Specialized Paralegal

About the Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP) & CED Law

Our mission

We partner with low-income and working people to build economic and racial equity. We do this by confronting economic abuse and investing in community wealth. We use an ever-evolving set of legal, economic and advocacy tools to challenge and dismantle unjust systems, building quickly towards a world where all people have what they need to live and thrive.

Our Organization

Working with clients, we built  a deeply integrated approach to eviction, foreclosure, and homelessness prevention that centers the legal and financial needs of housing-insecure families and uses a variety of tools to keep them housed. 

Our team now serves more than 1,000 people per month, bringing together housing lawyers, economists, data analysts, policy-experts, organizers, and technologists to serve our clients. We have served more than 50,000 low-income Coloradans across 45 counties, distributing over $200 million in emergency assistance. We have also contributed to the passage of major legislation to prevent eviction, stop economic abuse, and make credit and life-saving medication cheaper.  CEDP’s model has been cited as a best practice by White House, HUD, the Urban Institute, and in the media.

Building on our work to stop evictions, CEDP has further expanded its integrated services model to include disaster response, predatory towing, debt collection, benefit access & navigation, long-term rental assistance, and homelessness response. Similar to CEDP’s work on rental housing, these efforts offer a continuum of care that includes navigation and advisory services, targeted payments, legal support, and the ability to participate in advocacy.

More about the Specialized Paralegal Role:

Our practice is seeking a full-time Specialized Paralegal to support the law firm’s strategic litigation efforts, including affirmative litigation, appeals, and community/movement law work. The ideal candidate will have paralegal experience in civil defense, affirmative litigation, and appellate work, as well as exceptional administrative and research skills combined with a demonstrated dedication to advancing racial and economic justice. This role will report directly to the Appellate Program Supervisor and work will largely be concentrated in supporting both the Appellate Program and Community Law Program at CED Law. This is a hybrid role with obligations in and around the Denver Metro area.

In this role you will:

• Conduct client and witness interviews.
• Prepare and file routine pleadings and motions, affidavits, requests for discovery, exhibits, and notice of appeals for attorneys. 
• Organize and maintain client documents and files in an electronic case management system. 
• Help prepare for trial and other hearings by organizing exhibits, assisting with testimony preparation, and assisting with other tasks as needed, which may include appearing at trials and hearings. 
• Assist with discovery, including gathering evidence from clients and witnesses, disclosing documents, preparing for depositions, reviewing deposition transcripts, and other document review. 
• Assist with cite-checking, legal research and analysis, and preparing and discussing these with attorneys.  
• Investigate facts and laws of cases and search public records and other resources to prepare cases and determine causes of action.
• Assist with appeals, including filing notices of appeal, coordinating payment and release of appeal bonds, obtaining and reviewing trial records and transcripts, and assisting with attorney preparation for oral argument.   
• Assist with and coordinate team activity, including delivery of subpoenas.
• Meet with attorneys, clients, and other professionals to discuss assigned cases and projects. 

Position Requirements:

• Certificate of completion from an ABA-approved paralegal certification program of education and training or an associate degree in paralegal studies.
• Associate’s degree level of education or higher. 
• 5-8 years of paralegal or other legal services experience under attorney supervision. 
• 3-5 years of experience with civil litigation and appeals, including experience handling discovery and record review. 
• Proficient with Microsoft Office, specifically Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Must be able to effectively multi-task, managing time sensitive documents in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be able to function effectively in a busy, team-oriented environment.
• Familiarity with legal research tools.
• Ability to work collaboratively with people of diverse personal and professional backgrounds with a focus on social and racial justice and equity.
• Other language skills not required but a plus and eligible for additional stipend. 

Additional Details:

• Candidates must reside in Colorado, ideally within the greater Denver Metro area. The position includes competitive pay, flexible time off, benefits package (including medical, dental, vision), and 401k.
• Salary grade is set at Staff II (Specialized) - $67,500 per year, plus a $1,000 per year hybrid employee salary adjustment. Current CEDP or CED Law applicants will come into this salary grade at their current step for years of experience with the organization. 
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but must be received by January 24, 2025
• The estimated time to complete the recruitment process will be by February 2, 2025
• As in-person work is sometimes required, all employees at CEDP & CED Law are expected to maintain current vaccination status in keeping with CDC recommendations.
• CEDP is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.