The Legal Aid Society has an opening for Paralegal I in the Shared Services Department. The Legal Aid Society, established in 1876, exists for one powerful reason: “that no New Yorker is denied the right to equal justice because of poverty”. Our Civil, Criminal Defense and Juvenile Rights Practices provide an unmatched depth and breadth of legal expertise across New York City’s 5 Boroughs in over 300,000 cases annually. The Shared Services Department synergizes multiple business functions to produce reliable, high-quality and cost-effective results.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Performs New York State court filings and service of brief, writs, subpoenas and legal instruments on the District Attorneys, Attorney General and other legal entities
Collaborates with our Civil, Criminal and Juvenile Rights practices to provide quality representation
Produces legal documents and training material using standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Processes incoming and outgoing mail and packages using USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL and other messenger services
Performs messenger services between locations
Secures and distributes interoffice checks and documents
Inputs and extrapolates information using active databases
Uses Law Manager to derive relevant information
Manages our Corporate Reception area
Provides general information to clients, colleagues and visitors
Operates our Avaya Main Switchboard system- to direct callers to internal/ external resources
Refers callers or walk ins requesting legal assistance to our Intake systems
Maintains office logs and filing, generates periodic reports
Provides oral and written translations via tele-language provider
Other duties as assigned
TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS
Associate’s degree or High School/ Technical/ Vocational Diploma or equivalent work experience
Strong interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills
Ability to work independently and problem solve
Proficiency in languages other than English, especially Spanish, is desirable, but not required
Proficiency in using computers and basic technology
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Please submit these documents as a single combined PDF when you apply via the LAS (Legal Aid Society) Recruitment Portal.
Cover Letter
Resume
SALARY TRANSPARENCY
The posting reflects the range of potential salaries for the role. The specific salary offers will be dependent on candidate qualifications, including collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.
Salary Range/ Salary: $53,295 – $81,795
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if, an offer is made.
Click here to read more about the benefits of working at The Legal Aid Society
HIGHER EDUCATION AND LOAN FORGIVENESS
The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs.
Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York State to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below.
studentaid.gov
hesc.ny.gov/find-aid-you-need/new-york-state-loan-forgiveness-programs
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.
WORK AUTHORIZATION
All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)
HOW TO APPLY
All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.
As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.