Advocate - CRT

Legal Aid Society of San Diego; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 34,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% employer-paid medical

Dental, Vision, Life

403(b) retirement plan

PSLF eligible

Job summary

Legal Aid Society of San Diego seeks a Community Response Team Advocate to convey attorney guidance and provide client education, information, and referrals. You will gather information during interviews, organize data in the case management system, and identify cases for further assistance.

The role requires empathetic client interaction and careful documentation. You will participate in trainings and outreach activities as needed, while upholding confidentiality and legal ethics.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience with strong writing and analytical skills.
• Ability to communicate empathetically with clients who may have barriers or disabilities.
• Proficiency in documenting information and handling confidential data.

Responsibilities

• Make high volume calls to applicants/clients and document interactions.
• Assess client needs under attorney supervision and provide referrals or convey guidance.
• Meet with clients in person or by phone and schedule appointments per protocol.
• Enter case information into the case management system maintaining confidentiality.

Skills

Strong writing

Verbal communication

Empathy

Calm under pressure

Confidentiality

Organizational skills

Computer skills

Education

BA or AA with paralegal certificate

Tools

Case management software

Job description

Position Summary

Under supervision of an attorney supervisor and/or other managers, the Community Response Team Advocate conveys attorney-written advice and provides further follow‑up at the direction of an attorney. The Advocate also assists clients/community members by providing education, information, and referrals. Gathers accurate and complete information from clients/applicants in telephone and/or face‑to‑face interviews. Organizes and stores clients’/applicants’ information and file notes in a case management database.

About The Organization

Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD), the largest poverty law firm serving San Diego County since 1953, strengthens our communities by redressing our clients’ legal problems, empowering our clients to access and effectively participate within the legal, governmental, and social systems and encouraging self‑empowerment in the fight against poverty and injustice. LASSD continues to be a proud, committed, and compassionate group of people dedicated to providing equal access to justice for San Diegans through aggressive, quality legal services. #justicebeginshere

Essential Functions

• Make a high volume of outgoing calls to LASSD’s applicants/clients and answer a high volume of incoming calls from LASSD’s applicants/clients, contemporaneously documenting all calls/contact attempts within LASSD’s case management system.
• Assist individual clients/applicants by assessing (under the supervision/guidance of an attorney) the client’s needs and issues, providing appropriate external referrals, and/or conveying attorney‑written advice to the applicants/clients, according to established protocols and guidelines.
• Respond to walk‑in applicants/clients and meet (telephonically and/or in‑person) with applicants/clients for scheduled appointments as appropriate, following established protocols.
• Accurately and timely enter required information for each case into the computerized case management system, always maintaining client confidentiality and abiding by the ethical rules and responsibilities governing law firms.
• Identify those intakes/cases appropriate for further assistance by either the Community Response Team or other substantive teams at LASSD.
• As part of the fact‑gathering portion of applicant/client interviews, conduct a preliminary identification of the nature and scope of the applicant’s/client’s legal issue(s), documenting the information contemporaneously for attorney‑review.
• Participate in scheduled staff meetings, training sessions, and other functions, as appropriate.
• If directed by a supervisor, arrange and conduct community outreach activities, including but not limited to presentations to community and professional groups and agencies throughout San Diego County.
• Compliance with all program and grant requirements.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• B.A. degree, or A.A. degree and paralegal certificate from a recognized paralegal training program, or demonstrated equivalent experience which shows strong writing, verbal, reading, analytical, and research skills.
• Ability to respond to clients in a calm, empathetic, and professional manner while courteously directing the conversation to pertinent issues.
• Ability to handle calls from people with communication barriers, including those who are stressed or confused, those who suffer from physical or mental disabilities, and those for whom English is a second language.
• Ability to analyze client issues, identify and gather necessary information to facilitate a resolution.
• Ability to clearly, effectively, and meaningfully convey attorney‑written advice.
• Must have reliable transportation.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills to handle individual caseload.
• Demonstrated computer skills, including ability to work with LASSD databases and other software programs.
• Attention to detail
• Ability to think logically and follow written and oral instructions carefully.
• Ability to remain calm and helpful in high stress situations.
• Ability to respect confidentiality and obtain confidential information from applicants for services in a trustworthy and professional manner, both in person and by phone.

Desired Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Bilingual English and Spanish.
• Demonstrated commitment to serving low‑income people.
• Desire and ability to work successfully with people from diverse backgrounds.

Pay And Benefits

The Advocate position is an hourly position with a pay range of $25.28 - $35.17. The starting hourly pay rate is $29.68. In addition, there is a bilingual pay increase of 2% for passing an oral test and 2% for passing a written test for threshold languages other than English.

LASSD offers a generous benefits package, a 35-hour workweek, paid vacation leave and sick leave and 100% employer‑paid medical premium, 50% employer‑paid premium for dependents under LASSD health plan, as well as dental, vision, and life benefits. Staff also have the option to participate in a 403(b)-retirement plan and dependent and health flex savings accounts (FSA). LASSD has its own law school loan repayment program and is an eligible nonprofit employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

LASSD is an equal opportunity employer, we hire without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, reproductive health decision making, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.

Hybrid Work Environment

Legal Aid Society of San Diego (“LASSD”) has adopted a hybrid work environment in which most staff are required to work in the office part of the week and permitted to work remotely for the remainder of the week, provided their job duties allow. All employees are issued LASSD computers and provided with appropriate supplies to perform their work. LASSD has implemented and continues to explore additional technologies to make our hybrid working environment as efficient and connected as possible. All employees must be available to travel to LASSD offices and service locations throughout San Diego County as needed and in compliance with public health advisories. Applicants must reside in or near San Diego County or plan to relocate in or near the County prior to their start date and must be able to commute to the physical Legal Aid Society of San Diego office locations or service delivery locations within San Diego County. LASSD’s normal business hours are 9am-5pm, but we are open to providing flexible work schedules to the extent feasible for the position. LASSD reserves the right to change these policies at any time.