Coordinated Statewide Intake Paralegal

Organization Overview: 

Colorado Legal Services (CLS) is Colorado’s statewide nonprofit legal aid program, with thirteen 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 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 embrace diversity. We value and respect our staff members’ backgrounds and experiences. We are committed to professional growth of all staff and provide opportunities to attend training programs and conferences that are relevant to their work. We also value mentorship and want to support our employees from within. We envision a fair, just, trusted, and harm reductionist legal system which emphasizes access to and implementation of true justice for every Coloradan. 

 

Position Summary: 

We are excited to be hiring a paralegal to join our fast-paced and diverse team! CLS’ Coordinated Statewide Intake Unit (CSI) receives over 40,000 calls each year from applicants seeking legal help. Working with a team of dedicated staff in this fast-paced environment, paralegals screen applicants for service eligibility and gather initial information about their legal issues. This position is fully in-person working in the office, Monday through Friday 8:30-5pm.  

 

Essential Duties: 

• Maintain understanding of CLS eligibility guidelines and service areas;
• Demonstrate empathy, emotional intelligence, and cultural responsiveness during information-gathering conversations with applicants;
• Guide applicants to identify their specific legal issue and share relevant information;
• Refer eligible applicants for legal advice, brief services, or full representation, in accordance with CSI disposition instructions;
• Maintain familiarity with various financial resources, client services, and systems that provide services to clients in the local communities;
• Provide applicants CLS cannot serve with information and referrals to other resources, as appropriate;
• Ensure complete and accurate data entry into case management systems and client files;
• Contribute to CSI culture of learning and feedback through active participation in trainings and staff meetings.
• Participate in special projects.
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Required Qualifications: 

• Associate’s degree, Bachelor’s degree, paralegal certification and/or commensurate experience.
• 1 year of experience in legal support, paralegal work, intake specialist roles, or other relevant positions.
• 1+ years of customer service experience or public interaction with low-income or other vulnerable communities.
• Ability to work independently, managing multiple tasks, while meeting deadlines. 

 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Spanish fluency and plain-language communication skills are preferred.
• Demonstrate excellent time management skills with an ability to identify urgent issues and reprioritize as necessary.
• Some customer-service experience. 

 

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, a 403(b) retirement account with up to a 3% match, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Additionally, CLS offers generous paid time-off and 13 paid holidays per year. CLS values its employees’ commitment to working hard for the population it serves and recognizes the importance of work/life balance. We promote and foster a diverse and psychologically safe work environment, striving to be a “Best Place to Work” in Colorado. 

 

How to Apply: Please use the “Apply for This Job” link for this job opening on our careers page by April 10th.  We will not be reviewing applications sent via e-mail or physical mail. If you have questions about this position or any other positions at Colorado Legal Services, contact Karen Vilner, Director of People and Culture, at kvilner@colegalserv.org. 

 

Please no solicitations from recruitment firms. 

Salary

• $61,050 - $82,030