Education Legal Assistant

100KCrossing; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 53,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vacation & paid holidays

403(b) retirement plan

Job summary

Alliance for Children’s Rights in Los Angeles is seeking a program advocate and trainer to support attorneys, coordinate client interviews and manage case materials, while providing bilingual translation for Spanish-speaking clients. The role includes supervising interns and liaising with pro bono attorneys.

The ideal candidate will be bilingual, hold a related degree or certification, and be proficient in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, Acrobat and Zoom.

Qualifications

• Must possess one of the following: Bachelor’s degree, Paralegal Certification, or equivalent work experience.
• Must be bilingual (Spanish/English).
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, Teams, Adobe and Zoom.

Responsibilities

• Conduct client interviews, maintain case files, gather documentation for case advocacy from multiple sources, and communicate with caregivers regarding case status.
• Request and compile medical, mental health, and education records for general education and special education cases.
• Supervise student interns.
• Communicate with pro bono attorneys.
• Communicate with monolingual Spanish clients, provide oral and written Spanish translation for attorneys, and develop bilingual project materials.
• Administrative duties including data entry, filing, and drafting letters.
• Schedule IEP/IFSP meetings for program attorneys.

Skills

Bilingual (Spanish/English)

Education

Bachelor’s degree or Paralegal Certification or equivalent work experience

Tools

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Teams

Adobe Acrobat

Zoom

Job description

The Education Program prides itself on providing its team members with the support and resources necessary to be successful. We believe that education (including early intervention) services are essential in creating opportunity for youth, especially those facing systemic barriers to success, including those who face multiple barriers such as children of color and children with disabilities – both of whom are disproportionately overrepresented in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. We ground our advocacy in our clients’ goals and our vision for creating education equity from an intersectional perspective.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support program attorneys by conducting client interviews, maintaining case files, gathering documentation for case advocacy from multiple sources, and communicating with caregivers regarding the status of the case.
• Request and compile medical, mental health, and education records for general education and special education cases.
• Supervise student interns.
• Communicate with pro bono attorneys.
• Communicate with monolingual Spanish clients, provide oral and written Spanish translation for attorneys, and develop bilingual project materials.
• Administrative duties including data entry, filing, and drafting letters.
• Schedule IEP/IFSP meetings for program attorneys.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL POSSESS

• Personal, educational, or professional experience/interest in regional center early intervention and/or school district special education advocacy; child welfare, juvenile justice, and/or education systems (e.g., former teacher or social worker, CASA,); and/or working with diverse populations, towards goals of equity and racial justice.
• Strong interpersonal skills and a desire to help people and serve the community, and ability to work well with a wide variety of people, personalities and circumstances.
• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple competing tasks congruently.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing with colleagues, supervisors, and groups, and particularly one-on-one with our clients.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Must possess one of the following: Bachelor’s degree, Paralegal Certification, or equivalent work experience.
• Must be bilingual (Spanish/English).
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, Teams, Adobe and Zoom.

This job description is of a general nature and is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties of the position.

SALARY RANGE

This is a non-exempt, full-time paid position, target starting salary range for the Advocate and Trainer of $53,000 – $62,000. Final starting salary offered is contingent on years of relevant experience. A monthly bilingual pay differential of $167/month is offered to employees in this role who are Spanish speaking and pass the language assessments.

Benefits include generous vacation and paid holidays; comprehensive health plans covering 100% of the employee cost of medical, dental and vision insurance; life insurance; flexible spending accounts for childcare and health expenses; generous retirement savings plan with company contributions to your 403(b) after one year of employment independent of employee contribution, and discounts on fitness memberships and other activities.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

This position will be based in our Los Angeles office, and the candidate must be based in the greater Los Angeles area. Except for in-person Alliance events, trainings, in-office meetings with clients, colleagues, or community partners, and to the extent that telework is allowed, this position may choose to work remotely from home. The employee may be required to return to full or part-time work at the office at any time at the employer’s discretion.

NON-DISCRIMINATION

The Alliance for Children’s Rights is committed to building and supporting an inclusive environment that values all staff members’ backgrounds and perspectives in our work. We welcome candidates with lived experiences that relate to the Alliance’s work and mission. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, and prohibit discrimination against employees or applicants because of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, veteran status, or any other unlawful basis.

The Alliance for Children’s Rights will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if the Alliance is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the Civil Rights Department Fair Chance Act webpage.