Legal Secretary - PAI and HALC

LEGAL SECRETARY – PAI/ACP and HALC

POSITION: Legal Secretary located in the Albany office of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York primarily supporting the Private Attorney Involvement Department and the HIV/AIDS Law Consortium (HALC) project. LASNNY provides free legal assistance in civil legal matters to low income people.  The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York fights for fairness, dignity, and justice for those living in poverty and for a society which is inclusive and equitable for all. We transform lives, build community and empower people by using the law to address individual and systemic wrongs and inequities.

Responsibilities:

• For the HALC project, perform secretarial, clerical, and administrative functions necessary to the effective representation of clients such as preparation of legal and non-legal documents and other work product, sorting mail, entering reminders in case management system, and assisting in communication between clients, courts, adverse parties, and legal staff. Perform intake for LASNNY and partners in HALC. Assist HALC project staff as needed and requested.

• Become an expert in the Department of Health AIRS reporting system. Data entry for both LASNNY and partners in HALC. Generate and submit required reports.
• Provide administrative and clerical support to the PAI department including assisting with PAI intake and referral paperwork.
• Support LASNNY’s Assigned Counsel Program. Assist and provide clerical support in processing a high volume of cases involving requests for the assignment of pro bono counsel in divorce matters. Organize and support ACP clinics. Process defendants’ applications for assistance and poor persons’ applications for assignment of counsel through the County Clerks’ offices in Albany and Rensselaer Counties. Work with clients, judiciary, and pro bono counsel to ensure and track timely case assignment, legal work completion, and readiness for case closure. 
• Assist in grant reporting as requested.

• Maintain courteous and professional contact with clients, opposing counsel, courts, and agencies.
• Assist legal and PAI staff in maintaining client contact and gathering relevant documents.
• Assist legal and PAI staff in performing legal and administrative tasks effectively and efficiently.
• Provide administrative, record keeping, and reporting support for unit staff and work to complete necessary client forms, paperwork, data entry, and grant reporting.
• 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 data entry responsibilities, including data entry in grant-specific databases, including data entry in LASNNY’s case management system and spreadsheets necessary to maintain required case and administrative information. Enter information in the Department of Health AIRS system. Ensure timely and accurate data collection and reporting by legal staff. Troubleshoot AIRS problems and work with external system administrator to resolve database and reporting issues. Run reports and correct data and reporting issues in AIRS and other relevant databases.        
• Provide support for outreach, trainings, or clinics that unit or other LASNNY advocates may   deliver.  
• Assist with grant reporting as requested.
• Provide legal secretarial, clerical, and administrative support to other LASNNY staff as assigned.      
• Assist with filing of Albany office closed case files and maintenance of on-site Albany office file storage and data entry in LASNNY case management system as needed.
• Be a notary public and perform such duties as needed.

Qualifications:

• Minimum two  years prior secretarial experience, with preference for legal  experience plus an AA or BA.
• Demonstrated commitment to serving and working with vulnerable populations.
• Experience in following multiple rules and protocols for securing detailed information from callers, determining appropriate response, and contemporaneously entering information obtained and responses provided in computer database.   
• Must be willing to learn LASNNY case management and the Department of Health’s AIRS system, grant 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. 
• Preference for experience in managing a database 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 cultural sensitivity to low income, diverse persons.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office and type at least 50 WPM. 
• Must have car and valid, clean drivers’ license and must be willing to travel as needed within the service area. 
• Must be willing to work reasonable overtime when requested. 
• Preference for prior experience transcribing from both written copy and dictation equipment. 
• Preference for experience in managing a database or other reporting system and responsibility for producing accurate reports.    
• Ability to speak Spanish or Chinese is a plus.
• Strong preference for experience with AIRS.

Salary & Benefits: DOE up to $40,426. We are a unionized program with excellent fringe benefits including: Three weeks of paid vacation in year one (four weeks in year two) as well as generous sick and personal leave time available immediately to the employee. Complimentary group term life insurance and long-term disability coverage. Expansive health insurance coverage with most of the premium employer paid. Other benefits include, dental, vision, FSA, an employer contributed retirement plan and many more.

Closing Date: Monday, June 30, 2021 

No applications will be accepted without cover letter, resume and references.

To apply, please go towww.lasnny.org OR

1)   Complete the Application linked here, or

the mobile-friendly application linked here

2)   Complete the Demographic Survey linked here

We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Black and Indigenous People of Color, women, the elderly, applicants and recipients of public assistance, LGBT persons and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.