Legal Assistant

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) provides free civil legal services to residents in 68 Southwest Texas counties and represents migrant and seasonal farm workers throughout the state and in six other southern states. TRLA serves about 23,000 clients each year. However, more than 2.6 million residents of Southwest Texas are considered eligible for TRLA services, a ratio of almost 21,000 potential clients per legal aid lawyer. As a result, thousands of low-income Texans still lack access to civil legal representation.

TRLA has an opening for a Legal Assistant in its Del Rio and Victoria offices.  The candidates should be detail-oriented, punctual, self-driven, able to work on multiple assignments at once, and responsive to the legal needs of low-income persons.  The work schedule is Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., plus additional hours if occasionally requested to meet deadlines. This is an in-person position, and regular, on-site attendance is considered an essential function of the role. While TRLA supports flexibility and may allow occasional remote work where appropriate and with prior approval, consistent in-person attendance is expected.

Duties of the legal assistant include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Type, file and handle all clerical office matters for the casehandlers to whom assigned; 

• Maintain client files and applications and complete assigned work on case files within the required time frame;

• Make copies of documents as requested;

• Create files for all new cases;

• Notarize documents;

• Maintain office law library;

• Communicate with clients and other lawyers as requested;

• Coordinate schedules and maintain case requirements calendar of casehandlers, as requested;

• Prepare standard pleadings for review by attorneys;

• Set hearings, depositions and other appointments with clients and other attorneys as requested;

• Compose routine correspondence;

• Obtain information from data base and check conflict of interest;

• Make appropriate disposition of applications as instructed by assigned attorney;

• Answer office telephone as required, and take messages for other staff;

• Handle incoming and outgoing mail, ensuring that all incoming mail is distributed to the appropriate parties and that outgoing correspondence is prepared in time and is placed in the appropriate location for mailing;

• Assist in overflow work to ensure smooth office operations;

• Maintain office equipment by replenishing toner in copiers and printers when necessary and refilling copier and printer paper trays as needed; and respond to equipment breakdowns, distracting office conditions and other office conditions requiring management attention;

• Maintain office supply inventory and requisitions supplies and office equipment when necessary;

• Maintain trust accounts according to standard accounting procedures, including typing of trust account checks or receipts or reporting, whichever is assigned by the branch or office manager;

• Orient new employees on office procedures and briefs employees on policy and procedure changes;

• Coordinate staff leave and travel arrangements for staff;

• Translate;

• All other secretarial duties as may be requested by the immediate supervisor. 

• Type minimum of 45 words per minute

• Experience with word processing

• Preference given to persons with high school degree or equivalent

• Minimum of two years secretarial experience

• Bilingual in English and Spanish