Job: Post Conviction Paralegal
Location: Abilene, Texas
Open Date: 10/20/2026

Job: Post Conviction Paralegal 

Blizzard & Zimmerman, P.L.L.C. is a criminal defense and family law firm based in Abilene, Texas, with a dedicated Post-Conviction & Appellate Division. The division represents people convicted in Texas courts, and on their behalf, files applications for writs of habeas corpus under Article 11.07 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, direct appeals to the Texas courts of appeals, petitions for discretionary review in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and related post-conviction motions. 

Our clients are usually incarcerated in Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) units across the state. Their families are usually the people calling us, paying for the representation, and waiting for news. 

The role 

This paralegal is the operational center of the post-conviction team. You will be the steady, informed voice families hear from; the person clerks and court reporters know to call back; the keeper of every filing deadline; and the builder of the templates and first-draft motions that let our attorneys spend their time on legal argument. 

The work is detail-heavy and deadline-driven, and it is done for people in some of the hardest moments of their lives. We need someone who is precise on paper and patient on the phone. 

Outline of Duties 

Client and Family Communication 

  1. Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for the families of post-conviction clients on assigned matters: return calls and emails, give process and status updates, and route every legal question to the supervising attorney. 
  1. Give each authorized family contact a proactive status update at least every 30 days on every active matter, so families hear from us before they have to call. 
  1. Confirm, before sharing any case information, that the family member is listed on the client’s written authorization. 
  1. Correspond with incarcerated clients by legal mail: status letters, documents for review and signature (including verification and declaration pages for writ applications), and tracking of returned documents. 
  1. Collect information and documents from families, such as trial and prior-counsel contact details, witness names, letters, and prior filings, and log them to the matter. 
  1. Explain the post-conviction process and its timelines in plain language, in English and in Spanish where applicable, without predicting outcomes or giving legal advice. 
  1. Log every call, email, and letter to the matter in PracticePanther the same day. 

 Court, Clerk, and Agency Liaison 

  1. Communicate with district clerks, the Clerk of the Court of Criminal Appeals, court of appeals clerks, and official court reporters for status checks, confirmation of receipt, cause and writ numbers, and cost estimates. 
  1. Order and track the record: clerk’s and reporter’s records, trial transcripts, the district clerk’s file, prior filings, and trial and appellate counsel’s files. Follow up on every outstanding request until it is received. 
  1. Monitor every open matter for docket activity through TAMES (courts of appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals), district clerk portals, and the Court of Criminal Appeals’ published writ dispositions. Report new activity to the team the same day. 
  1. Coordinate with TDCJ: confirm unit assignments, schedule attorney legal visits and legal calls, and track legal mail. 
  1. Prepare filing packages in eFileTexas and submit only after written attorney approval. Confirm acceptance and circulate file-stamped copies. 

 Template Library for Appeals and Writs 

  1. Build, standardize, and maintain the division’s library of filing templates, with correct captions, signature blocks, certificates, and formatting under the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure (TRAP). 
  1. Keep templates current when rules, court forms, or local requirements change, and flag each change to the supervising attorney. 
  1. Version-control the library in the firm’s OneDrive so the whole team drafts from the same approved forms. The initial template set is listed in Section 11. 

 Deadline Coordination with the Post-Conviction Team 

  1. Maintain the division’s master deadline tracker for every open matter, reconciled against PracticePanther, the division calendar, and court dockets. 
  1. Calendar every deadline the day its triggering event becomes known, with reminders at 30, 14, 7, and 2 days before it falls due. 
  1. Every Monday by 10:00 AM, circulate a deadline report covering the next 60 days: what is due, who owns it, and what is still needed (records, client signatures, attorney review). 
  1. Escalate any at-risk deadline immediately in person, by phone, or by direct message, not by email alone. 
  1. Track the periods that run on the court’s side as well as ours, such as the State’s answer period and the convicting court’s decision period on an 11.07 application (see Section 5). 

