Legal Assistant

The Family Place seeks a part time, 28 hours per week, Bilingual Legal Assistant.

Work hours: Monday-Thursday Or Tuesday-Friday: 9:00-4:00 pm with a paid, 30-minute lunch break.

ABOUT THE FAMILY PLACE: The Family Place empowers victims of family violence by providing safe housing, counseling and skills that create independence while building community engagement and advocating for social change to stop family violence. The Family Place is here to help victims of domestic violence become survivors. Our staff and the services we offer empower victims of family violence to lead lives free from abuse. Our fully comprehensive services are free and are provided in English and Spanish.

Responsibilities: Generally responsible for assisting in the delivery of legal services to clients in civil law matters. Day to day operations, responsibilities and legal work assignments will be under the supervision and direction of The Family Place staff in conjunction with Legal Aid of Northwest Texas attorney. Assignments will involve assisting in tasks and projects relating to the provision of services to clients dealing with domestic violence. All work is to be conducted in accordance with established policies and procedures and other accepted professional standards.

Position Summary:
Assists the attorneys in working with low-income clients on their civil legal matters;
Conducts initial client interviews;
Drafts of pleadings, correspondence, or other pertinent documents;
Conducts investigation or research regarding facts of a case or a point of law;
Uses calendaring systems to schedule appointments, ensure timely completion of tasks and work projects, and ensure that all parties are kept informed of court deadlines and appearances;
Manages data collection and entry, working closely with various groups to facilitate proper data collection;
Prepares and maintain accurate and timely activity and time logs;
Produces required administrative reports as directed;
Prepares and updates client files;
Provides translation services between English and Spanish;
Works within the parameters set forth by the Agency and its partner Legal Aid of Northwest Texas to carry out the mission and principles of advocacy as set out by the ABA and each partner agency;
Attends and participates in required staff and management meeting, trainings, and supervisory sessions;
Participates in special projects, or other duties as assigned by the Program Director.

Other Duties: Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Requirements: Associates Degree paralegal studies preferred with experience in a legal environment and social services agency OR a High School Diploma and 5 years progressive experience as a legal assistance and any equivalent combination of training and experience, which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Languages: Must be bilingual (Spanish/English) speaking

Licenses and Certifications: Valid Texas Drivers License and clear driving record

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Knowledge of legal concepts, terminology, principles, and procedures necessary to understand court filing requirements.
Ability to proofread all work products to check spelling, grammar, punctuation, content, legal citations, and formatting using a computer and various forms of software.
Ability to maintain, organize and compile information and documents from various sources in a categorical or functional order through alphabetical, numerical and categorical systems.
Ability to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive and confidential client information obtained through the course of completing assignments.
Ability to produce accurate and timely documents with a typing speed of at least 50 wpm, with less than 3 errors.
PC experience is required with a proficiency in Word and Excel, will use and must master software used by LANWT (Legal Aid of Northwest Texas) and The Family Place
Excellent organizational, communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work within teams or independently and with a diverse population.
Bi-lingual (Fluent English/Spanish) required.
Ability to travel to Family Place satellite offices to meet with clients.

Mental and Physical Abilities: Duties are usually performed seated with occasional periods of standing or walking. Limited physical effort is required associated with lifting and carrying objects (less than 25 lbs). Ability to sit, stand, and/or input data frequently for extended periods of time. Long periods of computer work are required.

Working Conditions: Work may be performed but is not limited to an office environment.

Work Location: Work must be performed in the office due to client confidentiality.

Essential Functions: This job description should not be interpreted as all-inclusive. It is intended to identify the essential functions and requirements of this position. The incumbents may be requested to perform job-related responsibilities and tasks other than those stated in this job description.