Intake Specialist

Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Accessible Employer and strives to ensure that our staff members reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.

GBLS provides free legal services and representation to clients in the greater Boston area who cannot afford private legal representation.

GBLS is seeking a full-time Intake Specialist who will have primary responsibility for assisting applicants for legal services with the eligibility screening process. For clients who are not eligible for GBLS’ services or do not have a legal problem, the Intake Specialist will provide referrals to other organizations who are likely to be able to assist the applicants with their situation. The Intake Specialist will spend a significant amount of time on the telephone. Their role is to provide applicants with a welcoming, professional and supportive experience. Bilingual applicants are especially encouraged to apply. This position will be hybrid, with some in-office time and some remote work.

Core Responsibilities:

The Intake Specialist will be directly responsible for the following:

• Assisting applicants through the eligibility screening process for both the telephone and online intake channels.
• Providing referral information to applicants who are found to be ineligible for GBLS’ services or who do not have a legal issue.
• Handling confidential client information discretely.
• Entering confidential client information into the intake form in the program’s case management system.
• Working closely with GBLS support staff, leadership, and practice group leaders to provide thorough, accurate, and efficient intake services to applicants.
• Developing strong working relationships with GBLS staff.
• Developing a thorough understanding of the case types accepted by GBLS and staying abreast of changes
• Interacting with applicants, clients, staff, community partners, and the public in an empathetic, supportive, professional, and welcoming manner.
• Providing assistance with administrative and support functions as needed by the program.

Qualifications: 

• 1-2 years of prior experience with telephone service in a high call volume environment, with ability to handle a large volume of calls efficiently.
• Demonstrated experience with providing culturally sensitive and accessible services to diverse, low-income client communities.
• Ability and comfort level with collecting personal and confidential information from applicants.
• Comfortable with technology and possessing the ability to master new applications quickly; familiarity with LegalServer and Windows Office Suite (Word, Excel, etc.) a plus.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Strong time management skills.
• Commitment to poverty law issues.
• Bilingual capabilities, especially in Haitian Creole, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, or any other languages frequently used by GBLS clients, are desirable.

Salary is based on a union scale for the Administrative Secretary/Legal Assistant positions with annual raises and in which, for example, someone with 4 to 6 years of experience (including certain educational experiences) would earn between $42,500 and $44,500, with an additional $950 annual payment for second language ability. GBLS offers a generous benefits package including low-cost comprehensive health insurance, retirement contribution, paid time off, and ongoing professional development opportunities. GBLS currently has a hybrid work model for all staff.

Candidates should submit a cover letter, resume and brief writing sample to the GBLS Human Resources Team by email to jobs@gbls.org. Please refer to Job Code: INTAKE when applying for this position. Deadline is May 31st, 2023, or until position is filled.

GBLS encourages applicants from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences.