Paralegal - Allegheny County

Voce; Penn Hills (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

HSA

Dental

Vision

Disability insurance

Life insurance

EAP

401(k) contribution

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Holidays

PTO

Job summary

Voce is seeking Paralegals to support the SWAN Legal Services Initiative across Pennsylvania. You will draft petitions, orders, motions, and stipulations, participate in county court hearings, and help prepare lay and expert witnesses.

This role supports permanency for children in the child welfare system. A background in legal work or child welfare and an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or paralegal certificate is preferred; 5 years of related experience can substitute for formal

Qualifications

• General knowledge/work experience in legal or child welfare is preferred.
• Associate's degree, bachelor's degree or paralegal certificate preferred; 5 years of related experience may substitute.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills are desired.

Responsibilities

• Draft legal documents for solicitor review, including petitions, orders, motions and stipulations.
• Participate in county court hearings and pre-hearing conferences.
• Assist with lay and expert witness preparation for testimony.
• Facilitate and/or train on approved LSI training topics.
• Support county best practices.
• Conduct diligent searches to locate permanency resources for children and collaborate with caseworkers.

Skills

Legal knowledge

Attention to detail

Education

Associate's degree

Bachelor's degree

Paralegal certificate

Job description

Add Your Voice - Work For Us

We use our voice, and empower you to use yours, to create positive, lasting change in people’s lives. We use our voice because we believe every person should belong and be empowered to thrive.

Who We Are

Our agency began in 1999 by pioneering a model that is nationally recognized. We believe every child deserves a safe, nurturing permanent home - with a caring and supportive family that makes it possible to grow and thrive.

A pioneer in new approaches to achieving permanency for children in foster care, we employ specialized knowledge and a continuum of services to help agencies expedite adoptions and keep families together.

Voce’s vision is a society where every person belongs and isempowered to thrive. We celebrate the qualities that define anddistinguish us. As a change agent, we embrace our role In advocatingfor and promoting understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion. Indoing so, we strive to achieve lasting change in our organization andthe communities we serve. We will hold our agency accountable fortransforming our culture, Infrastructure and practices to promoteinclusion, innovation and trust.

To learn more, please visit https://vocetogether.org/expertise/adoption-permanency.html

Additionally, with our partner Diakon, we co-administer the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN) program for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

To learn more about LSI, SWAN or Diakon, please visit www.diakon-swan.org

SWAN Legal Services Initiative Paralegals

Voce employs paralegals to perform work for the SWAN Legal Services Initiative (LSI), a program that was created to address barriers within the legal process that delay permanency for a child in the child welfare system. LSI paralegals work out of every county's children and youth office. LSI paralegals assist counties with all aspects of the legal process which ensures children are in safe and permanent homes.

Schedule: Monday - Friday

What You Will Contribute

• Draft legal documents for solicitor review, including petitions, orders, motions and stipulations.
• Participate in county court hearings and pre-hearing conferences.
• Assist with all aspects of lay and expert witness preparation for testimony.
• Facilitate and/or train on approved LSI training topics.
• Support county best practices.
• Conduct diligent searches to locate parents, relatives or other potential permanency resources or connections for children who are receiving services from, or are in the custody of the county and collaborate with caseworkers regarding all search results.
• Other duties as assigned.

What It Will Take To Succeed

General knowledge/work experience in legal or in child welfare and an Associate's degree, Bachelor's degree or paralegal certificate is preferred. A minimum of 5 years of related experience will be considered in lieu of degree and/or certification.

We strive to hire motivated professionals with strong organizational and time management skills who will thrive in a dynamic and collaborative work environment.

Why Voce - We Invest In You

We offer a competitive total rewards package that includes:

• Health insurance with medical spending accounts (employer contribution to the HSA if electing HDHP)
• Dental, vision, long term disability and accident insurance
• Three employer-paid benefits: short term disability insurance, life insurance and Employee Assistance Program
• Employer contribution equivalent to 6% of your salary to your 401(k)
• 13 paid holidays (including three floating holidays)
• 18 days of PTO in first year of employment
• Qualified employer participating in Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)