Legal And Administrative Assistant (Bilingual – Spanish/English)

At DC Affordable Law Firm (DCALF), we believe everyone deserves access to justice and that income should never be a barrier to a family’s receipt of high-quality legal representation. DCALF delivers accessible justice to modest-income DC residents who do not qualify for traditional sources of free civil legal services and cannot afford standard representation and fills critical gaps by using innovative programming to expand access to justice and empower lower-income community members with unmet legal needs. DCALF provides a wide-range of no-cost and low-cost family law, probate, estate planning, and immigration legal services to DC residents and individuals navigating DC legal issues. We are fiercely dedicated to leveling the playing field and ensuring historically underserved clients can tackle some of life’s most daunting legal issues with a lawyer by their side.

DCALF seeks a full-time, bilingual (Spanish/English)Legal and Administrative Assistant to support our team of attorneys, provide administrative assistance in support of DCALF’s office management and operations, and, for one to two days per week, assist the Family Law Assistance Network (commonly known as “FLAN”), a cross-organization, rapid-response family law network comprised of attorneys from DC Affordable Law Firm, Legal Aid DC, and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center.

The selected candidate is adept at building relationships with individuals from diverse backgrounds, has a strong sense of empathy, organization, and professionalism, is able to work independently to meet time-sensitive deliverables, and is committed to supporting our organization’s race, diversity, and equity initiatives. In addition, the selected candidate must be comfortable working with individuals navigating immigration and family law issues, including child custody, child support, contested divorce, and paternity disputes. The anticipated start date for this position is June 2024 and duties include, but are not limited to:

Case Management and Client Communication

• Promptly answer incoming calls, take messages, and regularly monitor the general DCALF email account;
• Manage intake process for DCALF’s legal services programs, including family law, immigration, estate planning, and Heirs’ Property;
• Conduct intake/conflict reports of potential clients in English and Spanish, screen clients for eligibility for services, and provide referrals when appropriate;
• Provide legal support for staff attorneys, including interpretation and translation to and from Spanish for client meetings, phone calls, correspondence, documents, court and government submissions, and hearings/interviews; and
• Assist Staff Attorneys and Supervisors as needed.

FLAN Client Intake and Engagement Assistance

• Alongside DCALF’s FLAN Hotline Intake Specialist, serve as point of contact for individuals seeking help in family law issues and assist in management of FLAN’s Intake Hotline by directly answering calls and voicemails, and speaking with community members to screen for family law needs and assess eligibility for FLAN’s services;
• Assist in the oversight and prompt addressing of email referrals sent from the DC Superior Court’s Family Court Self-Help Center, Judges’ Chambers, and community organizations on behalf of community members;
• Prepare referrals for eligible individuals and send referrals to appropriate FLAN partner organizations for legal services;
• Maintain transparent and timely communication with potential clients until the completion of their referral;
• Document all Hotline activities in the network’s database, ensuring an attention to detail and meticulous approach to data hygiene;
• Maintain client and organization confidentiality, according to FLAN’s policies and procedures;
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with potential clients and other referral sources; and
• Cover the Hotline whenever the Intake Specialist is on leave.

Office Management, Administration, and Community Outreach

• Maintain current knowledge of Legal and non-legal resources in the DMV region, maintaining and updating referral resources as needed;
• Assist with internal office operations, including ordering supplies, monitoring supply inventory, mail processing and organization of physical office files;
• Work with the Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Operations Manager on administrative tasks as needed;
• Be available to come into the office for a minimum of three days/week; and
• Attend other external meetings or community engagement events on behalf of DCALF, and FLAN, as required.

This job description is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements, or working conditions. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the position or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Fluency in Spanish required; fluency/proficiency in other languages a plus;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively in various situations and with a wide range of stakeholders;
• Ability to work well under pressure, multitask, and adapt in a fast-paced environment. Aptitude to interact with individuals with diverse backgrounds with patience and compassion, including people of limited means or who have experienced trauma;
• Strong organizational abilities with a detail-oriented and deadline-driven approach to work;
• Team player with the ability to foster strong relationships with clients, colleagues, and partner organizations;
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and Excel required;
• Active listening skills, with the ability to give full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made and asking questions as appropriate;
• Commitment to diversity, inclusion, and race equity;
• Availability for periodic evening and weekend events.

DCALF offers the following benefits:

• 401(k) retirement plan with 3% employer match.
• Medical insurance and elective dental and vision insurance options.
• Generous paid leave, including vacation, sick, and personal days, winter break closure (Christmas – New Year’s), Thanksgiving break, and all Federal and local holidays.
• Paid parental/family leave through the DC Paid Family Leave Program.
• Ongoing training opportunities.

The annual salary for this position is $54,000. In addition, this position is eligible for DCALF’s Spanish Language stipend of $2,500 annually.

DCALF is currently working in a hybrid remote/in-person model. Due to this position’s responsibilities, the selected candidate will be required to work in-person at DCALF’s offices for a minimum of three days per week. This is a non-exempt, full-time position, Monday-Friday. This position may also require regular attendance at in-person community engagement events outside of working hours, in the District of Columbia.

Please submit a cover letter, resume, and list of three professional references to hiring@dcaffordablelaw.org with the subject line “LEGAL ASSISTANT [first initial, last name].” Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. No calls will be accepted regarding this posting.

DC Affordable Law Firm is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal opportunity to applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibility, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, or other classification protected by law.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: Up to $54,000.00 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Ability to Relocate:

• Washington, DC 20006: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Washington, DC 20006