Legal Associate Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

PenBay Technology Group is seeking a Legal Analyst to provide full-time support on-site in working as part of contract team with the DoD Office of the General Counsel (OGC).

The candidate selected will:

• Have a comprehensive understanding of DoD, the Joint Staff, and the Military Departments’ standards of practices.
• Accomplish tasks utilizing strong organizational and administrative skills; an ability to read, interpret, and understand legal documents and research legal sources; and communicating clearly to attorneys.
• Hand carries legal actions and packages to and from coordinating offices as needed.
• Coordinate with OSD/Joint Staff and DoD components for review of responsive records and delivery of cases to and from component offices.
• Provide preliminary review, analysis, and support for civil litigation cases, congressional inquiries and investigations, Privacy and Civil Liberties matters, FOIA requests, tasked initial FOIA cases, and other matters tasked to OGC.
• Prepare legal holds for distribution, drafting preliminary version of legal holds, identifying appropriate recipients of legal holds, tracking all issued legal holds, sending reminders, and sending closure notices.
• Assist in the identification of classified information, Restricted or Formerly Restricted Data, and militarily critical technology.
• Assist in the identification and handling of NATO classified and unclassified information.
• Assist in the identification of non-OSD/JS component equities (including DoD, intelligence community and other entity equities).
• Assist in the identification of information exempt from release in accordance with the applicable statutes and regulations described in Technical Exhibit 2 and application of the appropriate exemptions to the information.
• Conduct appropriate coordination, as needed, and document accordingly.
• Provide reproduction of documents required for task and case records.
• Coordinate follow-up of agency coordination to determine review status.
• Provide registration of casework, to include Classified Document Registries and other office administrative functions (e.g., scanning materials, filing records, maintaining tracking materials and tools, among other functions).
• Utilize e-discovery software to find, preserve, and review electronic data.
• Maintain database/records management for each case using the OGC records management and case processing system.
• Provide review of OSD/Joint Staff and DoD component release recommendations and assist in reconciling difference in release recommendations.
• Process electronic redaction of exempt information for case records pursuant to authorities.
• Prepare detailed Vaughn indices, to include entries that: (1) identify each document withheld; (2) state the statutory exemption claimed; and (3) explain how disclosure would damage the interests protected by the claimed exemption.
• Prepare internal and external correspondence for case attorneys for approval and release.
• Draft legal holds.
• Perform escort duties within workspaces as necessary.
• Review information that is potentially relevant to ongoing litigation and properly identify responsive information for further processing.
• Identify all privileged information contained in records responsive to ongoing litigation, congressional inquiries, investigations, and FOIA requests.
• Prepare detailed privilege logs, to include entries that: (1) identify each document deemed to contain privileged material; (2) state the privilege or other exemption claimed; and (3) explain how disclosure would damage interests protected by the claimed privilege or exemption.
• Perform appropriate open and close procedures of secure workspaces and areas.

Top Secret clearance required (SCI eligibility preferred)

Educational Requirement

· Associate degree, or three (3) years’ experience processing FOIA requests.

Experience/Skills Requirement

• Understanding of the FOIA exemptions B(1)-B(9)
• Three years of relevant experience to analyzing legal documents.
• Experience working with the Department of War.
• Fluency with, and understanding of, DoD, Joint Staff, and the Military Departments standards of practice.
• The ability to review, understand, and analyze complex legal and non-legal DoD documents.
• Possess exceptional oral and written communication abilities and the ability to read, interpret and understand legal documents.
• The ability to leverage established relationships with other DoD components and agencies.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite of Applications (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and common office software applications
• Flexible team player and capable of interacting at all levels within the customer space as well as other parts of the defense community.
• Motivated, self-starter with the ability to accomplish tasks under pressure with limited supervision.
• Strong ability to multi-task.
• Flexibility to accommodate time-sensitive and mission-critical work.

Desired Experience

• Previous government, law office, corporate general counsel office, or JAG office experience.
• DoD experience.
• Experience using ediscovery software such as FOIAXPRESS, Relativity, Casepoint or others for applying redactions.