About the Legal Aid Justice Center:
The Legal Aid Justice Center is a nationally recognized, non-profit organization that partners with low-income clients and communities of color in Virginia to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. We understand that the harms our clients endure are inextricably linked to overarching systems of injustice. Together we are dismantling those systems through a combination of community organizing, litigation, policy advocacy, public relations, and individual legal services.
Founded in 1967, LAJC has offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church and provides services under six key program areas: Civil Rights & Racial Justice (focuses on the criminal legal system), Housing & Consumer Justice, Youth Justice, Health Justice & Public Benefits, Immigrant Justice, and Worker Justice. As examples of LAJC’s recent work, our lawsuit and organizing against the state forced reform of Virginia’s unemployment insurance system, including advocacy that resulted in the distribution of over $1 billion in illegally withheld payments to over 160,000 Virginians. During the pandemic, we demanded and secured a statewide eviction moratorium and emergency pandemic protections that helped hundreds of families avoid eviction. We reduced incarceration across the state, including reducing the population of a local immigration detention center down to historically low levels through a coordinated effort of organizing paired with impact and individual litigation. Our staff are on the front lines of some of the most important anti-poverty fights happening today.
With a staff of over 90, the past few years have been a time of exciting growth and opportunity for the organization. In addition to the growth of programmatic efforts including increased organizing capacity, LAJC has expanded its operations and administrative capacity, created new opportunities for professional growth and leadership among staff, engaged in ongoing race equity work, and explored changes to organizational structure to deepen its efforts to create long-term, sustainable, community-driven change.
LAJC’s latest strategic plan is available at https://www.justice4all.org/lajc-strategic-plan-2022-2026/#area%20d.
For more information about LAJC’s work and programs, visit www.justice4all.org.
About the Position:
The Legal Aid Justice Center seeks a Legal Assistant and Client Advocate for its office in Northern Virginia. Legal assistants play an essential role in the day-to-day operations of LAJC. The Legal Assistant communicates with clients in Spanish and English, conducts intake, helps with case management and document preparation and translation, maintains calendars, organizes files, maintains our reception area, and other administrative tasks as assigned. The Legal Assistant position is conducted in person, 8:30 am-5:00 pm, Monday-Friday, with the potential for one remote workday weekly after onboarding is complete. This role is a hybrid role that also includes duties related to client advocacy. LAJC’s Client Advocates communicate with clients to support their understanding of LAJC’s advocacy work, assist them in completing the intake process, and ensure they are up to date on what is happening with their case. Both our Legal Assistants and Client Advocates are members of our Administrative Team, whose mission is to promote justice and reduce poverty across Virginia by acting as a bridge between LAJC’s staff members and its client community and managing the details that keep LAJC’s offices running smoothly. This role may evolve over time to include specialized program intake services and support.
Job Duties:
-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 and 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
-Communicate with clients 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 but not limited to directing visitors and handling administrative tasks, maintaining the reception area, and other tasks to ensure efficient operations.
-As needed, supervise and train undergraduate interns, or volunteers to support intakes and call volume.
-Act as a Spanish language interpreter including client appointments and accurate translation of legal materials.
-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.
-Racial equity: Promote racial equity across all dimensions, including within LAJC, by doing the following:
-Helping to recruit, retain, and support both staff and leadership that reflect the racial composition of our community.
-Cultivating respect for the work of 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.
-Pushing for institutional and cultural changes by management, the board, and staff to further promote racial equity.
A Note to Potential Candidates: Studies have shown that women, trans, non-binary folks, and BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the qualifications described.
Location: This role will be based in our Falls Church, VA office. Occasional travel between offices will be required. Although a regular presence in the office is required, LAJC offers a remote work policy to support employees in co-creating schedules and arrangements that allow us all to do our best work.
Salary: The salary scale for this position is $57,680.00 - $74,984.00 based on the LAJC salary scale, an upward 12% cost-of-living adjustment is available for positions based in Falls Church. To allow for salary growth within the position over time, the anticipated hiring range for this position is between $57,680.00 - $66,332.00. Placement on the range will be based on factors such as years of relevant experience, budget, and internal equity.
Benefits: Our mission is compelling, and our team members are passionate about their work, and so we recognize the need to provide generous benefits and encourage rest and a healthy work environment. For example, we provide:
-Generous paid time off every year, including 3 to 6 weeks of vacation, 12 days of health leave, 6 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
-Relocation package (where applicable)
Required Qualifications:
-Strong commitment to social, economic, and racial justice
-Spanish fluency.
-Self-starter, excited and passionate about client and community experiences.
-Proficient in MS Office applications, including Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook.
-Ability to learn and effectively utilize case management systems such as Salesforce
-Analytical thinker with excellent conceptual skills.
-Demonstrated organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail, and ability to multitask in a high pace environment.
-Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
-Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Preferred Qualifications:
-2+ years as a legal assistant or closely related customer service experience in a law office or similar setting.
-Legal Assistant or Paralegal certification.
-Experience in Spanish/English translation in a law office or similar setting.
-Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
-Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to manage sensitive and confidential situations with tact, professionalism, and diplomacy
-Skills in professional email, verbal etiquette, and effective communication
-Ability to provide a fully bilingual, English/Spanish, Legal Assistant experience through a cultural awareness and trauma informed lens.
Vaccination Requirement: The Legal Aid Justice Center requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved medical or religious exemption as a qualification of employment. Proof of vaccination or accommodation request must be provided within one day of employment.
Application Deadline: January 31, 2025. We accept applications on a rolling basis and encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.
Application Instructions: Complete the online application. This position requires a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references. You can direct the cover letter to the hiring manager, Guillermo Medrano. Please note, we will not contact references without advance consent from candidates.
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