Legal Intake Specialist / Legal Assistant

Job Description

Job Description

Role Summary

The Law Offices of Karen Ware, APC is a solo practice serving consumer bankruptcy and special education clients across Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley. We are looking for a reliable, detail-driven legal assistant to run the client-facing and file-management workflow of the practice.

This role is the first point of contact for prospective clients and the engine that keeps active matters moving — gathering intake information, scheduling, sending and tracking documents, monitoring deadlines, and processing payments through our practice-management system.

This is an execution-focused role within a defined workflow. The assistant does not give legal advice. Strong candidates are organized, calm under pressure, discreet with sensitive financial and educational records, and able to stay warm but firm with anxious clients without overstepping into legal questions.

Key Responsibilities

Client intake and reception

•     Answer incoming calls from prospective clients; present a professional, consistent first impression.

•     Gather basic intake information using firm scripts and forms — including income, expenses, assets, and debts for bankruptcy prospects, and relevant background for special education inquiries.

•     Follow the firm intake script, including the defined list of questions that must be referred to the attorney rather than answered.

Scheduling and coordination

•     Schedule consultations and appointments and manage the attorney calendar.

•     Send and confirm video-meeting (Zoom) details and answer routine logistical questions.

•     Coordinate timing of meetings, deadlines, and follow-ups.

Documents and billing workflow

•     Send intake questionnaires, document requests, engagement agreements, and invoices through the firm’s practice-management platform.

•     Ensure required client disclosures (including bankruptcy debt-relief-agency disclosures under 11 U.S.C. §§ 527/528) are included in every applicable outgoing packet per the firm’s templates.

•     Process client payments through the firm’s approved payment processor (e.g., LawPay) under the firm’s trust-accounting procedures.

File monitoring and client communication

•     Monitor active files for outstanding items and send reminders for pending documents, signatures, and payments.

•     Answer basic, non-legal client questions (e.g., case number, hearing logistics, Zoom access, status of requested documents).

•     Maintain accurate, organized client records and update matter status in the practice-management system.

What This Role Does NOT Do

To protect clients and the firm, the assistant does not and may not:

•     Give legal advice or opinions, or predict outcomes — including eligibility (Chapter 7 vs. 13), whether to keep paying a creditor, asset transfers, dischargeability, or any “what should I do” question. These are referred to the attorney.

•     Characterize a client’s legal situation or recommend a course of action.

•     Exercise signature authority over, or reconcile, the client trust account.

•     Record, store, or email raw payment-card numbers outside the approved processor.

Qualifications

Required

•     Prior administrative, customer-service, or office-support experience (legal or professional-services setting strongly preferred).

•     Excellent written and verbal communication; clear, professional phone manner.

•     Strong organization and attention to detail; comfort tracking many open items at once.

•     Proficiency with standard office software and a willingness to learn cloud-based practice-management tools.

•     Demonstrated discretion with confidential and sensitive information.

•     Reliable home internet and a private, quiet workspace for remote hours.

Preferred

•     Familiarity with legal intake, bankruptcy, or special education matters.

•     Experience with legal practice-management, billing, or payment software.

•     Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus given the client base.

Compensation and Terms

•     Hourly W-2 position; pay rate negotiable based on experience.

•     Part-time, approximately 20–25 hours per week.

•     At-will employment with a 90-day introductory period and a documented performance check-in.

•     Confidentiality agreement required as a condition of employment.