Home Defense Program HUD-Certified Housing Counselor/Paralegal

Management Information Exchange; Decatur (GA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental and vision options

16 paid holidays in 2026

6 weeks PTO (2.5 days/month)

6 weeks parental leave (12 weeks after

Education loan reimbursement up to $/月

Public Service Loan Forgiveness may be

Job summary

The Atlanta Legal Aid Society is seeking a HUD-Certified Housing Counselor/Paralegal for its Home Defense Program in the Decatur office. The role supports low-income homeowners and homebuyers by counseling, case management and legal assistance under attorney supervision.

Responsibilities include intake, data management, loss mitigation reviews, document preparation, and outreach. Bilingual Spanish skills are valued; salary is $56,500 with generous benefits and annual reviews.

Qualifications

• HUD-Certified Housing Counselor required.
• Undergraduate degree or paralegal certificate preferred.
• Prior housing counselor or paralegal experience preferred.
• Experience with law office management software preferred.
• Commitment to public service and serving low-income clients strongly preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal and written/verbal communication skills.
• Patient, compassionate and able to meet deadlines.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace and willingness to learn new legal data tools.
• Ability to work independently and in a team.

Responsibilities

• Handle case intake and management, including client interviews and documentation.
• Provide housing counseling, financial analysis, budgeting, and action planning for clients.
• Assist attorneys with document preparation, discovery, and hearings.
• Provide information and advice under attorney supervision.
• Review loss mitigation and foreclosure prevention options.
• Data management and entry into the client database; file organization and archiving.
• Ensure grant compliance and assist with periodic reports.
• Conduct deed and lien searches.
• Maintain community outreach and education materials.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Skills

Communication

Public service

Spanish language

Education

HUD-Certified Housing Counselor

Undergraduate degree

Paralegal certificate

Tools

Google Workspace

Job description

Home Defense Program HUD-Certified Housing Counselor/Paralegal

Atlanta Legal Aid Society (“Legal Aid”) seeks a HUD-Certified Housing Counselor/Paralegal for its Home Defense Program. Our non-profit law firm represents low-income persons in a variety of civil legal matters including family, housing, consumer, public benefits, education and health law. The Home Defense Program assists individuals and families to prevent the loss of their home through foreclosure, predatory mortgage lending, or home sale scams. The Home Defense Program is housed within Legal Aid’s Decatur office, this is an in-office position. The unit currently consists of three full-time attorneys, one part-time attorney, one HUD-certified housing counselor/paralegal, and a paralegal.

Responsibilities:

• Case intake and management, including answering the phone, conducting initial client intakes and interviews, gathering documentation, and presenting cases to the staff attorneys and at case acceptance meetings
• Housing counseling, financial analysis, budgeting, and action planning for low and moderate-income homeowner and homebuyer clients whose cases are taken for representation
• Assist attorneys with document preparation and execution, discovery, depositions and hearings, and other paralegal and clerical work
• Provide clients with information and advice under the strict supervision of an attorney
• Review and analyze applications for appropriate loss mitigation and foreclosure prevention options, such as deferrals, forbearances, partial claims, loan modifications, and/or mortgage assistance programs
• Data management, including entering information into Legal Aid’s database and retrieving relevant data
• File management, including scanning documents into the client database, digital organization, filing, and archiving closed cases
• Ensure grant compliance, organize data and documentation required for grants, and assist in the preparation of periodic reports
• Conduct deed and lien searches
• Maintain a community outreach schedule and community education materials

Other tasks as assigned

Qualifications:

• Must be a HUD-Certified Housing Counselor
• An undergraduate degree or paralegal certificate is preferred, but not required
• Prior housing counselor experience, paralegal or legal assistant experience strongly preferred
• Prior experience with law office management software strongly preferred
• Demonstrated commitment to public service and previous work with low-income people, with an appreciation for diversity, is strongly preferred
• Must be patient, compassionate, and possess excellent problem-solving skills
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication, listening, and organizational skills
• Must be industrious, dependable, organized, adaptable, detail-oriented, with the ability to complete tasks within the applicable deadline
• Proficiency in Google Workspace and a willingness to learn new legal data tools
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and in a collaborative team model

Proficiency in languages other than English, specifically Spanish, is highly valued

Salary and Benefits:

• This position offers a salary of $56,500, but may vary (up or down) depending on work experience. Salaries are reviewed annually and may be adjusted based on available funding
• Generous fringe benefits, including 16 paid holidays in 2026, 6 weeks of paid time off (accruing at 2.5 days per month), and 6 weeks of parental leave (12 weeks after one year)
• Individual health insurance, including optional dental and vision coverage, with partial payment for dependent health insurance
• Life, long-term, and short-term disability insurance
• Salary reduction option for a flexible spending account
• Educational loan reimbursement up to $600 per month (after a set off of other loan reimbursement amounts)
• Voluntary tax-sheltered annuity with a 3% match
• This position may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

Atlanta Legal Aid Society considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other legally protected status.