Coordinator - Legal

About the Organization 

Founded in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is a leading non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their loved ones. NILC’s mission is grounded in the belief that everyone living in the U.S. regardless of race, gender/gender identity, immigration status, or economic status — should have equal access to justice, resources, and educational and economic opportunities that enable them to achieve their full human potential. Together, NILC and the affiliated NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF), a 501(c)(4) organization, work to advocate more directly for federal immigration reform policies. NILC is committed to advancing its mission — which intersects race, immigration status, and class — through racial, economic, and gender justice and equity orientation.  

NILC is at an exciting moment in its organizational trajectory, supporting our five-year strategic framework and scaling the organization and its work through influencing systems, policy advocacy at the federal and state levels, engaging in movement and power building, and narrative and culture strategies in addition to continuous improvements to our operational model. We are looking for entrepreneurial, results-driven, relationship builders who are committed to NILC’s mission and values of racial justice & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty. 

About the Role  

The Coordinator, Legal supports and collaborates with NILC’s Legal team and other Program team members in a matrix workgroup environment to advance programmatic work based off NILC’s strategic framework. Coordinator, Legal is responsible for supporting the Legal Director, Deputy Directors, and the Legal team with general clerical duties, including maintaining department calendar, arranging conference calls, some programmatic or department-specific work including maintaining systems, drafting materials, and coordinating meeting logistics. They are responsible for general administrative duties as well as programmatic work. The Coordinator, Legal recognizes the importance of project management, systems building, and communication. The ideal candidate exhibits a strong commitment to NILC’s mission which concentrates on the applied principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, including strong strategic mindset with progressive movement organizations and strong communication skills.   

This role is a member of the bargaining unit. 

The Coordinator, Legal will be responsible for driving success in the following key areas:  

Specific Position Responsibilities

•        Provide logistical support for the Legal Director, Deputy Directors, Legal team and/or cross-functional workgroups including supporting virtual and in-person meetings, webinars, convenings, and presentations; coordinating scheduling; providing technical support; taking notes; supporting preparation of presentations; preparing materials and reports for meetings; and completing post-event follow-up items.  

•        Manage meeting logistics, including arranging conference calls and online scheduling, maintaining Legal Director and Legal team calendar in collaboration with other Coordinators, managing and ordering office supplies or food.

•        Supportthe Legal team in presentation creation including preparation calls, debriefs, and drafting memos. 

•        Ensure follow-up tasks from internal and external meetings are completed, including preparation and debrief of meetings.

•        Perform general clerical duties, including but not limited to, photocopying, faxing, mailing, and filing.

•        Maintain client case files and documentation, as well as timely entries to the Legal team’s internal data management system for clients, timekeeping for billable matters and closing cases on a timely basis ensuring entry of accurate & complete information.  

•        Maintain data collection for internal and external reports and prepare timely reports when needed.

•        Collaborate with members of the Legal team and cross-functional program teams to provide administrative support as needed, including collaboration with paralegals in the preparation and organization of documents for binders or electronic production for exhibits, hearings, trial, etc.  

•        Assist in managing the litigation docket and calendars for court deadlines, digital case files, and shared cloud-based systems document tracking.

•        Maintain the technical assistance rotation calendar and litigation calendar, collaborating with other members of the legal team to track litigation updates, compliance charts, MCLE  (CA state bar) trainings, including tracking participant lists and issuing certificates of compliance for participants, and other calendaring.  

•        Request and track the receipt of all required forms and materials for Legal team and collaborate with other team members to research and recommend changes to litigation processes & templates.

•        Support the Manager, Programs Knowledge in the coordination and calendaring for internal/external trainings including “in house” MCLE programs for legal team and non-legal team staff where appropriate.

•        Assist in managing departmental system accounts including Westlaw and Thomson Reuters with approval from appropriate department leaders.

•        Coordinate and maintain records for legal department credit cards, receipts, and other administrative records for the department; prepare expense reports for the Legal Director and for other Legal Department members upon request.

