Legal/Project Assistant - Audrey Irmas Project for Women and Girls’ Rights

Public Counsel’s Women & Girls’ Rights Project (WGR) is hiring a full-time Legal/Project Assistant to support the team’s litigation, direct legal services, and advocacy work. This is a non-exempt position available immediately. Spanish Language Fluency Required. 

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND

Public Counsel is the largest pro bono public interest law firm in the country. Founded in 1970, it is dedicated to advancing equal justice under law and addressing economic, racial, and other inequities by delivering free legal and social services to the most vulnerable members of our community. Public Counsel operates eight legal projects: Children’s Rights, Community Development, Consumer Rights, Homelessness Prevention, Immigrants’ Rights, Veterans’ Rights, the Audrey Irmas Project for Women & Girls’ Rights, and our impact litigation project, Opportunity Under Law. Public Counsel has a full-time staff of 130. We seek to have a racially inclusive staff.

The Women & Girls’ Rights Project launched in May 2017 and is Public Counsel’s newest program area. The goal of the project is to advance equality and economic opportunity for low income women and girls, while deepening Public Counsel’s existing work on gender-related issues across project areas. In addition to direct services, the project works with partners in systems change efforts to improve the lives of women and girls and increase their access to justice. The project is currently focusing on two key areas:

• Workplace justice and opportunity (Employment matters)
• Empowerment and equity for young women and girls in education (Title IX)

JOB SUMMARY

The Legal/Project Assistant will provide a range of paralegal, administrative and program support for the WGR team. Key Responsibilities will include:

• Conducting client intake and initial screening through telephonic interviews
• Maintaining case management systems, including organizing and updating client documents and files on Pubic Counsel’s network database
• Providing paralegal support for administrative complaints and civil litigation, including filing documents in court, preparing basic legal documents, maintaining calendars, and assisting with discovery during litigation
• Oral interpretation and written Spanish-English translation for attorneys and clients
• Communicating and working with clients and partner organizations in the community
• Organizing outreach, presentations and legal clinics with community partners
• Assisting with routine data collection and grant reporting
• Facilitating client referrals to outside counsel and/or support services
• General administrative support and related duties as assigned

ESSENTIAL JOB SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university;
• Spanish-language fluency (written and oral)
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and effectively prioritize workload;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a team;
• Organizational skills - attention to detail;
• Mastery of computer programs such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint; ability to use case management software and other databases; social media skills a plus;
• Experience and competence in working with people of diverse cultural, geographic, and economic backgrounds, including individuals who are low-income and racially diverse;
• Commitment to economic, racial and gender justice and public interest law;
• Paralegal certificate/degree in paralegal studies or experience in litigation support a plus.

We encourage people of color, people with disabilities, LGBT people, and people from other historically excluded groups to apply.