Paralegal - Denver Housing Unit (two-year term)

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 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.    

 

We value representation. 

  

At CLS, 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: 

The Denver Housing Unit (DHU) provides assistance and legal representation to Colorado tenants through passionate and strategic collaboration, advocacy, and expertise. The DHU is committed to the principle that
all Colorado tenants should be able to find and retain high quality and affordable housing. The DHU’s primary focus is eviction defense. Eviction cases move quickly, and DHU manages a high caseload. The DHU works to provide as many clients as possible with legal and related services, and when it is unable, we provide referrals to appropriate organizations.  

Paralegals in the DHU play a crucial role in empowering tenants. They will be assigned to staff one of our courthouse clinics two to three days a week, assist attorneys with casework, and educate the community about tenants’ rights.
Under attorney supervision, paralegals advocate for clients in a variety of circumstances.
We strive to offer opportunities for all staff to develop skills related to their housing law interests through projects. Since we are LSC funded, our legislative advocacy is limited, so we value creative thinkers who can navigate and challenge a variety of systems to empower tenants. 

If you are passionate about direct client service, eager to learn a complex area of law, and committed to being a fierce advocate, we are looking for you! We value having a diverse team. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and personal experiences related to housing instability to apply. 

Essential Duties: 

• Collaborate with DHU attorneys to manage case details, potential strategies, and client goals, including tasks such as: 

• Managing fast-paced housing intakes, assuring timely communication with applicants, clients, attorneys, and staff 

• Investigating cases, contacting case workers, conducting client and witness interviews, and reviewing documents
  with clients, which may occasionally require home visits or other in person meetings 

• Independently conducting legal research for attorney review 

• Drafting written communications to clients, opposing counsel, and other organizations, ensuring timely contact within deadlines 

• Facilitating referrals to and applications for rental assistance, including compilation of required documents 

• Supporting litigation and trial preparation through reviewing discovery, drafting subpoenas for attorney review, creating trial binders, and more 

• Staff the Arapahoe County housing legal clinic two to three days a week, offering direct support to tenants facing eviction. Duties include: 

• Interviewing applicants to gather relevant facts, documents, and identify legal issues to determine eligibility for our services and alignment with our case priorities 

• Referring applicants and clients to partner organizations 

• Offering detailed administrative support to the clinic, including data entry into Legal Server, managing client documents, and organizing clinic operations 

• Researching potential defenses and assisting
  attorneys in drafting pleadings 

• Providing tenants with general housing legal information 

• Assist in the timely closure of cases and other administrative tasks 

• Conduct community education and outreach by participating in events, meeting with partner organizations, and delivering Know Your Rights presentations 

• Frequently collaborate with the social workers in our Client Support Services unit to identify and address clients’ non-legal needs 

• Provide assistance with special projects, which may include developing community resources, designing trainings, or planning outreach events 

• May perform additional tasks or responsibilities as needed to meet the needs of the organization or as assigned by supervisors
  including providing coverage to fellow staff

Required Qualifications: 

• 1+ year(s) of customer service experience or volunteer work with low-income or other vulnerable communities 

• Ability to independently manage multiple tasks, while meeting deadlines. Ability to collaborate with team members and partner organizations (i.e. rental assistance administrators, housing authorities, etc.) 

• Competence in drafting accurate, detailed written communications 

• Dedication to housing justice for low-income and vulnerable populations 

• Ability to travel to and from the courthouse clinic assigned (Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield or Denver) two to three days a week
  

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Fluency in Spanish or another language other than English and willingness to use language fluency to support clients and applicants 

• Associate’s degree, bachelor's degree, and/or paralegal certification from an ABA accredited program 

• 1+ year(s) of experience in legal support, paralegal work, intake specialist roles, or other relevant position 

• Knowledge of Colorado court procedure, federal or state housing law, or housing subsidy programs 

• Previous experience working with people with mental health issues 

• Understanding of community resources such as mutual aid groups, food banks, and government programs 

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.  

 

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 culture of belonging and a 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. Applications will be accepted through June 18. 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.