Legal Program Assistant

About Michigan Community Resources:

Michigan Community Resources (MCR) is a statewide nonprofit organization that seeks to build strong communities through strong organizations, strong leaders, and a strong nonprofit network. Since 1998, we have equipped nonprofit organizations serving income-diverse communities with the tools, resources, training, and consulting they need to do their best work.

Joining the MCR Team:

We are community organizers, artists, writers, activists, advocates, people connectors, and more who share a fierce passion for Detroit and Michigan. We bring experience from across the globe to serve our clients. We value a positive internal team culture that is supportive and encouraging. We promote a healthy work life balance that supports our team members in centering life outside of work. We welcome energetic and innovative thought leaders to apply.

MCR's Legal Programs:

MCR has been providing legal services to nonprofits in Michigan for over 25 years. Through this work, MCR fosters movements to build power in communities impacted by systemic oppression. Nonprofits, especially small, grassroots organizations, are often unable to access crucial legal support due to prohibitive costs. MCR works to close this gap by providing a range of legal services, including a pro bono referral system in partnership with the private bar, legal clinics, workshops, educational publications, and more.

Purpose of the Role:

Reporting to the Director of Legal Programs, the Legal Program Assistant will play an integral role in establishing and maintaining systems that will best serve MCR's clients, maintain confidentiality, and allow MCR's Legal Programs to thrive. A successful Legal Program Assistant possesses excellent detail-oriented organizational skills and excels at professional, empathetic communication with a wide range of stakeholders. The Legal Program Assistant thrives in a collaborative environment working on multiple projects and prefers to work as part of a team. They are comfortable working in a hybrid environment with primarily remote work and periodic in-person activities and meetings, mostly in Detroit, Michigan. The ideal candidate shares MCR's values of community rootedness, trust, equity, strength, and service. Crucially, they are passionate about the importance and impact of the nonprofit sector in Michigan.

Specific Responsibilities Include:

Client Management

• Provide professional and personable services to nonprofits and grassroot organizations that promote MCR's mission, vision, and values.
• Assist with client intake, including managing expectations, maintaining confidentiality, and providing prompt, clear, and customized communication to MCR clients to facilitate their participation in MCR Legal Programs.
• Identify innovative strategies to enhance client and volunteer attorney experience for deeper impact.

Volunteer Attorney Support

• Work closely with MCR staff attorneys to manage communication with volunteer attorneys.
• Serve as an MCR liaison, facilitating positive, impactful interactions between the clients and volunteer attorneys, including issue-spotting and identification, to support transactional legal support.
• Support Director of Legal Programs in exploring new initiatives and partnerships to further MCR's goals and expand volunteer engagement.

Data Management & Administrative Support

• Assist Legal Program Manager in the maintenance and growth of the client record management systems encompassing all MCR Legal Programs to ensure accurate, complete records for all nonprofit clients.
• Provide general administrative support to enhance the effectiveness of MCR's Legal Programs, service delivery, client communication, reporting, and evaluation.
• Assist in organizing periodic legal clinics, workshops, and educational offerings.
• Opportunity to represent the organization externally at trade associations, meetings, conferences, trainings, speaker panels, and other public forums as approved by the CPO (Chief Program Officer) and/or CEO.

Skills Requirements:

• Enthusiasm for MCR's mission to serve clients, including nonprofits and income-diverse communities.
• Organizational and time management skills, a commitment to completing independent work and working as part of a team, and a desire to grow professionally.
• Detail- and process-oriented, with the ability to create processes to help facilitate the completion or improvement of the work.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with diverse populations, including exceptional empathy, discretion, and adherence to confidentiality.
• Ability to support an environment of collaboration and interdependence, where roles and expectations are clearly established, but flexibility is highly valued, and creativity is welcomed.

Preferred Experience:

• 2+ years or work or educational experience comparable to the job description.
• Experience with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems, like Airtable and HubSpot.
• Experience working for a nonprofit organization or on pro bono legal matters.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and/or weekends.

Work Environment:

MCR employeesincluding this positionare assigned to work remotely at this time and for the foreseeable future, with frequent in-person meetings and event attendance required. We take great pride in nurturing and embracing a culture that promotes work-life balance.

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy:

Per organizational policy, the Legal Program Assistant will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and related boosters as determined by MCR's executive leadership team unless a reasonable accommodation is approved. Proof of vaccination for COVID-19 or the proof of exemption must be submitted to the Chief Executive Officer.

Salary & Benefits

Starting Salary Range: $50,000 - $60,000, commensurate with experience

We are extraordinarily proud of the benefits package that we offer our employees. PTO includes generous vacation and sick leave, company holidays, and regular Mental Health Fridays. We have competitive health, dental, and vision benefits, and an employer-sponsored 403(b) retirement plan.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Michigan Community Resources is an equal opportunity employer and is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our hiring practices. Our team is stronger because we hire great people from a variety of backgrounds. We know that diverse perspectives lead to better solutions, and we actively seek a diverse staff.