Education Legal Assistant

Alliance for Children's Rights; Los Angeles, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 53,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Life insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Generous vacation time and paid holyd,

403(b) retirement plan

ClassPass wellness

Job summary

The Alliance for Children’s Rights is seeking a dedicated Legal Assistant to join our Education Program in Los Angeles. You will support attorneys and families to secure early intervention and special education services for children, with fluent Spanish-English communication essential.

In this hybrid role, you will organize records, schedule IEP/IFSP meetings, draft letters, and liaise with caregivers and pro bono attorneys, while supervising interns and maintaining client-centered service.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, paralegal certificate, or equivalent relevant work experience.
• Fluency in Spanish and English.
• Experience or interest in early intervention, special education, child welfare, or education systems is valued.
• Strong interpersonal skills and service-oriented approach.
• Excellent organization and attention to detail; ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Clear, professional verbal and written communication, especially in client interactions.

Responsibilities

• Support program attorneys by conducting client interviews and maintaining case files.
• Gather and organize medical, mental health, and education records for case advocacy.
• Schedule IEP and IFSP meetings and coordinate materials for families and attorneys.
• Communicate with pro bono attorneys and ensure timely exchange of case information.
• Provide Spanish-language support to attorneys and help develop bilingual program materials.
• Supervise student interns and provide assignments and follow-up.
• Perform administrative duties including data entry, filing, and drafting letters.
• Maintain accurate records and support efficient program operations.

Skills

Spanish-English bilingual

Interpersonal communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or paralegal certificate

Tools

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Teams

Adobe

Zoom

Job description

The Alliance for Children's Rights is seeking a dedicated, highly organized Legal Assistant to join our Education Program. This role supports attorneys and families working to secure early intervention, special education, and other education services for children and youth. Spanish-English bilingual fluency is required.

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE

The Alliance for Children's Rights provides free, holistic legal services and advocacy to youth and families impacted by the child welfare and juvenile justice systems in Los Angeles County. Our attorneys, advocates, social workers, pro bono partners, and community volunteers help young people overcome barriers to stability and opportunity and access the education, health care, financial supports, and permanent family connections they need. Since 1992, the Alliance has helped more than 178,000 children and young adults.

We pair direct services with local and statewide policy advocacy to remove systemic barriers and advance stability, equity, and justice for young people. Our collaborative, family-friendly culture recognizes that lasting impact depends on employees who are supported, connected, and able to thrive.

THE IMPACT YOU WILL HAVE

You will help the Education Program deliver responsive, client-centered advocacy by maintaining strong communication with families, organizing records and case information, coordinating meetings, and supporting attorneys throughout the life of a case. Your work will contribute to education equity for young people facing systemic barriers and help ensure that clients receive thoughtful, timely support.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support program attorneys by conducting client interviews, maintaining case files, gathering records and other documentation, and communicating with caregivers about case status.
• Request, organize, and compile medical, mental health, general education, and special education records for case advocacy.
• Schedule IEP and IFSP meetings and coordinate related communications and materials for program attorneys and families.
• Communicate with pro bono attorneys and support the exchange of accurate, timely case information.
• Communicate directly with Spanish-speaking clients, provide oral and written Spanish-language support to attorneys, and help develop bilingual program materials.
• Supervise student interns and provide clear assignments, support, and follow-up.
• Complete administrative and case-support duties, including data entry, filing, correspondence, and drafting letters.
• Maintain accurate, timely records and contribute to effective program operations and client service.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree, paralegal certificate, or equivalent relevant work experience.
• Fluency in Spanish and English.
• Personal, educational, or professional experience or interest in early intervention, special education, child welfare, juvenile justice, education systems, or work with diverse communities is valued.
• Strong interpersonal skills, a service-oriented approach, and the ability to build respectful relationships with clients and colleagues across a range of backgrounds and circumstances.
• Excellent organization and attention to detail, including the ability to manage multiple priorities at the same time.
• Clear and professional verbal and written communication skills, particularly in one-on-one client interactions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, Adobe, and Zoom.
• Commitment to social justice, education equity, collaborative problem-solving, and client-centered service.

Target starting salary: $53,000 to $62,000. Final starting salary is based on relevant experience and internal equity. Qualified Spanish-speaking employees who pass the Alliance language assessment receive a $1.02 per hour bilingual pay differential.

The Alliance invests in employees' physical and mental well-being. Our benefits and workplace practices are designed to provide broad care options, meaningful time away from work, and flexibility for employees and their families. Benefits currently include:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with 100% of the employee-only premium paid by the Alliance
• Life insurance and flexible spending accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Generous vacation time and paid holidaysA 403(b) retirement plan with an employer contribution after one year of employment, independent of employee contributions
• ClassPass, which provides access to exercise classes and a broad range of wellness services, including massages and facials
• A flexible, family-friendly culture that supports employees in balancing meaningful work with responsibilities outside of work

HOW AND WHERE YOU WILL WORK

This Los Angeles-based role offers regular flexibility in how and where work is performed. Employees may work from home or from the Alliance office on a regular basis, based on the responsibilities of the position and program needs. In-person participation is expected when it best supports clients, colleagues, trainings, community partnerships, court-related activities, or Alliance events. Candidates must reside in the greater Los Angeles area. The Alliance may adjust remote and in-office expectations as organizational or program needs evolve.

OUR COMMITMENT TO AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE

The Alliance for Children's Rights is committed to building and supporting an inclusive environment that values the backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences of our staff. We welcome candidates whose experiences connect with our mission and the communities we serve. We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and are an equal employment opportunity employer. We prohibit unlawful discrimination based on any characteristic protected by applicable law.

The Alliance considers qualified applicants with criminal histories in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act. Applicants are not required to disclose criminal history or complete a background check before a conditional offer of employment. If a post-offer background check raises a concern about a conviction directly related to the position, the applicant will have an opportunity to provide context, mitigating information, or challenge the accuracy of the report.

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