Paralegal

Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs; Washington (Washington County); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous paid time-off

Comprehensive healthcare benefits (méd

401k plan

Professional development

Telework option - two days per week

Job summary

Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs seeks a paralegal to assist housing and workers' rights teams, under attorney supervision. The role focuses on administrative duties, intakes, case file management, and aiding litigation and advocacy efforts.

The ideal candidate demonstrates passion for civil rights, strong organizational skills, and familiarity with case management systems. Bilingual Spanish capability is preferred to interview or counsel clients.

Qualifications

• Must possess a deep passion for civil rights and racial justice advocacy.
• Demonstrated awareness of diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and communicate progress.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Familiarity with case management software (Excel, Outlook, Legal Server).
• Spanish fluency to interview or counsel clients without an interpreter.
• Experience with diverse communities strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Conduct intakes for new cases and clients.
• Manage dockets and maintain up-to-date case files.
• Support litigation and case development as needed.
• Draft and update informational guides for teams and the Committee.
• Provide administrative support for client and witness calls and meetings.
• Facilitate document retention and return policy for matters.
• Ensure case accessibility for clients, including interpretation and translation.
• Update client management system and organize closed files.
• Coordinate undergraduate interns and related activities.
• Other duties to support advocacy work.

Skills

Civil rights advocacy

Spanish language

Prioritization & time management

Organizational skills

Cross-cultural communication

Interviewing clients

Legal software familiarity

Tools

Excel

Outlook

Legal Server

Job description

About the role

Candidates should be prepared to commit at least two years of service in this role.

This position is part of a team of paralegals who provide support to the Committee's civil rights and racial justice advocacy and will primarily support our housing and workers' rights teams, along with general duties. Paralegals work under the direct supervision of Committee attorneys and are not engaged in the practice of law.

Responsibilities

Job responsibilities will vary by practice area and by case, but for this position will be comprised primarily of administrative duties, including:

• Conducting intakes for new potential cases and clients.
• Managing dockets and maintaining organized, up-to-date case files.
• Supporting litigation and case development as needed.
• Drafting and updating relevant informational guides for both the individual teams and the Committee as a whole.
• Providing administrative support in arranging client and witness calls and meetings.
• Facilitating the Committee's document retention and return policy with respect to closed matters, pending matters and matters not accepted by the Committee.
• Ensuring case accessibility for clients (securing interpretation, translation, Optical Character Recognition compatibility, and any transportation or related issues).
• Updating the Committee's client management system and be responsible for organizing closed case files.
• Participating in the coordination of the Committee's undergraduate interns.
• Other duties as assigned to support the Committee's advocacy work.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and qualifications:

• Deep passion for civil rights and racial justice advocacy.
• Demonstrated awareness and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds and orientations.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and to communicate effectively regarding the progress of various projects.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Familiarity with, or willingness and ability to learn, various case management, communication, and software systems (for example, Excel, Outlook, Legal Server).
• Ability to contribute to the creation of a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture that encourages and celebrates differences.
• A sufficient level of Spanish fluency to interview or counsel clients in Spanish without the assistance of an interpreter.
• Experience working with communities from a diverse set of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds strongly preferred.

Applicants with lived experience in communities historically under-resourced and marginalized due to race, class, gender, disability, etc. are encouraged to apply.

Compensation

WLC's pay scale is available with this posting. WLC offers a broad range of benefits including:

• Generous paid time-off
• Comprehensive healthcare benefits (medical, dental and vision coverage, parental leave)
• 401k plan
• Professional development
• Telework option - two days per week (Mondays, Fridays)

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and the position will remain open until filled. The Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs is an equal opportunity employer. Diversity is an essential component of the Committee, and we encourage all qualified persons to apply. Applicants are accorded an equal opportunity for selection without regard to actual or perceived race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.

This position is a hybrid position with three core days required to physically be in the office located in Washington, DC and up to two days of telework. We will be participating in-person when it is necessary to provide the highest quality legal services to our clients and the most effective advocacy.