Legal Advocate Full-Time, 40 hours per week

Position Title: Legal Advocate 

Employment Type/ Hours: Full Time, 40 hours per week

Supervisor: Director of Legal Services 

Department: Legal Services

FLSA Status: Non-exempt 

FLSA Exemption Test: N/A

Starting Salary/Hourly Rate: $19.00/hour 

Last Updated: 03/10/2025

Our Mission

Safe Berks provides a safe haven and support for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through education, advocacy and a relentless commitment to prevent abuse. We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where individuals can be their true selves and feel empowered to stand up to all forms of oppression.

Our Values

SAFETY

We believe that freedom from physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological harm is a basic human right of all individuals. We know that domestic violence, sexual assault, oppression and privilege include power-based tactics that affect physical, emotional and psychological safety and we work to help survivors heal the wounds caused by power-based violence.

RESPECT

We value the dignity of all individuals while appreciating our differences and celebrating and honoring our diversity. Respect is reflected in the way we treat our clients, ourselves and members of the community. We believe our work requires us to reach out to marginalized individuals and communities and to create space to celebrate and nurture them.

EMPOWERMENT

We believe empowerment begins with recognizing and knowing that individually and collectively Safe Berks clients, staff and volunteers have the strength to make necessary change and to accomplish our goals. We recognize that success is defined by each individual given their experience, talents and culture and we celebrate this success.

EDUCATION

We will educate ourselves and our community to reject and prevent violence and oppression in our own lives and in the lives of the people around us. We recognize that our mission and values are transformational, and we must work with intention to break down social and cultural norms that continue to divide us.

HOPE

We believe that hope is key to our existence, to our ability to persevere and to achieve goals. We recognize that our work fosters hope and resilience and improves physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological well-being.

Equity and Inclusion

Safe Berks is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where all staff, residents, clients, board members, and volunteers feel safe and empowered to stand up to oppression of all kinds. We believe that the collective sum of our individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, creative outlets, innovative approaches and solutions, unique capabilities, and talent that our employees exhibit in their work represents the quality of our life-saving services. Reflective of the community we serve and embrace, we celebrate differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity, or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Position Standards

• Direct Service Delivery Standard
• Employee demonstrates a commitment to exceptional service for all individuals seeking assistance from Safe Berks and does so in a manner that is trauma-informed and in line with agency values of safety, respect, empowerment, education, and hope. Employee always maintains confidentiality according to agency requirements, consistently follows agency policies and procedures, and makes good decisions within the boundaries of their position expectations.
• Conduct and Behavioral Standard
• Employee responds to changing circumstances by being innovative and adjusting behavior to fit different situations. Employee performs work with a calm demeanor in stressful situations. Even in situations that may cause employee personal discomfort, they are able to be flexible and understand and balance others diverse views and beliefs.
• Essential Skills Standard
• Employee has strong communication skills, which are essential to the work of an advocate. They express oneself clearly and effectively when speaking and writing. Employee practices active listening by facilitating two-way communication and ensures that information is understood by all parties. They share information in a timely manner using the most appropriate method and follows up with individuals requesting additional information, referrals, or assistance.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities (includes but is not limited to the following):

1. Provide legal advocacy, information, support, and options counseling to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence in Berks County.
2. Assist victims through the legal process of obtaining a Protection From Abuse Order/Sexual Violence Protection Order at the Berks County courthouse, including accompanying victims to the Berks County Detectives office for photographs of any injuries as needed and provide information regarding the Safe Berks legal department and other Agency services.
3. Monitor all processes in the civil and criminal court systems for trauma-informed, victim centered practices as well as for practices that promote offender accountability.
4. Accompany clients to PFA court, all criminal court proceedings (including preliminary hearings at all Magisterial District Justice offices throughout the county), ICC proceedings for the violations of Protection Orders and police interviews, as needed.
5. Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with the courts, the District Attorney’s office, law enforcement, and other community partner agencies.
6. Assist clients with relocation and Victim’s Compensation Assistance Program applications when appropriate.
7. Provide information and referrals to other community partners for services when appropriate.
8. Provide administrative support to the legal department as needed.
9. Document and maintain appropriate client and program records and outcomes as required for all Safe Berks departments.
10. All other duties as determined by department supervisor.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform each of the essential duties. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or physical or other abilities required. 

Educational & Experience Requirements:

Employment Experience (amount and kind)

• One (1) year of relevant experience in the criminal justice, law, or human services field
• Experience working with survivors and victims of violence preferred

Education (general level required or specific courses)

• Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, human services, or other related field; degree can be substituted for equivalent work experience
• High school diploma or equivalent required

Other Requirements:

• Completion of a background check request; FBI, State Police, and Child Abuse Clearances obtained within required timeframe under Act 153 through agency vendor
• Completion of 90-hour Sexual and Domestic Violence Training provided by agency
• Valid driver’s license and insurance are required to travel to client sites

Safe Berks provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Safe Berks complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfers, leave of absence, compensation and training.

If you have any questions about open job opportunities please contact Emily Santos, Chief Human Resource Officer, at mindyp@safeberks.org