: (1) a cover letter that explains why you want to work at the Community Defender Division, Juvenile Services Program of the Public Defender Service; (2) a resume; (3) a list of three references (name, e-mail address, telephone number, and a brief statement of how each reference can evaluate your skills); (4) a writing sample, preferably no longer than 10 pages; and (5) if applicable, a transcript from each terminal degree including a paralegal certificate.

All materials must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 as a consolidated PDF via email to [email protected]. If you have any issues with the email or do not receive a confirmation of receipt, please email the HR Specialist directly: Nicole Gray-Moultrie, HR Specialist, [email protected].

Applications will be reviewed and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis.

* An unofficial transcript is acceptable as a placeholder until later in the application process.

Disclaimer

The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) is a federally funded, independent organization; governed by an eleven-member Board of Trustees, PDS provides legal representation to individuals facing a loss of freedom in the local criminal, delinquency, and mental health systems in the District of Columbia. PDS’s approximately 275 attorneys, social workers, investigative specialists, administrative, and technical staff collaborate with each other to advance the PDS mission. PDS’s main office is located at 633 3rd Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. District of Columbia residency is not a requirement for employment. PDS is funded by federal appropriations, and all employees are entitled to participate in the federal health and life insurance plans, the federal retirement plans (FERS, FERS-RAE, FERS-FRAE, CSRS, CSRS-Offset), and the Thrift Savings Plan. Transferring employees will receive recognition of creditable federal service for leave accrual and retirement purposes. Employment at PDS is neither federal nor District of Columbia government employment, and all employees are at-will.

PDS is an E-Verify participating agency. Please see the Right to Work Poster and the E-Verify Participation Poster for more information.

 

PDS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and E-Verify Participant.