 Motion and Filing Preparation 

  1. Prepare first drafts of routine motions and filings from approved templates for attorney review, including motions for extension of time, requests for preparation of the reporter’s record, motions for judgment nunc pro tunc, proposed orders, and proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law. 
  1. Assemble 11.07 application packages: the current Court of Criminal Appeals form, verification and unsworn declaration pages, exhibit indexes and tabbed exhibits, and the memorandum shell. 
  1. Format briefs and memoranda for filing: tables of contents, indexes of authorities, record citations, certificates of compliance (word count), and certificates of service. 
  1. Cite-check and record-check every draft: confirm each legal citation against an authoritative source and each record citation against the volume and page of the clerk’s or reporter’s record. No citation goes to filing without independent confirmation. 
  1. Bookmark, OCR, and organize record PDFs so attorneys can work from them efficiently. 

 Matters You Will Support 

  1. Applications for writ of habeas corpus under Art. 11.07 (final felony convictions), from record gathering and investigation through the Court of Criminal Appeals’ disposition 
  1. Direct appeals to the Texas courts of appeals and petitions for discretionary review in the Court of Criminal Appeals 
  1. Applications for writ of habeas corpus under Art. 11.072 (community supervision and deferred adjudication) 
  1. Motions for new trial 
  1. Related post-judgment matters as assigned, such as motions for DNA testing under Chapter 64, judgment nunc pro tunc corrections, and time-credit disputes (including TDCJ’s time-credit dispute resolution process under Texas Government Code §501.0081) 
  1. Federal Appeals to 5th Circuit Court of Appeals 

 Deadlines You Will Track 

These periods drive the division’s calendar. The supervising attorney calculates and confirms every deadline. The paralegal makes sure each one is calendared, reminded, and visible to the whole team. 

 Qualifications 

Required 

  1. 3+ years of paralegal or legal assistant experience supporting litigation. Criminal, appellate, or post-conviction experience strongly preferred. 
  2. Excellent writing skills. You will draft filings that go to courts. A writing exercise is required (Section 12). 
  3. Clear, confident phone presence with court clerks and families. A voice sample is required. 
  4. Advanced Microsoft Word: styles, templates and fields, tables of contents and authorities, section and page numbering, track changes. 
  5. Strong PDF skills: combining, bookmarking, OCR, and redaction (Adobe Acrobat or equivalent). 
  6. A demonstrated record of managing deadlines across a large caseload without misses. 
  7. Composure and empathy with distressed family members, paired with firm boundaries. 
  8. Absolute discretion with confidential information. 

 Preferred 

  1. Bilingual English/Spanish, spoken and written. 
  2. Familiarity with Texas criminal procedure, the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, or appellate brief formatting. 
  3. Experience with eFileTexas, TAMES, PracticePanther, or GoHighLevel. 
  4. A law degree, paralegal certificate, or equivalent legal training. 
  5. Experience using AI-assisted drafting tools under attorney review. 

 Schedule 

Schedule. Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM, in person at the firm’s Abilene office. This role speaks with courts and families throughout the business day and works side by side with the attorneys and staff of the post-conviction team. 

Equipment. The firm provides a workstation, phone, headset, and access to all firm systems. 

Workspace. Calls involve confidential information and must not be overheard. Use a private office or conference room for client and family calls. 

Security. A firm Microsoft 365 account with multi-factor authentication. Client documents stay in OneDrive and PracticePanther, never on personal devices or drives. 

Compensation and Benefits: 

Hourly base pay. Bonus pay based on performance available after probationary period. 

Please submit your resume and cover letter to resumes@blizzardlawfirm.com 

Blizzard and Zimmerman Attorneys were honored to be among the finalists for the first-ever 2022 Abilene Chamber of Commerce Big Country Best Workplaces Award for small-sized businesses. We were honored for our work-life balance, communal workplace as well as our family atmosphere. More details are here. We were also nominated for the 2023 small-sized business award.

Blizzard and Zimmerman Attorneys do not accept unsolicited phone calls or resumes from third-party recruiters; you may submit a brief description of the proposed candidate.

Abilene Chamber of Commerce Best Workplaces - Small Sized Business - Blizzard and Zimmerman