Project Coordinator (Bilingual), Legal Clinic for the Homeless

Project Coordinator (Bilingual), Legal Clinic for the Homeless
Department: City Bar Justice Center
Reports to: Director, Legal Clinic for the Homeless
FLSA: Non-Exempt

The City Bar Justice Center (CBJC) seeks an enthusiastic and organized individual who is committed to equal access to justice to join our team as a Project Coordinator (paralegal) for our Legal Clinic for the Homeless (LCH). CBJC annually provides high-quality, free civil legal services benefiting over 25,000 New Yorkers who lack the resources to hire private counsel. CBJC also relies on partnerships with the City Bar, law firms, corporate legal departments, the courts, and other stakeholders. In the past year, over 2,200 pro bono attorneys donated services to support clinics and client matter work drawn from CBJC’s dozen civil legal services projects.

With the support of volunteer attorneys, the LCH team provides legal advice, advocacy, and representation to individuals and families in New York City who lack the security and stability of their own home, including by assisting with shelter access, public benefits, storage access and loss of personal belongings, and other challenges that New Yorkers face when they lack adequate shelter. LCH additionally advocates for system-wide policy and practice changes that can bring greater stability to those experiencing homelessness or seeking to leave or remain independent of the shelter system. At the present time, LCH is also devoting considerable time and resources to addressing housing and other basic life needs for new arrivals – many asylum seekers – who are brand-new to navigating life in New York City.

The Project Coordinator for LCH works closely with and under the supervision of the LCH director to handle the following areas of responsibility, among others:

• Serve as the first point of contact for clients seeking legal assistance, conducting eligibility screening and client interviews for LCH clients (including those who only speak Spanish), and providing case assessment support.
• Review and maintain thorough and accurate client records.
• Provide administrative help by answering telephone and email inquiries and setting up client appointments, while also providing caring follow-up to clients, who typically seek our assistance at very vulnerable moments in their lives.
• Carefully maintain and run statistical reports on client, program/activity, and volunteer databases.
• Provide organizational and logistical support for both virtual and in-person training programs, legal clinics, and community outreach events.
• Assist in the preparation of grant applications/reports and other fundraising activities.
• Conduct research and draft initial papers or applications under attorney supervision.
• Create, draft, and design program content such as blogs, reports, advocacy and educational resources, presentations, and social media posts.
• Liaise with attorney volunteers from law firms and corporate legal departments.
• As needed, provide general administrative support, including with new programming within LCH and across CBJC projects.

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, AND REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree or substantially equivalent work experience in a professional setting.
• Minimum 6 months of work experience (relevant internships acceptable).
• Fluency in Spanish, both oral and written.
• Strong data-entry, organizational and project management skills; high attention to detail; excellent verbal and written communication skills; comfortable communicating both by telephone and in direct contact with the public; self-starter with a record showing (or a demonstrable capacity for) consistent professional timeliness and reliability.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365, and the ability to quickly learn and effectively use LegalServer and other technology.
• Ability to connect with people from different backgrounds, and demonstrated enthusiasm for public interest legal work, serving communities that are under-resourced, and advancing racial equity and social and economic justice is required.
• A team player with an ability to interact respectfully with clients, volunteer attorneys, government employees, and fellow staff members.

We are looking for candidates who are willing to make a minimum commitment of two years to the Project Coordinator role and can start as soon as possible. Candidates for this position must be available for a hybrid schedule requiring 2-3 days of scheduled in-person work at our Midtown Manhattan office and at offsite clinics, with the balance of time being work-from-home.

This is a Local 153, Office and Professional Employees International Union position, with a starting annualized salary of at least $50,000 based on a 35-hour workweek (with higher salaries in the range of $51,000-$59,500 dependent on 2-8+ years of relevant prior experience), and other benefits and employment terms and conditions in accordance with a collective bargaining agreement. The City Bar’s competitive benefits package includes generous paid time off (vacation, personal, sick time, holidays, day off for volunteer work, extra time off in the summer), choice of medical plans (some offered at almost no cost to employee), dental, vision, 401K, life insurance, commuter benefits, Employee Assistance Program, short-term/long-term disability insurance, employee discounts, and more!

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. We are not able to sponsor visas for this position.

To apply: Please send a cover letter explaining your interest, a resume, and three professional business references.

The City Bar Justice Center is a proud equal opportunity employer, and we particularly encourage applications from candidates belonging to communities historically under-represented in the legal profession. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds and unique experiences to apply. We welcome diversity of all kinds. It is our policy to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, creed, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, disability, arrest or conviction record, pregnancy, credit history, salary history, caregiver status, marital status, partnership status, or status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking and sex offenses, religion, sex, genetic information, military status, unemployment status or any other characteristic as protected by law. With regard to the Americans with Disabilities Act and other related laws, the organization will endeavor to make reasonable accommodations for persons due to their religious beliefs, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition or because the individual was a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking.