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Contractor Opportunity – Forensic Paralegal, Mental Health Division (MHD)

Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDSDC)

Washington, DC • Hybrid

·       Full-time (40-hours per week), Contractor, 12-month duration

·       Vacancy Posting: 07/20/26 – 08/31/26

·       Salary Range: $77,525 - $86,646 ($37.27/hour - $41.65/hour) for 12 months at eight hours per day for five days per week. (Based on the candidate’s education and experience)

Division Description:

The Mental Health Division (MHD) provides legal representation to the District of Columbia residents, subjected to involuntary hospitalization and civil commitment pursuant to D.C. Code 21-501 et seq.; those who have been found incompetent to stand trial; those who have been found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGI); those who are post-conviction in the Bureau of Prisons who require mental health mitigation litigation to return to the District of Columbia. In addition, the MHD staff regularly advises local and national advocacy groups, testifies before the D.C. Council on legislative reforms and frequently provides critical assistance across PDS divisions.  Importantly, MHD regularly consults with attorneys, clinicians and investigators across the agency as well as throughout the legal community on mental health-related issues.

Job Description:

Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDSDC) seeks a Forensic Paralegal (Contractor) to ensure all pleadings and orders are organized efficiently and accessibly to promote our collective legal education at the quarterly review meetings. 

·       Scientific & Legal Developments

o   The Contractor would review and edit legal pleadings filed by MHD including careful review of each legal citation for accuracy in format and consistency with the most recent edition of the Bluebook Uniform System of Citation; utilization of legal databases to ensure that case law and other sources have not been overturned or otherwise called into question; review for spelling and grammatical errors. Finally, the paralegal would use psychological databases to stay abreast of developments in psychology, psychiatry and treatment and report the same to the division.

·       Expert Witness Resources

o   The Contractor will support the agency’s mental health litigation specialists expanding our expert pool by assisting in identifying and vetting experts in relevant areas, and maintaining organized files on the experts, including their qualifications and rates.  This will allow for more seamless referral to experts when attorneys across Divisions are seeking resources to support their advocacy.

·       Administrative Support:

o   The Contractor will provide the support to ensure attorneys’ needs are being recognized and met, and that the agency is able to collect the relevant data to demonstrate our powerful advocacy in mental health related issues.

o   The Contractor will back up the daily critical responsibilities of our office manager and records specialist when they are on leave or otherwise unavailable. The Paralegal provides the support to ensure the agency is able to collect the relevant data to demonstrate our powerful advocacy in mental health related issues.

Preferred Experience and Qualifications:

o   Bachelor’s degree, paralegal certification and/or one year of paralegal practice;

o   Background, either educationally or through employment, in psychology, sociology, behavioral health, and/or criminal justice.

Key Responsibilities:

The Forensic Paralegal (Contractor) will provide essential support to the division with the following duties and responsibilities:

1.      Manages the Division’s Motions Bank which is available on the PDS intranet; compiles and prepares motions and related documents for Quarterly Motions Practice; keeps a running resume of the motions practice.

2.      Reviews and edits pleadings; including careful review of each legal citation for accuracy in format and consistency with the most recent edition of the Bluebook Uniform System of Citation; utilization of legal databases to assure that case law and other sources have not been overturned or otherwise called into question; comparison of quotations and citations to original source material to ensure accuracy; and review for spelling and grammatical errors. Pleadings include procedural motions that address unique circumstances that are unprecedented or novel.

3.      Responsible for ensuring timely service and filing of legal motions and other pleadings, including e-filing in the D.C. Superior Court.

4.      Supports attorneys with litigation preparation, including but not limited to exhibit creation, witness folders and document summary.

5.      Assists attorneys with redacting medical records for court and expert review.

6.      Creates and manages a mental health transcript bank and summarizes transcripts as needed.

7.      Manages the mental health expert database to include updated CVs and publications; helps manage mental health expert requests; manages the MHPG case file system, ensuring requests for assistance are answered promptly, follows up on incomplete requests and ensure cases are closed accurately.

8.      Assists with identifying and vetting new mental health experts.

9.      Researches and reviews psychological and scientific journals and publications.

10.  Prepares monthly statistical report regarding workload and case outcomes; assists with Agency wide trainings;

11.  Backs up critical functions of the Records Custodian and Office Manager when necessary.

12.  Other duties as assigned.

Proposal Submission Requirements: Interested applicants must submit a single, consolidated PDF application package to include the following:

(1)    A cover letter that addresses interest in the Forensic Paralegal (Contractor) role

(2)    A complete and updated resume;

(3)    A list of three professional references (full name, email address, & telephone number) and a brief statement of how each reference can evaluate your skills.

Please apply with complete application packages with the vacancy announcement number as the email subject: PDS-2026-25.

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 230 employees, comprised of attorneys, social workers, professional counselors, mitigation specialists, 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, 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.