Paralegal / Legal Assistant at District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency

The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is responsible for responsible for managing the legal aspects of Agencys operations, its business decisions, tax-exempt and taxable bond transactions, other types of multifamily and single-family loans and neighborhood investments, Board of Directors supports, Privacy (PII compliance), Record Retention compliance and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The Paralegal/Legal Assistant provides legal support services in a broad range of general and specialized areas that affect the policies and programs of the Agency. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as the Agencys Lead for the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). 
• Case management: Handle FOIA requests from intake and tracking through to resolution.
• Document processing: Review, analyze, and organize documents received in response to FOIA requests, screening them for privileged or non-responsive information.
•  Legal analysis and redaction: Conduct independent legal analysis to apply FOIA exemptions appropriately, and redact documents in accordance with legal and regulatory guidelines.
• Request coordination: Manage communications with external requesters, internal government agencies, and third-party submitters to facilitate the process
• Reporting: Assist in preparing annual and quarterly FOIA reports detailing the status of cases and backlog reduction efforts.
• Litigation support: Support attorneys in FOIA-related litigation by preparing materials and summarizing responsive documents. 
• Serve as the primary legal support to the Secretary and Assistant Secretary to the Agencys Board of Directors, including preparing Board agendas and resolutions and drafting the minutes at Board meetings. 
• Serve as the primary legal support to the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of the District of Columbia Building Finance Corporation, the Agencys single purpose corporation.
• Provide legal support for compliance with the Agencys Record Retention Guidelines and Schedule.
•  Conduct legal research and draft legal memoranda as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Paralegal certificate or a Bachelor's degree in a related field is required. A Juris Doctor degree is a plus.
• Minimum of 2 years of  demonstrated experience managing FOIA requests within a legal or government setting.
• Strong knowledge of  federal FOIA procedures, exemptions, and appeal processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and research skills, including the ability to draft      complex legal correspondence.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage      multiple requests and deadlines simultaneously.
• Proficiency with legal research platforms (e.g., LexisNexis, Westlaw) and database management.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team. 
• Ability to successfully and autonomously     manage projects of a varied and complex nature. 
• Ability to work proactively and operate efficiently in a fast-paced environment with variable deadlines and diverse client demands.
• Willingness and ability to expand into other practice areas, as needed.
• High standards of integrity, confidentiality and quality.
• Strong working knowledge of all aspects of the Microsoft Office Suite.

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