•        Supports the Director, Legal directly as needed.

•        Provide logistical support for events, especially department retreats.   

•        May be a part of a larger cross functional project using the MOCHA framework/methodology.

Shared Organization Responsibilities

•        Champions NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income by demonstrating a commitment to human rights, and racial, economic, and social justice.

•        Attends and actively participates in NILC meetings at the organization, department, project, and individual level.

•        Develops relationships and supports NILC and IJF colleagues across all teams, recognizing that each individual brings a unique background and perspective to the work and assuming good intent from each other.

•        Follows through on commitments acting with a clear sense of ownership individually and collectively by taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and failures, establishing clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results, and designing feedback loops into work.

•        Learns quickly when facing new situations by experimenting to find fresh solutions, taking on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks, and extracting lessons learned from failures and mistakes.

•        Acts with integrity by following through on commitments, being direct and truthful, keeping confidences, and showing consistency between words and actions.

•        Commits to centering NILC’s values of racial justice & equity, valuing diversity, fostering partnerships & collaboration, encouraging respect & personal well-being, and striving for transparency, integrity, and honesty in all decisions and actions.

In recognition of the fluidity of the work and ecosystem that NILC operates in, other duties may be assigned depending on organizational need.

What We’re Looking for in This Role

•        Commitment to NILC & IJF’s mission of advancing the rights of immigrants with low income and a demonstrated commitment to human rights, racial, economic and social justice, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice for all.

•        Collaborative, proactive, and action oriented working style with a strong service mentality promoting mutual accountability and inspiriting trust and confidence from colleagues, other NILC team members, and NILC leaders alike.

•         Sound judgment in decision-making, high integrity, and utmost respect for confidentiality.

•        Excellent verbal and written communication skills: ability to read, analyze, and interpret as well as draft documents such as reports, correspondence, and presentations for various audiences.   

•        Self-starter with excellent organizational skills and a strong ability to move daily tasks forward in alignment with NILC’s broader organizational needs and goals. 

•        Consults stakeholders and makes high value decisions even when based on incomplete information or in the face of uncertainty based off proactive approaches to problem-solving and individual resourcefulness. 

Qualifications Required

•        High school diploma required.   

•        2+ years of office or legal administrator experience required. 

•        Demonstrated ability to adapt to changing priorities, strategies, and circumstances.  

•        Proficiency with in-office and virtual environments and software such as MS Office, internet research, and virtual collaboration tools. 

Preferred Qualifications

•        Associate’s or bachelor’s degree a plus.   

•        Nonprofit, legal, or social justice organization experience strongly preferred.

•        3-4+ years of administrative coordinator experience preferred.

•        Proficiency with project management software and with legal case management systems preferred.

•        Proficiency in non-English languages spoken by Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, African, Caribbean, and Arab communities preferred. Fluency in more than one language desirable.

At NILC, we know that talented people may have different backgrounds or experiences, and if your education and experience doesn’t exactly align with the above that’s okay! NILC believes that diversity in all dimensions of the organization supports and bolsters the innovative thinking essential to its success and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants. NILC’s goal is for our people to reflect the communities in which we live and serve and to ensure representation of people of color, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in our organization. We encourage you to apply and let us know in your cover letter why you are qualified and the right fit for this role and NILC. 

Work Environment

• Location & Travel:  

NILC's offices are located in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, California. For this role, up to 10-20% of overnight interstate travel may be required; generally, travel is quarterly to the NILC Washington, D.C. office or another location within the US for 3-5 nights. 

• Compensation & Benefits: 

NILC’s compensation and benefits philosophy is to provide a competitive offering in the nonprofit sector and ensure equity across the organization.

• Physical Demands: 

•        Remaining in a stationary position, often standing or sitting for prolonged periods 

•        Communicating with others to exchange information. 

•        Repeating motions, like typing or answering a phone, that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers.

$53,800 - $59,800 a year