Job Description
TEMPORARY LEGAL ASSISTANT
MISSION
The King County Bar Association promotes and supports a diverse and collegial membership; works with the judiciary to achieve excellence, equity, and accessibility in the administration of justice; and benefits the community through public service and engagement in public policy.
The Housing Justice Project (HJP) is a homelessness prevention program providing accessible legal services to low-income, residential tenants facing eviction primarily in King and Spokane County. Legal assistance is provided through counsel and advice, negotiated settlements, limited representation at Show Cause hearings, and/or referrals depending on tenants’ needs and financial eligibility.
POSITION MISSION
The Temporary Legal Assistant is responsible for providing administrative support to HJP’s hotline, screening and conducting client intakes, and legal assistance and litigation support for HJP staff attorneys.
This is primarily remote with occasional in-person meetings required. This position reports to HJP Managing Attorney and works under/in conjunction with hotline coordinators.
This position is currently for six months with the possibility of an extension depending on funding and need.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Retrieve voice messages from the five9 system and add clients to whiteboard tracking system;
• Respond to incoming staff email;
• Calendar response deadlines and court hearings;
• Draft and serve/ e-file responsive pleadings;
• Return potential client calls, screen for eligibility, conduct intake interviews, and create electronic case files in Legal Server;
• Use Slack platform to communicate with staff, attorneys, and to assign calls/tasks to VLA’s;
• Relay completed intake details to Intake Coordinators for attorney assignment;
• Retrieve client court filings from KC Script and other court databases;
• Assist Intake Coordinators as directed and stand in for them when they are out of the office.
• Educate, train, mentor, & assign calls/tasks to Volunteer Legal Assistants-(VLAs); Instruct VLA’s on Housing Justice Project’s mission, scope of services, client intake protocols, and use of Legal Server;
• Assist attorneys with filings, preparations, and transcriptions.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Familiarity with court filings and preparing legal paperwork for defending tenants in unlawful detainers;
• Familiarity with appellate court filings;
• Familiarity with Legalserver and client management systems;
• Ability to work on short deadlines and in a fast-paced environment;
• Attention to detail, especially ledgers, accounting documentation, and compliance;
• Ability to work with groups and teams;
• Experience working with vulnerable populations experiencing risk of housing loss.
• Ability to track and consistently meet deadlines;
• Demonstrated commitment to understanding and addressing issues facing low-income and vulnerable people;
• Strong communication skills and ability to motivate and lead;
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with diverse groups of people;
• Demonstrated understanding of the impact of race, bias, discrimination, and differential treatment of communities disproportionately composed of Black, Indigenous, and people of color, individuals who identify as LGBTQ or other sexual minorities, individuals with disabilities, immigrants, limited English speaking persons, and others who have been historically marginalized in rental housing markets and in the law and justice system
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines;
• Ability to analyze information quickly and work well in a fast-paced environment;
• Creative problem solving;
• Ability to work from home with minimal supervision;
• Proficiency with technology including MS Word, Adobe, case management systems, Excel, and Outlook
ABOUT KCBA
Founded in 1886, KCBA is a membership legal organization with over 4,000 attorney members, over 70 staff and an annual budget of $10,000,000. As a unionized workplace and an equal opportunity employer, KCBA is committed to upholding an equity and justice-based organizational environment for the public, the client communities it serves, its members, its Boards, its staff and its volunteers. This means the organization actively promotes mutual respect, acceptance, teamwork, and productivity among people who are diverse in work background; lived and professional experience; immigration status and citizenship; education; race and ethnicity; national origin; sexual orientation; age; indigenous group membership; religious preference; marital status; sensory, mental, and physical abilities; social class; gender identity; veteran status, as well as other differences relevant to equity and justice. The resulting diversity is both a source of organizational strength and a matter of fundamental human fairness.
Please note, one of KCBA’s programs supports attorneys working with parents and guardians of at risk children. As a result, certain convictions would make an applicant ineligible. The King County Bar Association requires all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. To meet this requirement, all employees must provide proof of vaccination approved by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If you need a reasonable accommodation for the application process, have questions regarding eligibility, or have vaccination questions, contact Len Roden at lenr@kcba.org.
POSITION DETAILS
This is a non- exempt full-time position requiring occasional local travel within the Puget Sound area. Salary is $25 per hour. Benefits include employer-paid healthcare, subsidized transit pass, flexible spending account, professional development opportunities, paid vacation and sick leave and more.
TO APPLY
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, but priority will be given to those who apply by 5:00 p.m. November 15, 2023 via email. Make “HJP Temp Legal Assistant” your subject line and send a letter of interest that addresses any lived or professional experience that would contribute to our advocacy, resume, and three references to: HR@kcba.org.