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POSITION: Legal Services of South Central Michigan (LSSCM) is seeking a Paralegal to assist our legal team in Washtenaw County with our anti-poverty advocacy work. The Paralegal will assist with special projects that aim to increase access to justice by meeting people with civil legal needs where they are, in various community settings. The Paralegal will be based in our office in downtown Ypsilanti, and will be expected to attend hearings, clinics, home visits and community events throughout Washtenaw County.
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM: Michigan Advocacy Program’s mission is to advance the safety, independence, and economic stability of those most affected by poverty, racism, and other structurally oppressive systems by increasing access to justice and working for systemic solutions. MAP has provided civil legal aid for those unable to afford an attorney for more than 50 years. Today, MAP’s Legal Services of South Central Michigan (LSSCM) helps individuals and families achieve safety, stability, and economic security by providing free civil legal services with an emphasis on homelessness prevention, domestic violence and elder abuse prevention, and assistance in accessing health care, food, and needs-based income programs. In addition to LSSCM, MAP manages six statewide programs serving immigrant communities (Michigan Immigrant Rights Center), vulnerable older adults (Michigan Elder Justice Initiative), survivors of domestic violence and elder abuse (Crime Victims Legal Assistance Program), and providing access to legal information to self-represented litigants (Michigan Legal Help Program). MAP has a staff of about 220 people in offices in Battle Creek, Detroit, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Monroe, and Ypsilanti. Visit www.miadvocacy.org and www.lsscm.org for more information.
RESPONSIBILITIES: The responsibilities of the Paralegal will include:
· client intakes and case investigations, including staffing our pop-up clinics
· community outreach, including presenting at community events and holding on-site walk-in hours
· accompanying attorneys doing home and site visits
· casework support, including preparing correspondence and routine legal filings, conducting legal and factual research, drafting memos, and assisting with discovery and trial preparation
· serving as our liaison with courts, community partners, and volunteers
· maintaining and responding to email listservs for specific litigation projects
· administrative support, including tracking data for evaluation and grant reporting
· support for our legal assistants as needed
QUALIFICATIONS: Either a paralegal studies certificate or degree, some college, or at least 3 years of relevant post-high-school work experience, is required. The ideal candidate must be able to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with people from a wide range of backgrounds, and must demonstrate a commitment to serving low-income and underserved communities with patience, empathy, and sensitivity. Relevant life experience is a plus. We are a collegial and collaborative office, seeking a colleague with strong interpersonal, organizational, time-management, and computer skills, who demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the civil legal system, especially as it affects our clients, and shares our goal of using legal advocacy to effect systemic change.
BENEFITS: Salary is from $47,754 depending on experience. MAP offers a generous benefits package including life, short and long term disability, health, vision, dental and flexible spending accounts. If an applicant does not require health benefits, they have the option to take an annual $1,500 payout in addition to the base salary paid over the course of the year. MAP also has a generous leave policy allowing staff to accrue 3 weeks paid vacation the first year and 15 paid holidays, as well as a 401K retirement plan including employer match for eligible staff after 6 months of employment. MAP is a qualifying employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. MAP is a unionized program.
TO APPLY: Please complete this application and submit your resume and cover letter. You can also access the application by copying and pasting the following web address into your browser: https://miadvocacy.bamboohr.com/careers/192. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
The Michigan Advocacy Program is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
