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National Legal Aid & Defender Association · 2 days ago

Legal Assistant - Client Advocate

Richmond, VA

Full-time

Hybrid

New Grad, Entry Level

$52K/yr - $67K/yr

The National Legal Aid & Defender Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting for racial, social, and economic justice for low-income clients. The Legal Assistant-Client Advocate will support daily operations by conducting client intakes, managing case documents, and facilitating communication between clients and staff to ensure effective advocacy.

LegalNon Profit

Senior Management

Responsibilities

Communicate with clients to define and clarify our mission and services to help create a collaborative environment in which community, staff and volunteers are informed an up to date

Handle all aspects of community contact in an efficient and professional manner including answering the phone; listening to voicemails; documenting initial contacts; conducting intakes, providing referrals, utilizing our legal database, supporting emergency triage and receiving client documents

Enter all prescreen/intake and relevant client data and documents into Legal Server

Communicate with community members with an equity and social justice lens to assess needs and coordinate essential services

Conduct intakes with potential clients, which includes initial fact gathering, reviewing eligibility information, ensuring accuracy in databases and files, and gather documents to support building a case

Oversee all front desk-related activities including directing visitors and handling administrative tasks, maintaining the reception area, and other tasks to ensure efficient operations

Provide accurate fast-paced data entry and file maintenance

Other administrative tasks may include but are not limited to: preparing and providing materials and information for client cases and other legal issues and assist with paper and electronic filing; communicating pre-approved advice, updates, or legal information from lawyers to clients; providing backup for other offices as needs arise; assisting with communications with clients and community partners, preparing documents for attorneys

Provide legal assistant experience through a cultural humility and trauma informed lens

Demonstrate respectful, professional, and timely written and verbal communication, during all internal and external interactions

Together with the team: provide referrals and maintain lists of resources for clients in relevant subject areas; supervise and onboard interns and volunteers; track changes and trends in community requests and needs

Organize and maintain confidential documents and files and perform assigned administrative tasks to support office functions and safeguard compliance with relevant laws and regulations

Support community and volunteer engagement – be visible, greet and support community members and train admin volunteers; provide customer service by phone and in person; and keep community and volunteers informed and connected with services, organizers, and resources

Define and clarify the Legal Assistant/Client Advocate role for community and staff by answering questions; shadowing; and attending meetings; and by keeping a presence at the reception desk and common areas when needed

Act as a referral specialist by building connections with local partner agencies and community organizations and implementing new referrals

Engage in special projects with attorneys, organizers, and other teams including extended trips in the field, outreach tabling, correspondence, mailings, events coordination, and other activities

Provide support to other offices as needed. This could include in-person support for the Petersburg office

Other duties as assigned

Helping to recruit, retain, and support both staff and leadership that reflect the racial composition of our community

Cultivating respect for the work and expanding resources for non-attorney staff that are disproportionately people of color

Creating spaces for staff to discuss issues of racial, gender, and all other issues of marginalization; and

Pushing for institutional and cultural changes by management, the board, and staff to further promote racial equity

Qualification

Client communicationData entryCase managementLegal database proficiencyAdministrative supportCultural humilityCommunity engagementTeam collaborationVerbal communicationWritten communication

Required

Conduct intake, help with case management and document preparation, maintain calendars, organize files, help maintain the reception area, and other administrative tasks as assigned

Communicate with clients to support their understanding of LAJC's advocacy work

Assist clients in completing their intake process

Ensure clients are up to date on what is happening with their case

Enter all prescreen/intake and relevant client data and documents into Legal Server

Communicate with community members with an equity and social justice lens to assess needs and coordinate essential services

Conduct intakes with potential clients, which includes initial fact gathering, reviewing eligibility information, ensuring accuracy in databases and files, and gathering documents to support building a case

Oversee all front desk-related activities including directing visitors and handling administrative tasks, maintaining the reception area, and other tasks to ensure efficient operations

Provide accurate fast-paced data entry and file maintenance

Prepare and provide materials and information for client cases and other legal issues and assist with paper and electronic filing

Communicate pre-approved advice, updates, or legal information from lawyers to clients

Provide backup for other offices as needs arise

Assist with communications with clients and community partners, preparing documents for attorneys

Provide legal assistant experience through a cultural humility and trauma informed lens

Demonstrate respectful, professional, and timely written and verbal communication, during all internal and external interactions

Provide referrals and maintain lists of resources for clients in relevant subject areas

Supervise and onboard interns and volunteers

Track changes and trends in community requests and needs

Organize and maintain confidential documents and files and perform assigned administrative tasks to support office functions and safeguard compliance with relevant laws and regulations

Support community and volunteer engagement

Define and clarify the Legal Assistant/Client Advocate role for community and staff

Act as a referral specialist by building connections with local partner agencies and community organizations

Engage in special projects with attorneys, organizers, and other teams including extended trips in the field, outreach tabling, correspondence, mailings, events coordination, and other activities

Provide support to other offices as needed

Benefits

Generous paid time off every year, including 3 to 6 weeks of vacation, 12 days of health leave, 16 weeks parental leave, and 14 holidays (not including bonus holidays/rest days allocated as needed)

100% employer paid health, dental, and vision insurance, plus excellent family insurance with annual max of $2,400 premium contribution to LAJC-sponsored health plan

403(b) retirement plan with 4% employer contribution (no required match)

Strong commitment to professional development