Who We Are: We are a non-profit law firm that proudly delivers free legal assistance to communities in 17 Southwest Michigan counties with offices in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Holland, and St. Joseph. We protect rights, challenge injustice, and fight poverty through free legal advocacy for people and families. Our civil legal work involves eviction defense and preventing homelessness, securing independence and safety for survivors of domestic abuse, ensuring that people have the basic income they need to meet the necessities of life, and more. LAWM is an equal opportunity employer, and we seek to build a diverse and inclusive team in order to best meet the needs of our client communities.
Position: Duties will include assisting LAWM attorneys with preparing pleadings, interviewing clients, organizing files for litigation and grant compliance, client database management and other clerical work.
Responsibilities:
- Preparing legal documents and correspondence.
- Other clerical and data management tasks.
- Organizing and maintaining physical and electronic files.
- Screening applicants for services for eligibility and case priority.
- Written and verbal communication with clients and others.
- Assisting with scheduling, mailing, court filing, and errands as needed.
- Adhering to LAWM program priorities and case handling policies/procedures, as well as the highest professional and ethical standards.
Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have an associate degree or paralegal certification, excellent written and verbal communication skills, basic computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office, demonstrated socio-economic and cultural sensitivity and the ability to work with people, and strong organizational skills. Prior work experience in human services or a law office and fluency in Spanish strongly preferred.
Salary/Benefits: Full-time salary from $37,193, depending on experience depending on experience. We offer an additional $2,520 annual stipend for an individual who is bilingual and biliterate in English and Spanish. We are committed to promoting healthy work/like balance, and our staff enjoy:
- A 35-hour work week (Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm with a one-hour lunch break)
- Generous annual leave and sick leave
- Thirteen paid holidays per year
- HMO and HSA health insurance options, as well as a payout option for staff who do not require health insurance
- Life and long-term disability insurance
- Annual employer contributions to 403b accounts for eligible employees
- Being part of a team that is making a positive impact on their communities.
- In addition, our organization is a qualifying employer for most loan forgiveness programs.
TO APPLY, send resume and cover letter no later than March 15, 2024
to Human Resources Assistant, Emily McGavin, at emcgavin@lawestmi.org.