Legal Secretary (Litigation, Advocacy & Training Department)
WHO WE ARE: For over 50 years, CCLS has been representing and advocating for low-income individuals in Merced, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Fresno, Tulare, and Kings Counties—a region where intense poverty exists side by side with unparalleled wealth and abundance. Our mission is to provide high quality, no-cost civil legal services to low income individuals, families, and communities—improving the wellbeing of our Valley through systems-changing advocacy, client education, and legal work that meets individual clients’ immediate needs. We also work closely with agencies and community organizations that share our commitment to support our clients in being their own agents of change.
POSITION DETAILS:
Under the supervision of attorneys, the legal secretary will be assigned to the Director of Litigation, Advocacy & Training and will provide support to attorneys and paralegals working on impact and other affirmative litigation matters touching on a variety of civil legal issues in state and federal court.
Experience: 2+ Years Experience
Location: Fresno Office
Term of Employment: Regular, Full Time
Other: FLSA Non-Exempt, Union Position
Application Deadline: Open Until Filled; Applications should be received by FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 to be considered for the first round of interviews.
SALARY/BENEFITS: Salary Range DOE ($30,498-$50,964); Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, disability insurance coverage; employer contribution to 403(b) plan based on length of service; 14.5 paid holidays; generous vacation and sick leave policy; some professional dues paid by CCLS; if qualified, participation in the School Loan Reimbursement Assistance Program, and/or a Bilingual Supplement.
CCLS is an equal opportunity employer: we value equity, inclusion, and diversity, across all races, cultures, classes, ages, religions, gender identities and presentations, sexual orientations, body sizes, family structures, abilities, and all categories protected by law. We encourage all interested individuals to apply. This position is subject to a Collective Bargaining Agreement.
DUTIES:
- Provides administrative support to attorneys and legal advocates;
- Answers telephones, screens callers, takes accurate messages and greets visitors;
- Communicates with clients as needed and as directed by legal team staff;
- Prepares for attorney review and signature a variety of legal correspondence, petitions, pleadings, motions and discovery documents;
- Prepares, reviews, and corrects outgoing correspondence to ensure all legal documents and enclosures are in proper processing order and that correspondence is grammatically correct;
- Files documents with the court electronically and in-person and causes documents to be served;
- Maintains and schedules dates and deadlines in a case management system for timely filing of documents for civil court and administrative hearings and for the completion of tasks by advocates.
- Maintains follow up records relating to legal matters in process and ensures that legal requirements and deadlines are met;
- Performs a variety of secretarial duties, such as setting up and/or maintaining filing systems and appointment calendars, regularly filing documents in client files, answering inquiries over the phone or in person, and managing secretarial and administrative details with minimum direction;
- Provides support in short term legal projects, including, but not limited to trial preparation tasks;
- Assists with library maintenance;
- Performs other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- At least two years prior civil litigation secretarial experience or equivalent experience;
- Legal Secretary certification or diploma from an accredited school or equivalent work experience;
- Ability to type at least 45 words per minute;
- Working knowledge of and ability to calendar advocate assignments, discovery, motion and trial deadlines;
- Ability to prepare basic legal documents and legal correspondence;
- Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills;
- Highly organized and effective in a fast-paced environment;
- Ability to maintain confidentiality of consumers and organization;
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse groups of individuals and organizations;
- Ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, and a willingness to adapt to changing situations;
- Must exercise good judgment and demonstrate initiative in completion of job assignments and duties;
- Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills;
- Ability to work well with others and deal with the public in a courteous and professional manner;
- Competency with PC systems and standard software (Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and relevant databases);
- Reliable transportation, a valid CA Drivers’ License with appropriate car insurance.
HOW TO APPLY:
Please visit https://www.centralcallegal.org/careers/ to submit an online application and join our CCLS family in an effort to Advance Justice & Empower People.
- Direct Online Application: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/699070/Central-California-Legal-Services-Inc/CCLS-Legal-Secretary---Litigation-Advocacy-Training
Application Deadline: Open Until Filled; Applications should be received by FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 to be considered for the first round of interviews.
COMPLETE APPLICATION:
- Resume
-
Cover Letter addressing the following questions:
- Please tell us briefly about your experience, if any, working as a legal secretary in a law office that engages in motion, discovery and trial work in state and federal court. Please also discuss what you consider to be the most important thing you learned in working as a member of a civil litigation team.
- Describe your experience, if any, in working with civil litigation pleadings, motions, discovery and trial deadlines.
- Have you ever used Spanish language skills to interpret between English and Spanish for a monolingual Spanish-speaking person? What did you learn from that experience?
- Tell us about your connection to the Central Valley: how well do you know it? Do you have ties here? What draws you here?
- Do you have particular interest in being a Legal Aid employee? If so, please tell us about that.
- Three Professional References