Legal Advocacy Intern

SafePlace, Thurston County's designated sexual and domestic violence services agency, has an opening for a Legal Advocacy Intern who will provide Legal Advocacy to survivors of sexual and domestic violence, perform crisis intervention and ongoing advocacy in person and on the phone, and provide clients with referrals and other information in a culturally relevant manner.    . Our organization has been providing services to sexual and domestic violence survivors and their families since 1981. Our sexual assault program is one of the oldest in the nation.

We are an accredited and nationally recognized feminist organization committed to anti-oppression efforts as the foundation for management and services. More about SafePlace can be found at www.safeplaceolympia.org. We are actively recruiting Interns who align with our mission, vision, and values.

OUR MISSION

We strive to stop sexual and domestic violence and advocate for personal and societal change through crisis intervention and education.

 OUR CORE VALUES

• Excellence:  We are dedicated to effective programs with the best facilities we can provide, the finest staff we can hire, and a positive atmosphere for social change.
• Respect:  We work to build our relationships with survivors, community members, and each other based on integrity, honesty, openness, and respect for individual rights and choices.
• Self-Care:  We value self-care for survivors, volunteers, and Interns.
• Diversity:  We are dedicated to serving the diverse cultures in our community and mirroring that diversity in our volunteers, staff, and board of directors.
• Confidentiality:  We hold survivor and personnel information in the strictest confidence and are committed to a culture of trust.

At SafePlace, we pride ourselves on being a widely diverse group of individuals who are collectively dedicated to preventing domestic violence and sexual assault, while providing crucial services for survivors and their children. SafePlace is an inclusive and supportive environment where each Intern feels welcome, can do their best work, and can be their best selves.
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SafePlace Interns are part of a cultivating team, where team members are friendly, accepting, and truly care about the wellbeing of others. Team members are proactive about sharing resources that benefit clients and are inspired by and enthusiastic about each other’s success! This is a workplace that encourages new ideas and collective input in an atmosphere that is both patient and dependable. SafePlace offers an inspiring environment to be yourself and thrive!

SafePlace is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, veterans or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are strongly encouraged to apply.

If you have a desire to make a difference in the lives of sexual and domestic violence survivors and in your community, in a trauma informed and culturally responsive manner, we may be the employer for you. Frequently cited statistics show that women and members of structurally marginalized and/or underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. SafePlace encourages you to break that statistic and apply. No one ever meets 100% of the qualifications, and we recognize that fact. We look forward to receiving your application!

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Essential Duties and Responsibilities of this position include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Provide and assist with Legal Advocacy services to our emergency shelter residents, legal clinic attendees, and court clients. Those services include accompaniment during legal proceedings in preparation for courtroom activities, as requested.
  • Provide advocacy and assist clients in gathering information connected to immigration.
  • Assist clients with anti-harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence protection orders, as requested.
  • Ensure current statistics on clients are maintained and are entered into InfoNet.
  • Maintain networking with the community legal systems with oversight by the Community Services Program Manager.
  • Maintain and assist in the on-going development of culturally appropriate legal resources.
• Provide information to clients about safety planning.
• Organize and attend bi-monthly legal clinics as needed.
• Be available for on call shifts as needed. This includes Sexual Assault Response.
• Organize, conduct, and participate in legal resource outreach and education to rural communities, legal service providers, Thurston County courts, and other SafePlace program Interns and clients with oversight by the Community Services Program Manager.
• Provide support during walk-ins at the Community Services Building, with the 24-hour help line, and collaborate with the Community Services Advocate with the Domestic Violence support group, as assigned.
• Work with the Community Services Program Manager in identifying potential changes to current operational systems when needed.
• Attend community services, direct services, and all-staff meetings, as required.
• Work with the Volunteer Program Coordinator to prepare, update and deliver the Legal Advocacy I and II classes for SafePlace’s Advocate Core Training.
• Perform duties as described in a culturally responsive manner.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• High School diploma or general education degree (GED) or equivalent educational background.
• One year’s experience (minimum of 1560 hours) providing crisis intervention and/or sexual and domestic violence advocacy.
• Demonstrated understanding of sexual and domestic violence issues and legal protections.
• Working knowledge of the court system, law enforcement systems, and legal procedures.
• Basic computer skills, including word processing, and knowledge of Internet and e-mail.
• Experience in prioritization and problem solving.
• Experience with effective communication, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to organize effectively.
• Experience establishing and maintaining working relationships with co-workers and community organizations.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to handle stress effectively.
• Ability to maintain a positive attitude in a crisis intervention work environment.
• Have (or be willing to obtain) a car, current automobile liability insurance and telephone.
• Commitment to the need for client and agency confidentiality.
• Agreement with the SafePlace mission, values, and philosophy statement.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bilingual in Spanish and English
• Completion of the initial SafePlace ACT training.