Administrative Assistant - Sacramento, CA

MALDEF is the nation’s leading non-profit Latino civil rights law firm. Founded in 1968, MALDEF works to safeguard the civil rights of Latinos and to increase the community’s ability to participate fully in American society. We currently seek a fully bilingual Administrative Assistant to support our legal and policy staff in the Sacramento Office.

Job Responsibilities: Under the supervision of the Staff Attorneys, the Administrative Assistant provides the secretarial, clerical, and office administrative functions required in a small office, using initiative and judgment as necessary in the absence of the attorneys. S/he answers telephones taking and relaying messages and information; completes business telephone calls to confirm appointments and court/hearing appearances; schedules appointments and meetings; prepares and processes incoming and outgoing mail and correspondence; maintains an office calendar and tickler system for important court/hearing dates, deadlines, and other appointments; maintains the office filing system. The Administrative Assistant also drafts simple correspondence and memoranda; types testimony, fact sheets and talking points as well as legal documents for filing with state of federal court and for service on opposing counsel/parties; proofreads documents for accuracy; collates, numbers, sorts, and files documents and other materials produced by or for opposing party in discovery; puts together reports and exhibits; fills in forms precisely and without error; prepares expense forms and check requests; processes and maintains petty cash and cash disbursements; and serves as a receptionist.

Qualifications and Experience: The successful candidate will have two (2) years experience performing secretarial or clerical tasks in professional office environment. Law and/or legislative office experience highly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: The successful candidate will have basic knowledge of legal terminology and basic understanding of legal/legislative systems and documents; knowledge of general organization of pleading/brief dockets and legal correspondence files; excellent computer skills, especially word processing, spreadsheets, and Internet. Knowledge of WordPerfect, MSWord, Adobe Acrobat and the Internet; knowledge of proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling sufficient to proofread legal work and to compose simple correspondence; ability to read and understand rules and procedures sufficient to prepare and format documents; skill in typing and word processing at a minimum of 50 wpm; knowledge of both legal and general office procedures and routines. Candidates must be able to communicate fluently in both English and Spanish, including the ability to speak, read, write, understand, and translate from one language to the other.

Compensation: $38,700 to $45,600 per year. Salary is commensurate with experience. MALDEF offers a generous benefits package including 100% employer paid medical, dental, vision for the employee and qualified dependent family members, short- and long-term disability insurance, term life insurance, 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, employee assistance plan, 11 paid holidays, and 20 days of personal time off (PTO) per year.

How to Apply: Send cover letter and résumé by email to: jobs@maldef.org. For ease of processing please title your email as follows: Your Name – SAC Administrative Assistant. Attachments should be in .doc, .docx, .rtf, .txt or .pdf format. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Position Open Until Filled. Equal Opportunity Employer

For more information, visit: www.maldef.org

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MALDEF offers a generous benefits package including 100% employer paid medical, dental, vision for the employee and qualified dependent family members, short- and long-term disability insurance, term life insurance, 403(b) retirement plan with 5% employer contribution and match, employee assistance plan, 11 paid holidays, and 20 days of personal time off (PTO) per year.