Eviction Prevention Paralegal Advocates
Be Part of the Solution. As a result of a two year grant for eviction prevention from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) we are expanding our eviction defense team and adding two eviction defense paralegals! Thousands of tenants in Maine face eviction every year and you can help. The eviction paralegal will be expected to support a wide range of activities related to eviction defense including responsibility for intake and related client communication on cases and matters funded by the grant, outreach activities and support with various office duties. Duties will include supporting attorneys in court during eviction proceedings as needed; advocating for resources to prevent eviction; assisting with referrals; assisting with investigations; and managing documents.
The paralegal will support our general intake system by spending 6-9 hours per week on Call Center and also completing additional intakes that come in as referrals, online intakes, and messages from people who speak languages other than English as needed upon request by the Director of Intake. Intake responsibilities include initial contacts and client interviews, eligibility screening, computerized data entry of clients in the case management system, and the provision of legal information and referrals when appropriate.
Under attorney supervision, the paralegal will also provide legal assistance to eligible clients, including documenting issues, requesting, and organizing relevant financial information and material related to their call for assistance as well as client counseling and general litigation support.
In addition, the paralegal may provide administrative support with various office duties, including ordering of office supplies, managing mail, and helping to address other facilities issues.
These positions will be located in Bangor and Portland. If interested, see below for more detail. Each position is funded through July 2024.
Bangor:
The paralegal based in the Bangor office will focus on eviction prevention for clients in some of Maine’s poorest communities in rural Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Waldo Counties. The paralegal will be supervised by Managing Attorney Erica Veazey.
Interested applicants for this position should submit a letter of interest, a current resume and 3 professional references to Managing Attorney Erica Veazey (eveazey@ptla.org), with copies to Director of Intake, Maureen Boston, (mboston@ptla.org), and Executive Assistant, Elizabeth Johnson (ejohnson@ptla.org).
Portland:
The paralegal based in Portland will focus on eviction prevention in some of Maine’s busiest courts. They will support work in Cumberland and York Counties. The paralegal will be supervised by Managing Attorney Katie McGovern.
Interested applicants for this position should submit a letter of interest, a current resume and 3 professional references to Managing Attorney Katie McGovern (kmcgovern@ptla.org), with copies to Director of Intake, Maureen Boston, (mboston@ptla.org), and Executive Assistant, Elizabeth Johnson (ejohnson@ptla.org).