Subject to continued funding and staffing consideration, the Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice has an opening for a Paralegal Casehandler in the Law Reform Unit. The Law Reform Unit coordinates and commences affirmative law reform litigation, provides back-up and support for advocates in the neighborhood offices of the Civil Practice, and engages in policy advocacy on behalf of clients in the areas of public benefits, housing and homeless rights.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Help manage intake from Homeless Rights Hotline and provide advice and assistance to clients
• Advocate on behalf of homeless families and individuals wrongfully denied shelter or placed in inappropriate or unsafe shelter placements
• Interview clients, review case records, and represent clients in administrative proceedings
• Conduct outreach and monitoring as needed at intake sites for families and individuals seeking shelter (provide Know Your Rights materials, give advice, and conduct intake)
• Develop community education materials and conduct trainings for clients and other advocates
• Attend meetings and conduct intake off-site as needed, including during evening hours
• Conduct factual and legal research
• Organize and analyze information obtained in discovery
• Organize and manage electronic and paper litigation files
• Attend negotiation sessions, court proceedings, and legislative hearings
• Carry out other tasks of general assistance to the work of the Law Reform Unit
• Other duties as assigned

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field or paralegal certificate from an ABA-accredited paralegal program
• Excellent written, oral advocacy, and computer skills are required
• Capacity to assist people in crisis
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team and manage a high volume of cases
• Ability to coordinate and collaborate successfully with other groups and organizations training/supporting/collaborating with law student and undergraduate interns on individual client cases
• Excellent organizational skills
• Proficiency in languages other than English, especially Spanish, is desirable, but not required

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Please submit these documents as a single combined PDF when you apply via the LAS (Legal Aid Society) Recruitment Portal.

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Writing Sample

SALARY TRANSPARENCY

The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range/ Salary: $60,033 – $91,932

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if, an offer is made.

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.

HOW TO APPLY

All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jo**************@le*******.org.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.