Intake Manager

Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Inc.
Intake Manager
Location: Any of Pine Tree's offices - Portland, Lewiston, Augusta, Bangor, Presque Isle, or Machias; Hybrid remote

The Intake Manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day functions of Call Center, working in conjunction with the Director of Access and Training to oversee program-wide intake process and policies, and insuring program compliance with regulations and rules including but not limited to Legal Service Corporation regulations and the Maine Rules of Professional Responsibility. The Intake Manager’s primary goals in doing this work are to maximize the efficiency of intake processes and ensure equitable access to Pine Tree Legal Assistance’s services. The Intake Manager is a member of the management team and the Access to Justice Unit. The Intake Manager is the direct supervisor of the Intake Attorney. The Intake Manager is an active member of Maine’s legal aid community maintaining relationships with the other legal aid providers to help facilitate to collaboration to maximize efficiency in client representation, client education materials, and training for legal aid staff.

Pine Tree’s Intake Call Center:

In conjunction with the Intake Attorney, the Intake Manager supervises three weekly telephone shifts providing guidance on the spot to paralegals regarding whether or not an intake should be done, what advice should be provided and whether or not a case should be transferred for further assistance to a local or specialty unit. The Intake Manager can supervise up to 12,000 phone requests for assistance annually and supports the “next step” actions for each completed call including transfer of intakes to the appropriate field office or special project and the decision to not intake the case but instead to refer the caller to another resource or provide the caller with legal information.

In addition, the Intake Manager will:
- Review and triage all cases for appropriate funding codes, closing “advice-only” telephone and online intakes to confirm appropriate advice was provided, and following up with clients directly on occasion to provide additional advice;
- Handle any complaints by clients, as well as supporting paralegals with immediate assistance when working with clients that may be struggling to effectively engage with the intake process;
- Maintain substantive knowledge of the variety of legal issues people reach out to Pine Tree’s Call Center about, staying up to date with changes to the law affecting Pine Tree’s clients, and communicating these changes to the Intake team;
- Collaborate with management staff who directly supervise paralegal work on Intake coverage scheduling, as well as the paralegal team’s supervision and performance evaluations;

General Intake

Along with the Director of Access and Training and other staff, the Intake Manager will support all intake processes by participating in intake planning and working to improve procedure and keep practices up to date with the latest innovations in client access and technology. This work should be done relative to Pine Tree goals and objectives in the Board-approved Statement of Priorities or other Pine Tree initiatives, as well as recommended ‘best practices’ in intake from around the country, including periodic analysis of Pine Tree case data.

The Intake Manager will also:
- Track data necessary to meet our obligations under the Maine Rules Professional Conduct and as required by funders, and encourage the uniform and effective collection of data;
- Triage requests for help that arrive at Pine Tree outside of the Call Center intake process, including, but not limited to, being the designated person to receive referrals from partner agencies and processing and distributing cases that come in through online forms;
- Supervise the Intake Attorney in executing their job duties, including collaborating on an intake outreach plan to help increase access to and knowledge of Pine Tree’s services.
- Provide Intake Training for all new staff of the agency, including extensive training on all aspects of the intake process and Call Center for new paralegals

Case Work

The Intake Manager will maintain a caseload of advice-only or brief assistance cases. Cases will be transferred to the Intake Manager when further research is needed to provide adequate advice, including but not limited to cases where we should review documents, draft pleadings or letters for clients, or do legal research prior to finalizing advice.

General Work Expectations as a Manager
- Support local staff compliance with Pine Tree’s written Standards of Practices, grant and funder requirements, and other relevant ethical and professional responsibilities;
- Support accurate and contemporaneous timekeeping for all work activities;
- Support Pine Tree’s administrative staff in ensuring that local office/project compliance with administrative requests;
- Model review and closing of case files in a timely manner, documenting the level of service provided and all appropriate outcomes of legal representation;
- Ensure that staff treat all clients and potential clients with respect and professionalism;
- Model the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct and take personal responsibility for one’s actions;
- Utilize training opportunities that will strengthen leadership and management skills on an ongoing basis;
- Share responsibility for general office needs including mail, faxes, trash collection, facilities issues, including insuring that maintenance issues are addressed, and other needs that may arise;
- Contribute to and maintain Pine Tree’s high standards for excellence, support colleagues in their work, and otherwise act in accordance with Pine Tree’s Statement of Core Values.

Qualifications:

The Intake Manager should be a licensed Maine attorney with a minimum of five years of experience (preferably as a legal aid attorney) and two years in leadership roles within the program or community. The following qualifications are also important:
- A demonstrated commitment to the provision of high-quality legal services in their own work and program-wide;
- Skill in communicating their passion and commitment to the work to colleagues, employees, and external stakeholders;
- Enthusiasm for teaching the practice of law to new staff and volunteers;
- A positive approach to motivating and managing staff and/or volunteers;
- The ability to utilize creative problem-solving in addressing program challenges;
- A demonstrated commitment to strengthening PTLA’s reputation as a high quality civil legal aid provider on a local, statewide and national basis;
- A demonstrated commitment to Pine Tree’s core values and willingness to help staff improve their work over time;
- Strong time management, organizational and communication skills.

The attorney must be admitted to the practice of law in Maine or be eligible to practice under MRCP 11 (c) while working at Pine Tree. Previous litigation experience is strongly preferred. Applicant must reside in, or be willing to relocate to, the state of Maine. This is an exempt position under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

This position reports to the Director of Access and Training. Applicant must reside in, or be willing to relocate to, the state of Maine. This is an exempt position under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for PTLA attorneys and other exempt staff is currently $79,560 - $116,560, depending on experience.

In addition, PTLA is proud to offer the following:
Employer-paid health insurance with a generous HRA contribution, generous health insurance opt-out benefit, employer-paid dental insurance, employer-paid life and disability insurance, and an annual contribution to a 403(b)-retirement plan. Other voluntary options include vision and expanded life insurance. Staff enjoy 12 paid holidays, paid parental leave, generous vacation, floating holidays, and sick leave.

Pine Tree Legal Assistance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to employing and supporting individuals who are passionate about social justice and have relevant work experience, regardless of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, physical or mental disability, religion, familial status or experience with poverty, receipt of public assistance, or homelessness.