Paralegal

Notice of Job Posting

Paralegal

Summary

Uptown People’s Law Center (UPLC) is hiring a paralegal to  coordinate the Hibbler Help Desk, and assist in its Housing and Prisoner Rights Programs. Salary range is $50,000 to $60,000, depending on experience.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Legal Director, and with the assistance of other UPLC staff, the paralegal will assist in traditional paralegal tasks and client communication in UPLC’s housing and prisoner civil rights practices, and coordination of the federal Hibbler Help Desk.

The Hibbler Help Desk is a volunteer-attorney-staffed help desk for self-represented litigants in federal court. As part of the Hibbler Help Desk efforts, the paralegal will:

Coordinate a bank of volunteer attorneys and assign them time slots for assisting litigants.
Direct clients who are seeking assistance to a volunteer attorney at an assigned time slot.
NOTE: The paralegal will NOT be expected to provide assistance with the federal court system, and will NOT give any legal advice.

As part of the housing efforts, the paralegal will:

Direct and schedule initial client intakes and follow-up interviews, working with clients to gather information related to their case, and reviewing and preparing answers to discovery.
Review housing records including leases, court documents, and landlord communications.
Assist attorneys with case preparation, including case summaries and drafting briefs
Finalizing and filing documents with the court.
As part of the prison efforts, the paralegal will:

Direct client interviews, including initial intakes and follow-up interviews, working with clients to gather information related to their case, and reviewing and preparing answers to discovery.
Review medical records, mostly of people who are incarcerated
Assist attorneys with case preparation, including case summaries and drafting briefs.
Finalizing and filing documents with the court.
Assist in maintaining the calendar for UPLC’s docket of prisoner civil rights cases
Perform miscellaneous office work as backup for UPLC’s Office Coordinator, including file organization, document scanning, answering incoming calls when needed, and speaking with walk-in clients who need an appointment.
Qualifications

●        GED or equivalent experience. Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.

●     Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.

●     Fluency in Spanish is preferred, but not required.

●     Ability to utilize commonly used software such as Microsoft Word and Excel; ability to learn scheduling and other software as needed

●        Ability to work effectively with clients who have experienced trauma and/or crisis.

●        Ability to work independently (with supervision), as well as collaborate with others as needed.

●        Ability to take initiative, self-motivate, and juggle multiple tasks.

●        Flexible, a team player, with great interpersonal skills.

●        Ability to read, record, and digest upsetting information about and from people in prison (including descriptions of medical neglect, solitary confinement, etc.).

●     Comfortable managing an independent workload and sensitive client issues. Cross-cultural competencies and self-awareness around issues of power, privilege, and difference.

●     Demonstrated commitment to social justice and experience providing direct legal services to low-income communities is preferred, but not required.

●        Applicants with a connection to the Uptown neighborhood are preferred, as are formerly-imprisoned people, but it is not a requirement for the job.

●        All UPLC employees must be fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID, except as allowed by law.

Travel Requirements

Regular travel to UPLC’s Uptown office.  Occasional travel to area social service providers and Illinois prisons.

Required Hours

Monday through Thursday, 9:30am to 5:00pm, and Fridays 9:30am – 2:00 pm, approximately 37.5 hours per week.

There are limited opportunities for flex time and working from home; however, UPLC employees are expected to work in person at UPLC’s office at least one day per week.

This is a full-time, non-exempt position. Non-traditional hours—weekends and evenings—may be required on occasion. Comp time (not overtime) is available for paralegals.

Organization Background

Uptown People’s Law Center is a nonprofit legal clinic located on the North Side of Chicago. Our work is focused on three areas: representing disabled people who have been denied Social Security disability benefits; representing tenants who are facing eviction, or other issues relating to their tenancy; and representing prisoners in civil rights lawsuits.

UPLC offers an entrepreneurial environment with a small staff of kind people who are passionate about their work. The dress code is casual (except for court appearances and certain meetings/events) and we are conveniently located a short walk from the Wilson Red Line stop. Full-time at UPLC is 37.5 hours per week, including half-hour lunches daily. UPLC has a long history of commitment to engaging with social justice work, and values the diversity of perspectives its workers can bring to the table. We have begun working to formalize our commitment to diversity/equity/inclusion and to integrate it more explicitly into our work and office culture. We look forward to this position’s input and participation in that work.

In addition, we as an office have extensive experience providing accommodations as necessary in order to establish equity in our working environment. If you are interested in discussing accommodations for this position or for the interview process, please feel free to include your query with your application. We do not require a disclosure of disability in order to extend an accommodation.

To Apply

Send a resume to hiring@uplcchicago.org. Job is posted August 5, 2024, and is available until filled. Please, no phone calls, visits, or social media contact regarding the position.

Salary depends on experience and starts at $50,000. UPLC provides up to $400 a month towards health benefits (depending on personal costs, and untaxed if you get BCBS insurance through UPLC).  UPLC offers generous paid time off to its employees, and contributes 2% of your salary to a Simple IRA.

UPLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and as an organization committed to diversity and the perspective of all voices, we strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ folks, people with disabilities, and/or formerly incarcerated individuals to apply. Staff members are chosen on the basis of ability without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, HIV status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, or prior record of arrest or conviction, in accordance with federal and state law.