Paralegal - Sullivan & Wyoming Counties

Voce; Tunkhannock (Wyoming County); On-site; USD 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance and HSA

Dental and vision

Disability and life insurance

401(k) with 6% match

Holidays and PTO

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Job summary

Voce, a child welfare agency, seeks paralegals for the SWAN Legal Services Initiative across Sullivan and Wyoming Counties. You will draft petitions, orders, motions and stipulations; participate in county court hearings; and assist with lay and expert witness prep.

This split role covers Sullivan (8:30–4:00, two days) and Wyoming (8:00–4:00, three days) weekly. We value teamwork, organization, and commitment to permanency for children; you’ll also help with trainings and best practices.

Qualifications

• 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

Legal knowledge

Organizational skills

Time management

Communication skills

Education

Associate's degree, Bachelor's degree or 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 is empowered to thrive. We celebrate the qualities that define and distinguish us. As a change agent, we embrace our role In advocating for and promoting understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion. In doing so, we strive to achieve lasting change in our organization and the communities we serve. We will hold our agency accountable for transforming our culture, Infrastructure and practices to promote inclusion, 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.

This position is a split role between both Sullivan and Wyoming Counties. The schedule is listed below.

Schedule:

Monday - Friday

Sullivan: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm 2 days a week

Wyoming: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm 3 days a week

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)

EOE