Volunteers of Legal Service seeks a full-time bilingual Spanish speaking Legal Assistant to support the work of our legal projects. The Legal Assistant will work primarily with our Microenterprise Project, Senior Law Project, Benefits Project, and may also be given assignments across other projects as well. The ideal candidate will be highly organized, have excellent communications skills, and be passionate about access to justice for all New Yorkers.

About Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS): For nearly 40 years, VOLS has partnered with New York City’s leading law firms and companies as well as community-based organizations to help close the access to justice gap for low-income New Yorkers. VOLS provides free, civil legal services to New Yorkers with limited resources, including seniors, veterans, unemployed workers, immigrant youth, children and their families, mothers in prison or jail, and small business owners. In 2022, VOLS assisted clients on more than 3,000 legal matters and our services benefited nearly 4,000 individual New Yorkers. VOLS’ staff of 22, including 14 attorneys and law graduates, works with volunteer lawyers from over 80 law firms/companies to exponentially increase our impact. We partner with 150+ community groups to ensure that our services are accessible and address local needs.

Responsibilities: The Legal Assistant will work to support VOLS’s attorneys and law graduates by providing the following support:

• Administrative support:
• Entering and maintaining confidential client information and records in VOLS’ electronic case management system
• Creating and maintaining volunteer attorney profiles in electronic filing system
• Opening and closing files for clients and ensuring compliance with program protocol

• Client Engagement:
  • • Conducting screenings of applicants for service, including obtaining necessary demographic data, determination of eligibility, and scope of the client’s request for assistance. This includes hotline callbacks, in-person clinics, and other sources of intake.
    • Coordinating follow-up services, including appointments, referrals, client correspondence, and gathering documents and other information.
    • Providing applicants and clients with information, referrals and/or advice under the supervision of an attorney 
    • Maintain a knowledge of one or more areas of law and the applicable procedures
    • Interviewing clients in such areas
• Provide pro bono support by following up on matters placed with volunteers, providing client related information to volunteers on matters, and assisting with coordinating of pro bono clinics
• Community engagement:
  • • Attending community group meetings 
    • Engaging in community outreach, including workshops and presentations
    • Receiving and maintaining accurate and up-to-date resource materials
• Interpretation and translation for both client interactions and for community facing presentations.
• Participate in committees and collaborative efforts to benefit the organization, as appropriate.
• Performing other duties as assigned by their supervisor the Legal Director, and/or Operations Director.

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree and relevant professional experience. Experience working in a law office, or another legal setting preferred. Excellent interpersonal skills. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Detailed oriented and highly organized. The ability to multi-task while working across three different projects. Demonstrated commitment to social justice. Experienced with Outlook, Office 365, website maintenance, data management, spreadsheets, virtual communication tools, and database tracking systems. Native/bilingual Spanish speaker or full professional proficiency in Spanish.

The position will be hybrid after the first six months. The position will be fully in person during the six-month probationary period. After, employees may work remotely up to eight days per month. Local travel to meetings, clinics, client home visits, and other events are required. All candidates must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 including all up to date booster shots, unless provided a reasonable accommodation pursuant to applicable federal, state and local statutes.

Compensation and benefits: The annual salary range for this position is $45,900 – $48,960 for candidates with up to 2 years of experience and will be determined by our collective bargaining agreement and be commensurate with experience. VOLS offers an excellent benefits package, including health, life and disability insurance, a retirement plan to which VOLS contributes and the option to contribute to a 403(b) plan. We provide 25 days of paid vacation, 12 days of paid sick leave, and 3 personal days annually.

How to apply: Please email a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and 3 references to [email protected] with the subject line “Legal Assistant.” Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. No phone or email inquiries, please.

VOLS strives to build and maintain a diverse staff, and we encourage candidates of all backgrounds/identities to apply for this position. VOLS is an equal opportunity employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, creed, age, disability, sexual orientation, biological sex, gender identity/expression, family status, military service or any other basis prohibited by law.