Client Advocate

The Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office; Montgomery (AL); On-site; USD 32,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Low-Cost Health/Dental Insurance

13 Annual Leave Days per Year

13 Sick Days per Year

13 Paid Holidays per Year

Retirement Plan

Flexible Employee Benefit Plans

Job summary

The Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office is seeking a Client Advocate to serve as the primary liaison between clients and the legal team. Duties include handling client calls, intake, scheduling attorney/client meetings, and addressing collateral issues that arise during representation.

Ideal candidates will have a bachelor’s degree, a strong customer service background, and proficiency with MS Office and related software; Spanish skills are a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in any major; customer service background required.
• General computer literacy; proficient with MS Office and Adobe Reader; other essential software may be used.

Responsibilities

• Take client phone calls and conduct intake, scheduling attorney/client meetings.
• Serve as liaison between client and lawyers, solving non-legal client problems.
• Maintain client files and enrollments, and inform the team of client issues and concerns.

Skills

Customer Service

Spanish (desired)

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

MS Office Suite

Adobe Reader

Job description

CLIENT ADVOCATE

The Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office (MCPDO) seeks dedicated professionals to serve as Client Advocates. All MCPDO employees will provide high quality representation to indigent defendants. The ideal Client Advocate combines a demonstrated interest in the representation of indigent clients with superior customer service skills. Client Advocates are the main conduit between the client and the rest of the team. The Client Advocate will endeavor to solve non-legal client problems and keep the rest of the team informed of the client’s issues and concerns. In short, the Client Advocate’s primary role is to serve as a liaison between the client and the lawyer. This entails taking client phone calls, conducting intake, scheduling attorney/client meetings, and attending to any issues and collateral consequences that may arise during our representation of the client. Our goal is to meet the needs of the clients, embodying the holistic side of Public Defense. Because the performance requirements of this position entail regular access to privileged and confidential information, Client Advocates must comport themselves in a manner consistent with the responsibilities entrusted to the position.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE WILL HAVE

• Demonstrated ability to interact with clients, judges, lawyers and families while presenting a friendly professional demeanor;


• Demonstrated ability to answer a multi-line telephone system efficiently and courteously, and promptly direct calls to the appropriate team member for solution;


• Good analytical and critical thinking skills to help solve problems;


• A strong working knowledge of computers, social media and/or video production;


• Strong organizational skills;


• Excellent oral and written communication skills;


• The ability to assist Administrative Assistants and lawyers with various duties including the printing and preparation of new case files, supporting the case team in court;


• The ability to maintain client files, information on agency contacts and criteria, necessary forms for client enrollment, and other record keeping as required;


• A desire to use professional skills to assist others;


• The ability to work with a diverse population and be attentive to the needs of the clientele;


• The ability to maintain professional appearance and demeanor;


• A proactive approach to identifying/solving problems; and


• The ability to perform all other duties as assigned.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in any major, but preferably in area of Social Sciences;


• Customer Service background;


• General computer literacy, including proficiency in MS Office Suite, Adobe Reader, and other software programs essential to office operations; and


• Proficiency in Spanish is highly desired, but not required.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Salary Range – $22,200.00 - $37,389.00

Employees of the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office receive State of Alabama employee benefits including:

• Low-Cost Health/Dental Insurance (Single Coverage);


• Optional Family Coverage (Health/Dental);


• Accrue Thirteen Annual Leave Days per Year;


• Accrue Thirteen Sick Days per Year;


• Thirteen Paid Holidays per Year;


• Retirement Plan; and


• Flexible Employee Benefit Plans.

Positions within the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office are at-will and not subject to the State of Alabama’s Merit System.