Paralegal I (Contractor)

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

Colorado Legal Services (CLS) is Colorado’s statewide nonprofit legal aid program, with twelve offices providing civil legal assistance to low-income Coloradans throughout the state. CLS provides free legal assistance in a broad variety of legal areas, including family law, public benefits, eviction defense, consumer protection, services to survivors of serious crime and human trafficking, and many others.

CLS has strengthened lives, assisted families, and supported communities–one person at a time for over 100 years. We are committed to providing high-quality, free legal advice and representation to eligible individuals throughout Colorado. We have a long history of successful impact and advocacy. CLS strives to bring about substantive, transformational change in the lives of those we serve.

At CLS, we value representation. We value and respect our staff's wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We ensure representation of our client communities in our staff, Board of Directors and leadership teams. We also envision a fair, just, trusted, and harm reductionist legal system which emphasizes access to and implementation of true justice for every Coloradan.

POSITION SUMMARY

This position, which is open to internal candidates only, works under the supervision of the Managing Attorney of CLS’s Boulder Office and collaborates with a dedicated team of staff to organize and attend public and agency-facing outreach events, support our pro bono and low-bono contract Private Attorney Involvement (PAI) program and non-attorney volunteers, and conduct eligibility screening and intake interviews for applicants for services. The paralegal will also be responsible for office management duties as assigned by the Managing Attorney. With a focus on community engagement and support, this position plays an important role in ensuring that our clients have access to the legal resources they need.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Serve as the main point of contact for applicants seeking CLS's services

Attend events in the community as a representative of CLS, including after working hours and on weekends

Support, maintain and enhance the volunteer program for the Boulder office of CLS

Recruit and retain volunteers

Maintain, update, and track progress on client cases placed with a volunteer or contractor in the case management system

Conduct education, training, technical assistance, and quality control for volunteer and contract attorneys and LLPs who accept referrals from CLS for pro bono representation

Act as a community liaison, maintaining contact with local human service agencies and organizations serving client-eligible populations to promote awareness of CLS

Review all bills submitted to CLS by contract attorneys and LLPs for accuracy and submit bills for payment

Organize and execute appreciation events for volunteers and contractors

Track and reconcile the annual pro bono hours and level of law firm participation

Coordinate the training, assessment, review, and evaluation of volunteers and contractors consistent with program needs

Participate in case review and work with the office team to make a final disposition for each client

Investigate and assist the Managing Attorney in resolving complaints from clients, attorneys, judges, court personnel, and the public

Coordinate the administration of the Boulder Office’s Pro Se Program

Ensure appropriate data collection on PAI cases for outcome measurement and grant reporting.

Oversee the tracking of office donations

Work cooperatively with local bar association s and other partner organizations to develop strategies for assisting clients and expanding program capacity

Represent the program in agency and community meetings and make presentations regarding CLS services and funding needs

Attend office meetings, program training sessions, and other trainings and meetings as

Additional office management, reception, paralegal and intake duties as assigned by the Managing Attorney

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Strong communication, organizational and time management skills

Comfort with public speaking to community groups and law firm

Previous experience working with volunteers or attorneys

Basic proficiency in Office 365 and computer database skills

Passion for working on behalf of low-income and other vulnerable people.

PREFERED QUALIFICATIONS

A bachelor’s degree is preferred

Proficiency in Spanish is preferred

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

We offer a generous plan that includes 100% employer paid premiums for employee health, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance, as well as partial employer paid premiums for spouses/dependents, based on a sliding scale. We also offer Dependent Care and Medical Flexible spending accounts, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). CLS contributes $200/month to each employee's 403(b) retirement account and matches 100% of employee contributions up to 3% of employee salary; vesting occurs gradually will full vesting after 3 years of employment. Additionally, CLS offers generous paid time-off and 13 paid holidays per year.

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