Paralegal

Reports To: Senior Counsel/Director of Strategic Initiatives & Legal Help Desk Director

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt/Full-Time

Union Status: Grade 2

SUMMARY

The paralegal will share responsibilities between supporting the work of Lambda Legal’s Director of Strategic Initiatives and supporting the operations of the organization’s Legal Help Desk.

In supporting the Director of Strategic Initiatives, this paralegal will assist with legal, social science, and other research; drafting advocacy and public education documents; and other duties to support Lambda Legal’s efforts to address the threat posed by the use of religious liberty arguments to undermine domestic nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, and to undermine the safety and well-being of LGBTQ people globally.

In supporting the operations of the Legal Help Desk, this paralegal will handle administrative aspects of call management and responses, including data entry and tracking; distributing informational legal resources; and other aspects of response assistance. They will also work to strengthen and maintain a national cooperating attorney network upon which we rely to assist callers.

Finally, consistent with the duties of a paralegal, they will assist with drafting, preparing, and filing of documents in state and federal court, administrative agencies, and legislative bodies, and working with coalition partners to advance Lambda Legal’s cutting-edge impact litigation, policy advocacy, and educational work.

WHO WE ARE

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work. Since 1973, Lambda Legal has used impact litigation and other advocacy tools to decriminalize same-sex relationships; challenge discrimination against LGBTQ people and people living with HIV in the workplace, in the home, in schools, in health care, and in the military; and protect LGBTQ families, including by winning and defending marriage equality. Clients are not charged for legal representation or advocacy and Lambda Legal receives no government funding. Headquartered in New York City, Lambda Legal has regional offices in or near Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

We believe that serving the full breadth of the LGBTQ community and all people living with HIV requires cultural competency and enthusiasm for diversity of all kinds. To be successful, we must approach our work with an understanding that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is not the only obstacle to achieving full formal and lived equality for LGBTQ people and everyone living with HIV; rather, we recognize the intersectional nature of discrimination, specifically including biases based on race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, education, and class. In light of this reality, we prioritize awareness and proactive commitment to counteracting these biases and their compounding effects.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Providing legal, social science, and other forms of research assistance, as well as editorial support (e.g., drafting, proofreading, cite-checking of reports, presentations, and other materials), to the Director of Strategic Initiatives.

• Supporting the operations of the Legal Help Desk by inputting relevant information into organizational tracking database(s); routing requests to attorneys; assisting with responding to individuals who contact the Help Desk, including incarcerated individuals; and ongoing outreach to certain attorneys to maintain a national cooperating attorney network.

• Maintaining, editing, and distributing Legal Help Desk resources and associated public education materials.

• Providing administrative support to the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Legal Help Desk attorneys, including calendar management; travel planning; expense reimbursement; and maintenance of research files, correspondence, and other files.

• Providing drafting and administrative support for legislative testimony, public comments, and other legal and administrative filings; ensuring compliance with all applicable court rules.

• Contacting court and other governmental personnel, other attorneys, and advocates; drafting correspondence and other tasks necessary to ensure timely and professional responses to inquiries and compliance with deadlines.

• Providing general administrative support to members of the Legal Department.

• Other duties as assigned.
  

QUALIFICATIONS

Skills & Competencies:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Strong interest in, and aptitude for, legal and non-legal research.

• Well-organized, detail-oriented, and precise.

• Highly motivated, self-sufficient, dependable, and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• Strong record of and/or reputation for collegiality and collaboration, particularly when operating under time pressure.

• Prior legal support work is highly desired, and the willingness to develop the specialized knowledge about the legal system and legal documents necessary to perform duties in a law office setting is required.

• Prior helpline or other client-support experience is strongly preferred; patience and compassion when working with individuals in distress is required.

• Knowledge of issues facing LGBTQ people, including particularly transgender and non-binary people, and people living with HIV is preferred; an openness to learning more about these issues, particularly when lacking this knowledge or personal experience, is required.

• Any successful candidate will welcome the opportunity to work in a racially- and gender-diverse environment

• Spanish language proficiency is preferred.

Software:

• Microsoft Office Suite (specifically Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Adobe Acrobat

• Experience with any/all of the following technologies is desirable (please specify): Westlaw; ZenDesk, iManage, Microsoft PowerBI/Tableau; PACER; court filing systems (including the federal judiciary’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system); and Federal eRulemaking Portal or other public comment filing systems.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The opportunity to supervise interns or volunteers on a project-specific basis may be available.

TRAVEL

This position may require some minimal travel.

COVID STATEMENT

The health and well-being of our employees and their loved ones are of the utmost importance to us. During the pandemic, we have chosen to close our offices. Although staff are mostly working from home, some employees have returned to work in the office voluntarily. We follow CDC and Department of Health guidelines to ensure the safety of employees who occasionally need to work from the office. We have an employee task force that is continually evaluating and assessing when we can re-open. At this time, the offices will remain closed until at least until February 2022.

SALARY

Salary minimum is based on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The minimum annual salary is $53,190, higher starting annual salaries are possible. Employees who are required to use a second language as part of their job receive an additional $50 per pay period ($100 per month). Benefits include short and long-term disability, life insurance, basic medical and dental plan at no cost to the employee, with an opportunity to obtain additional coverage for themselves or their family including vision at a low cost. Option to enroll in a pre-tax health flexible spending account, dependent care account, and commuter transit account. 403(b)-retirement plan with a 2% contribution and up to 4% match from Lambda Legal. Paid time off includes the opportunity to accrue up to 15 days of vacation, 3 personal and 12 sick. Lambda Legal observes 10 holidays per year and is supportive of observance of religious holidays.

APPLICATION

The position is open until filled.

Send resume and cover letter by e-mail only to careers@lambdalegal.org, attention Mildred Perez with the subject line of “Paralegal Help Desk/Strategic Initiatives”.

No calls please. Due to the high volume of applications, Lambda Legal cannot return phone calls about the position and does not notify applicants of status except when an interview is granted.

Lambda Legal is committed to further building and maintaining a staff that reflects the full range of LGBTQ, HIV-affected and allied communities, and is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, people living with HIV, and people living with (or perceived as having) other physical or mental disabilities are encouraged to apply.