Advocate - Pro Bono Team

Job Title: Pro Bono Team Advocate (CARE Court - North)

Position Summary

Under the supervision of the Pro Bono Team Supervising Attorney and CARE Staff Attorney, the Pro Bono Team Advocate will assist clinic participants in North County with filling out court forms, preparing declarations, and community education. The Pro Bono Team Advocate will also provide procedural information and community referrals, as well as providing information on less restrictive alternatives to CARE Act proceedings. Assists in the operation and coordination of remote clinic services. Gathers complete and accurate information from clinic participants over the telephone or via face-to-face interview. Performs administrative tasks including data entry, and some secretarial and clerical work. Note: This position is in-person, full-time at the Vista Courthouse, partner organizations such as Interfaith in Escondido, and North County outreaches.

About the Organization

Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD), the largest poverty law firm serving San Diego County since 1953, strengthens our communities by redressing our clients’ legal problems, empowering our clients to access and effectively participate within the legal, governmental and social systems, and encouraging self-empowerment in the fight against poverty and injustice. LASSD continues to be a proud, committed, and compassionate group of people dedicated to providing equal access to justice for San Diegans through aggressive, quality legal services. #justicebeginshere

Essential Functions:

• Greet and check-in a high volume of clinic participants and/or answer a high volume of clinic phone calls.

• Maintains clinic sign-in sheet and other administrative files.

• Coordinates remote clinic services, such as Zoom meetings and webinars.

• Distributes and reviews applications for services, conducts interviews with clinic participants when additional information is needed, and assists clinic participants in filling out court forms under the supervision of an attorney.

• Clerical and secretarial duties such as obtaining court records, making copies, preparing supply orders, and other such tasks.

• Update printed handbooks, manuals, and reference materials as needed/received, and assist with outgoing mail.

• Performs data entry and clerical assistance with statistics and grant reports, as needed.

• Compliance with all program and grant requirements.

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• B.A. degree, or A.A. degree and paralegal certificate from a recognized paralegal training program, or demonstrated equivalent experience which shows strong writing, verbal, reading analytical, and research skills.

• Must have one (1) year in an office setting.

• Ability to respond to clinic participants in a calm, empathetic and professional manner while courteously directing the conversation to the pertinent issues.

• Ability to handle calls from people with communication barriers including those who are stressed or confused, those who suffer from physical or mental disabilities, and those for whom English is a second language.

• Ability to give clear, effective, and meaningful instruction.

• Strong oral and written communication skills sufficient to compose correspondence, reports, announcements, and informational materials for the general public.

• Demonstrated computer skills, including an ability to work with LASSD databases, and other software programs.

• Attention to detail, ability to think logically and follow written and oral instructions carefully.

• Must have secretarial skills sufficient to provide clerical assistance to the team.

• Ability to work independently, as well as support team efforts.

• Reliable transportation.

Desired Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Fluency in written and spoken Spanish preferred.

• Demonstrated commitment to serving low-income people.

• Ability to work successfully with people from diverse backgrounds.

Salary and Benefits:

The Advocate position is an hourly position with a hourly pay rate of $21.98 - $30.77 . The starting pay rate is $25.28. In addition, there is a bilingual pay increase of 2% for passing an oral test and 2% for passing a written test for threshold languages other than English.

LASSD offers a generous benefits package, a 35-hour workweek, paid vacation leave and sick leave and 100% employer-paid medical premium, 50% employer-paid premium for dependents under LASSD health plan, as well as dental, vision, and life benefits. Staff also have the option to participate in a 403(b)-retirement plan and dependent and health flex savings accounts (FSA). LASSD has its own law school loan repayment program and is an eligible nonprofit employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

LASSD is an equal opportunity employer, we hire without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.

Diversity and Inclusion:

It is vitally important to LASSD that we represent the community that we serve. LASSD is a signatory to the San Diego County Bar Association’s Diversity Pledge. We pledge to promote diversity and inclusion through hiring and retention, promotion and leadership, engagement of outside counsel, and participation in legal community diversity initiatives. We strongly encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply.