Temporary Paralegal Casehandler, Family/Domestic Violence Unit

The Legal Aid Society’s Civil Practice is seeking a Temporary Paralegal Casehandler to join the City-Wide Family/Domestic Violence Unit. The Paralegal Casehandler will work with the Director and the Supervising Attorney to assist clients with divorces, specifically uncontested divorces, as well as outreach, advice, and brief services to clients, data collection, data entry, and generating reports.

 

The Family/DV Unit provides comprehensive direct legal assistance to clients, many of whom are survivors of domestic violence in a broad range of family law matters, including orders of protection, divorces, custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, and property rights. The Paralegal Casehandler will work in the Harlem Community Law Office.  As part of the Family/DV Unit, the paralegal will also work in conjunction with several community-based organizations that are our partners to provide reciprocal referrals, training, clinics, outreach, and joint community education on various issues affecting survivors. The paralegal may also be required to provide outreach to various off-site locations.

 

This position is funded through a temporary grant and the continuation of the position is dependent on funding availability. If funding for the position is not continued, the Temporary Paralegal Casehandler will be eligible to apply for other internal positions or be transferred into a comparable position.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Interview clients, provide advice and direct assistance
• Under the supervision of an attorney, work with clients in uncontested divorces, handling all aspects of the client meetings and documents to be filed with the court
• Draft affidavits and other court documents, and work with staff attorneys on divorce cases
• Assist with the development of and conduct community education trainings and materials
• Maintain, organize, and update case files and case management database
• Assist with grant reporting
• This position may require off-site work and some evening hours
• Participate in continuous professional development
• Continuously learn about forms of bias in the workplace and demonstrate affirmative behaviors that support an inclusive work environment
• Other duties as assigned

 

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications:

• Eligible candidates must have at least one of the following:
• A bachelor’s degree (strongly preferred)
• A paralegal certificate from an ABA accredited paralegal program
• At minimum a high school diploma / GED and 4+ years of legal work experience
• 4+ years of combined higher education and legal work experience
• Excellent writing, oral advocacy, and computer skills
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to multi-task and manage a large workload
• Commitment to advocacy on behalf of low-income people and immigrants

 

Preferred qualifications:  

• Knowledge of family law is preferred, but not required
• Experience assisting people in crisis is preferred, but not required
• Proficiency in languages other than English, especially Spanish, is strongly preferred

 

SALARY AND BENEFITS 

The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles. 

  

Salary Range: $62,400 - $95,555

  

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more.