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Posted by: Margaret Wood - 8/25/2017
Job Expires: 9/22/2017
Legal Secretary - General and Assigned Counsel Program

LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF NORTHEASTERN NEW YORK

LEGAL SECRETARY - General and Assigned Counsel Program 

 

Position: Legal Secretary located in the Albany office of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York primarily supporting a unit of legal staff, attorneys and paralegals and the operation of the Albany office. The LASNNY Albany office provides free legal assistance in civil legal matters to low income residents of Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Columbia and Greene Counties.  LASNNY's mission is to secure basic needs, protect and preserve legal rights, provide equal access to justice and seek fairness and dignity for our clients. 

 

Responsibilities:

  • Perform secretarial, clerical and administrative functions necessary to the effective representation of clients and the administration of a multi-advocate unit and the Albany office, such as preparation and filing of legal documents, non-legal work product, mail sorting, entering reminders in case management system, and assisting in communication between clients, courts, adverse parties  and legal staff.

  • Maintain courteous and professional contact with clients, opposing counsel, courts and agencies.

  • Assist legal staff in maintaining client contact and gathering relevant client documents.

  • Assist legal staff in performing legal and administrative tasks effectively and efficiently.   

  • Provide administrative, record keeping and reporting support for legal staff and work to complete necessary client forms, paperwork, data entry and grant reporting. 

  • Perform substantial back-up receptionist duties.  Operate a complex multi-line telephone system and greet customers and visitors.   Work closely with other legal secretaries, serving as additional support for LASNNY client phone intake system. Work closely with legal secretary primarily responsible for phone and intake system, other legal secretaries, Deputy Director of Strategic Operations and Managing Attorneys to ensure that intake system runs smoothly and effectively.  

  • Respond to requests for assistance and conduct intake interviews to quickly determine eligibility and the general nature of the legal problem and make initial determination of programmatic eligibility and case assignment.

  • Substantial computer responsibilities, including data entry in grant-specific data bases, including data entry in LASNNY case management system and spread sheets necessary to maintain required case and administrative information. Ensure timely and accurate data collection and reporting by legal staff. Troubleshoot reporting problems. Run reports and correct data as needed.        

  • Provide support for outreach, trainings or clinics that unit or other LAS advocates may deliver.   

  • Assist in grant reporting as requested.

  • Support LASNNY's Assigned Counsel Program. Assist and provide clerical support in processing a high volume of cases involving requests for the assignment of pro bono counsel in divorce matters. Process defendants' applications for assistance and poor persons' applications for assignment of counsel through the county clerks' offices in Albany and Rensselaer Counties. Work with clients, judiciary, and pro bono counsel to ensure and track timely case assignment, legal work completion and readiness for case closure.  Responsible for organized periodic follow up and documentation of case progress. Manage problems as reported by clients and pro bono counsel under supervision of an attorney. Work with Private Attorney Involvement (PAI) staff in program implementation.

  • Assist in filing Albany office closed case files and maintaining on-site Albany office file storage.

  • Enter data in LASNNY case management system.

  • Provide legal secretarial, clerical and administrative support to other LASNNY staff as assigned or needed.      

  • Be a notary public and perform such duties as needed.

     

    Qualifications:

  • Minimum three years prior secretarial experience, with preference for legal secretarial experience.

  • Experience in managing a multiple line phone system utilized for responding to requests for assistance from the public and following multiple rules and protocols for securing detailed information from callers and determining appropriate response, and contemporaneously entering information obtained and responses provided in computer data base.   

  • Must be willing to learn LASNNY case management program and grant reporting requirements, forms and reporting tools.   

  • Must have strong computer skills and experience in utilizing spreadsheets, performing data entry, reporting and running reports in databases. 

  • Preference for experience in managing a data base or other reporting systems and being responsible for producing accurate reports.    

  • Must be responsible, reliable, punctual, flexible, intelligent, detail oriented, careful, well organized, able to prioritize and think independently, and understand and apply a wide variety of policies and rules.  Must be able to work collaboratively in a fast paced environment.

  • Must have strong communications skills and sensitivity to low income persons.

  • Must be proficient in Microsoft Office and type 50 WPM. 

  • Become acquainted with and proficient in e-filing in state and federal court systems as needed.  

  • Must have car and valid drivers' license and must be willing to travel as needed within the 16 county service area. 

  • Must be willing to work reasonable overtime when requested.

  • Preference for prior experience transcribing from both written copy and dictation equipment. 

  • Preference for experience in managing a data base or other reporting system and responsibility for producing accurate reports.    

  • Ability to speak Spanish a plus.

     

    Salary: $ 27,491 - 35,036 DOE. We are a unionized program with excellent fringe benefits.

     

    Closing Date:  September 22, 2017

     

    To apply, please go to www.lasnny.org  OR

     

    1) Complete the Application linked here, or the mobile-friendly application linked here

    2) Complete the Demographic Survey linked here

     

     

    We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Minorities, women, the elderly, applicants and recipients of public assistance, LGBT persons and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.   

     

 
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