Legal Secretary - General and Development Support

LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF NORTHEASTERN NEW YORK

LEGAL SECRETARY - General and Development Support 

POSITION: Legal Secretary located in the Albany office of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York with 50 % of the position supporting the Director of Development and  50 % of the position dedicated to supporting a small unit of legal staff, attorneys and paralegals and the operation of the Albany office. The LASNNY Albany office provides free legal assistance in civil legal matters to low income residents of Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Columbia and Greene Counties.  LASNNY's mission is to secure basic needs, protect and preserve legal rights, provide equal access to justice and seek fairness and dignity for our clients. 

Responsibilities:

• Provide administrative support to the Director of Development:

  • Participate in fundraising activities, including donor and public relations, direct mail appeals, and special events.

  • Handle administrative details for special events, the annual appeal and other fundraising campaigns, including guest lists, invitations, registration, and event logistics, and appeal letters.  

  • Maintain, update and correct data base and foundation, corporation, law firm and individual donor files.

  • Create and prepare fundraising, data base and other reports under the direction of the Development Director.

  • Process donations, prepare acknowledgement letters and other correspondence and answer donor inquiries.

  • Prepare media materials for distribution.

  • Assemble media or donor materials for events and meetings.    

  • Provide administrative support to various fundraising committees, such as meeting notices, agendas, minutes.  

• Perform secretarial, clerical and administrative functions necessary to the effective representation of clients and the administration of a multi-advocate unit and the Albany office, such as preparation of legal documents, non-legal work product, mail sorting, entering reminders in case management system, and assisting in communication between clients, courts, adverse parties  and legal staff.

• Maintain courteous and professional contact with clients, opposing counsel, courts and agencies.

• Assist legal staff in maintaining client contact and gathering relevant client documents.

• Assist legal staff in performing legal and administrative tasks effectively and efficiently.   

• Provide administrative, record keeping and reporting support for legal staff and work to complete necessary client forms, paperwork, data entry and grant reporting. 

• Perform shared back-up receptionist duties.  Operate a complex multi-line telephone system and greet customers and visitors.   Work closely with other legal secretaries, serving as additional support for LASNNY client phone intake system. Work closely with legal secretary primarily responsible for phone and intake system, other legal secretaries, Deputy Director of Strategic Operations and Managing Attorneys to ensure that intake system runs smoothly and effectively.  

• Respond to requests for assistance and conduct intake interviews to quickly determine eligibility and the general nature of the legal problem and make initial determination of programmatic eligibility and case assignment.

• Substantial computer responsibilities, including data entry in grant-specific data bases, including data entry in LASNNY case management system and other spread sheets necessary to maintain required case and administrative information. Ensure timely and accurate data collection and reporting by legal staff. Troubleshoot reporting problems. Run reports and correct data as needed.        

• Provide support for outreach, trainings or clinics that unit or other LAS advocates may deliver.   

• Assist in grant reporting as requested.

• Enter data in LASNNY case management system.

• Provide legal secretarial, clerical and administrative support to other LASNNY staff as assigned or needed.       

• Be a notary public and perform such duties as needed.

   

  Qualifications:

• Associate's or Bachelor's Degree

• Minimum ten years prior secretarial experience, with preference for legal secretarial experience or 10 years of experience in an administrative position, preferably in a nonprofit development office

• Experience in managing a multiple line phone system utilized for responding to requests for assistance from the public and following multiple rules and protocols for securing detailed information from callers and determining appropriate response, and contemporaneously entering information obtained and responses provided in computer data base.   

• Excellent verbal and written skills and interpersonal skills

• Must be willing to learn LASNNY development and case management programs and grant and development reporting requirements, forms and reporting tools.   

• Must have strong computer skills and experience in utilizing spreadsheets, performing data entry, reporting and running reports in databases. 

• Must have experience in managing a data base or other reporting systems and being responsible for producing accurate reports.    

• Must be responsible, reliable, punctual, flexible, intelligent, detail oriented, careful, well organized, able to prioritize and think independently, and understand and apply a wide variety of policies and rules.  Must be able to work collaboratively in a fast paced environment.

• Must have strong communications skills and sensitivity to low income persons.

• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office and type 50 WPM. 

• Must have car and valid drivers' license and must be willing to travel as needed within the 16 county service area. 

• Must be willing to work reasonable overtime when requested.

• Ability to speak Spanish a plus.

   

  Salary:  $31,802 - $40,426 DOE. We are a unionized program with excellent fringe benefits.

   

  Closing Date:  May 18, 2018

   

  To apply, please go to www.lasnny.org OR

   

  1) Complete the Application linked here, or the mobile-friendly application linked here

  2) Complete the Demographic Survey linked here

   

  No applications will be accepted without a cover letter and resume.

   

  We are Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.  Minorities, women, LGBT persons, the elderly, applicants and recipients of public assistance and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.