Jobs
Law Office Assistant - AmeriCorps Position
Inquiries and applications should be addressed to: HR Manager
North Penn Legal Services
329 Market St
Williamsport, PA 17701
or resumes@northpennlegal.org.
North Penn Legal Services (NPLS); is a non-profit, 501(c)3 corporation funded in large part by the Legal Services Corporation and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to provide free legal help to low income persons. North Penn Legal Services is staffed by 30 attorneys and 18 paralegals working out of 12 offices. Advocates provide representation on a broad range of civil matters including custody, housing, SSI, bankruptcy, consumer, and protection from abuse. In addition to direct representation, clients are also helped through telephone advice, pro bono and Judicare attorneys, pro se packets and self-help clinics.
Inquiries and applications should be addressed to: HR Manager, North Penn Legal Services, 329 Market St., Williamsport, PA 17701, or resumes@northpennlegal.org. Include a cover letter with your resume and kindly include the listing reference code that appears at the end of the position description. Applications are generally accepted until the position is filled.
Applicants for attorney positions will be evaluated on their oral, writing, and advocacy skills as well as their involvement in law school clinics and public interest law, and must be able to practice law in Pennsylvania. Some travel will be required. North Penn offers a competitive fringe benefits package. Salary DOE
North Penn Legal Services, Inc. is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity employer, which employs and promotes without regard to color, sex, race, religion, disability, age, national origin. sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other consideration prohibited by law. Minorities, women, and the physically challenged are encouraged to apply. Preference shall be given to applicants residing in the community to be served in accordance with LSC Regulation 1616 and to qualified applicants who are current recipients of Public Assistance.
Current Openings
Law Office Assistant
AmeriCorps Position
1700 hours (full-time) beginning August 20, 2008
Summary:
The AmeriCorps volunteer will support and enhance North Penn Legal Service’s capacity to assist low income people with their legal problems. The law office assistant will enable the office to be more responsive to walk-in applicants, clients and callers. With a law office assistant, our goal is to blend the benefits of technology with human contact. When an individual contacts legal services, that individual will frequently reach a person rather than an auto attendant system. Applicants and clients will have more predictable access to our educational videos and brochures.
Position Description: Responsibilities and Duties
- Assist intake staff with pre-screening of applicants for legal services.
- Maintain a log of incoming calls and action taken.
- Maintain a log of applicants who were rejected.
- Direct new contacts to central intake screening or make referrals to other community agencies if the individual’s problem is not one handled by legal services.
- Redirect messages from voice mail when necessary.
- Maintain brochures and other materials which are distributed to callers and clients
- Handle communications to set up custody workshops
- Assist staff with the completion of interview forms in substantive areas including, housing, bankruptcy, consumer, and family, using Hot Docs software.
- Arrange for showing North Penn’s self-help videos to arriving clients.
- Assist staff with closing of case files.
- Assist with destruction of files
- Organize exhibits in social security cases
- Mail client surveys
- Assist intake staff with updating social service and county information contained in Prime, the case management software.
- Assist with gathering statistics for quarterly reporting to LSC.
Weekly hours and duration of position:
- 35 hours per week up to 1700 hours.
- Orientation begins August 20 (Sunbury position) and August 26 (Williamsport position)
Basic requirements of position:
- Good communication and interviewing skills
- Ability to interact well with individuals who need our services
- Comfort with use of computer for data entry and note taking
- Use of e-mail
- Ability to organize and present information
- Ability to be responsive to caller without offering legal advice
- Ability to keep caller information confidential
- Ability to travel to Selinsgrove, PA on monthly basis for AmeriCorps orientation and convenings (Sunbury position)
Preferred skills/background:
- Prior experience using interviewing and communication skills
- Knowledge of legal, social and economic problems of poor people
- Use of word processing and data base software
- Use of spreadsheet software desirable
- Ability to use voice mail system
- Sensitivity to the needs of low income people, demonstrating care and patience
Specific Training/Skills to be Acquired:
- Gaining an understanding of legal issues faced by low income people
- Gaining an understanding of what legal services lawyers and paralegals do to help address those problems
- Learning about what other social services are available
- Using computer as a tool for organizing and presenting information to others
What you receive:
- Living stipend of $11,400
- Education award at end of commitment of $4725 (for school loans or tuition)
Reply to:
- resumes@northpennlegal.org or
- HR Manager, 329 Market St., Williamsport, PA 17701 tel. 570.323.8741 ext. 112
More about AmeriCorps:
- www.coresusquehanna.org (Sunbury position)
- www.stepcorp.org (Williamsport AmeriCorps information not available as of 5/8/08)
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