Legal Secretary Manager (Stay Housed LA) – Support Services Workgroup

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision for staff

Life insurance

Long-term disability and long-termcare

403(b) retirement plan

Bilingual supplements

Cell phone stipend

Job summary

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles is seeking a SHLA Legal Secretary Manager to supervise up to eight legal secretaries supporting eviction defense and landlord-tenant matters. You will hire, coach, and evaluate staff, ensure workflow efficiency, and maintain case files and calendars across multiple offices.

The role requires managing deadlines, coordinating with attorneys and paralegals, and sustaining a positive, inclusive work environment; a minimum of five years’ legal secretary experience

Qualifications

• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience as a legal secretary or its equivalent within a legal setting.
• Management or management equivalent experience greatly preferred.
• Extremely strong interpersonal skills and the ability to maintain a positive and resourceful attitude when working with diverse populations.
• Ability to meet deadlines and perform multiple tasks while maintaining extreme attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to LAFLA’s mission and previous non-profit or government experience preferred.
• Willingness to work beyond a minimum 7.5-hour workday, and workweeks over 30-37 hours when obligations so necessitate.
• Ability to travel to LAFLA’s five community offices required.
• Bilingual in a second language preferred.

Responsibilities

• Supervise a team of up to 8 legal secretary staff who provide legal and administrative support to attorneys and paralegals primarily practicing eviction defense and landlord-tenant law matters. Responsibilities include hiring and onboarding of staff; coaching and mentoring to ensure meaningful professional development and compliance with LAFLA’s priorities, policies, and procedures; performing regular 1:1 check-ins; completing annual evaluations and professional development plans; and reviewing staff timekeeping and leave requests to ensure adequate coverage.
• Train secretaries in eviction defense workflow, including pleading preparation, filing, and service requirements.
• Manage secretarial assignments for attorneys and paralegals, coordinate secretarial workflows, and delegate work effectively to ensure that objectives are met timely and accurately.
• Oversee the prompt handling of correspondence (mail, fax, email), as well as the proper maintenance of client case files and calendaring systems.
• Maintain user accounts with LAFLA’s correspondence and litigation service vendors and approve vendor invoicing.
• Cultivate effective relationships with a broad team that includes LAFLA’s management, attorneys, paralegals, support staff, and external vendors.
• Back up secretaries when necessary.
• Work in tandem with the LAFLA-wide Legal Secretary Manager.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Legal secretarial experience

People management

Interpersonal skills

Deadline-driven

Non-profit experience

Overtime availability

Travel to LAFLA offices

Bilingual ability

Job description

About the Position

Are you interested in joining an organization dedicated to increasing access to justice while addressing systemic inequities among the most vulnerable members of the Greater Los Angeles area? If yes, LAFLA is the place for you!

The Organization

LAFLA is a nonprofit law firm that protects and advances the rights of the most underserved—leveling the playing field and ensuring that everyone can have access to the justice system. Celebrating 95 years of service to Los Angeles communities, LAFLA is the first and most experienced legal aid organization in Greater Los Angeles. LAFLA has more than 200 employees, including more than 100 attorneys, who provide free services and resources on a broad range of civil legal issues that impact healthy, safety, and self-sufficiency. Every year, LAFLA helps more than 100,000 people find their voice, regain control of their lives, and build a brighter future. Our unique combination of neighborhood offices, self-help centers at courthouses, and domestic violence clinics puts LAFLA on the frontlines in communities at the forefront of change. LAFLA also engages in impact litigation to help enact long-term systemic change—actively collaborating with a network of public and private partners to expand access to justice, identify needs in the communities we serve, and change laws and policies that adversely affect the underserved. For more information, please visit www.lafla.org.

About the Project

Stay Housed Los Angeles brings much-needed eviction defense resources to tenants in Los Angeles communities and implements two Right to Counsel ordinances and universal access for the rest of the county. LAFLA works in collaboration with other legal services organization and community-based organization that make up the Stay Housed LA Coalition. LAFLA’s Eviction Defense Workgroup has approximately 35 attorneys to support in eviction litigation.

Position Title

SHLA Legal Secretary Manager

Qualifications

• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience as a legal secretary or its equivalent within a legal setting.
• Management or management equivalent experience greatly preferred.
• Extremely strong interpersonal skills and the ability to maintain a positive and resourceful attitude when working with diverse populations.
• Ability to meet deadlines and perform multiple tasks while maintaining extreme attention to detail in a fast‑paced work environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to LAFLA’s mission and previous non‑profit or government experience preferred.
• Willingness to work beyond a minimum 7.5-hour workday, and workweeks over 30-37 hours when obligations so necessitate.
• Ability to travel to LAFLA’s five community offices required.
• Bilingual in a second language preferred.

Examples of Duties

• Supervise a team of up to 8 legal secretary staff who provide legal and administrative support to attorneys and paralegals primarily practicing eviction defense and landlord‑tenant law matters. Responsibilities include hiring and onboarding of staff; coaching and mentoring to ensure meaningful professional development and compliance with LAFLA’s priorities, policies, and procedures; performing regular 1:1 check‑ins; completing annual evaluations and professional development plans; and reviewing staff timekeeping and leave requests to ensure adequate coverage.

• Train secretaries in eviction defense workflow, including pleading preparation, filing, and service requirements.
• Manage secretarial assignments for attorneys and paralegals, coordinate secretarial workflows, and delegate work effectively to ensure that objectives are met timely and accurately.
• Oversee the prompt handling of correspondence (mail, fax, email), as well as the proper maintenance of client case files and calendaring systems.
• Maintain user accounts with LAFLA’s correspondence and litigation service vendors and approve vendor invoicing.
• Cultivate effective relationships with a broad team that includes LAFLA’s management, attorneys, paralegals, support staff, and external vendors.
• Back up secretaries when necessary.
• Work in tandem with the LAFLA-wide Legal Secretary Manager.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD

A one year probationary period will be required.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Selection will be based solely on merit and will be without discrimination because of race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, age, religion, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, marital or registered domestic partners status, or any other legally protected status. The organization is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified candidates and employees pursuant to applicable law. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. If you require reasonable accommodation as part of the application process or expect to require an accommodation if hired, please contact [e-mail].

Benefits & Compensation

LAFLA offers a diverse environment with competitive compensation based on comparable public interest salaries. We also offer a generous benefits package for full‑time employees including medical, dental, and vision for employees and dependents, life insurance, long‑term disability and long‑term care insurance, and 403(b) retirement plan. Employees may also qualify for bilingual supplements, law student loan reimbursements, and a cell phone stipend.

COMMITMENT TO EMPLOYEE WELLNESS

Due to the mission driven nature of the organization, LAFLA is committed to a healthy work‑life balance for all staff. In addition to a hybrid work schedule and robust benefits package, LAFLA staff enjoy wellness related benefits and employee assistance programs through our offered medical plans, as well as Wellness Friday video sessions, a wellness content library, 15 LAFLA observed holidays, and generous time off benefits.

SUSTAINABLE HYBRID WORK SCHEDULE

LAFLA has recently adopted a sustainable schedule whereby employees get several Fridays off during the year. Depending on job classifications, some LAFLA staff are working on a manager approved hybrid work schedule, with the ability to work remotely up to half the week, if preferred, after the probationary period. The successful candidate must be local and willing to work from the assigned LAFLA location.