Civil Rights Paralegal Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Position Title & Department:

Housing Rights Clinic Legal Assistant/Paralegal; School of Law - Legal Clinics Posting #

5598

Department Description: USD School of Law is one of the 84 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school's faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations and currently ranks in the top 20% (36th out of 204) among U.S. law schools in scholarly impact according to a 2018 study. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949. University Description:

The University of San Diego, an engaged and contemporary Catholic institution, was founded by the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1949. Governed by an independent board of trustees since 1972, USD remains committed to a liberal arts education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Inspired by this centuries old tradition of Catholic higher education, the University welcomes people of all faith traditions and any, or no, religious background. The future success of USD relies on the contributions of those who seek to foster the development of engaged global citizens and an earnest confrontation of humanity's urgent challenges.

Detailed Description:

This is a full-time, temporary, benefit-based position with an anticipated end date of June 13, 2027. The appointment is renewable at the discretion of the University and dependent upon performance and continued funding.

The USD Legal Clinics ("Legal Clinics") are a small to mid-sized law office, providing free legal services in an academic setting to low-income and underserved clients in the San Diego community. Thirteen direct client services clinics comprise the Legal Clinics: Appellate, Civil, Education and Disability, Entrepreneurship, Federal Tax, Housing Rights, Immigration, Innocence, California State Income Tax, California Sales and Use Tax, Veterans, Women's, and Workers' Rights.

The Housing Rights Clinic's Legal Assistant/Paralegal provides critical bilingual (fluent in Spanish and English) administrative and litigation support the day-to-day operations of the Housing Rights Clinic.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Translating and Interpreting for Spanish-speaking callers and clients:

• Interprets and translates daily for Spanish-speaking callers and clients of the Housing Rights Clinic.
• Provides interpretation for Spanish-speaking clients at client meetings and at court.

Training students, staff, and professors on software and procedures:

• Conducts trainings for students, staff, and professors on Legal Server, the Legal Clinics' cloud-based case management system.
• Trains new law students on Legal Clinics' standing operating procedures to ease their transition into the work environment.

Direct clinical support for all law students, staff attorneys, and professors:

• Provides general office and case support, including managing case files, organizing documents, data entry, and keeping staff updated on the prescreen status.
• Attends and provides administrative and litigation support at the courthouse and at the county law library two days a week for the Eviction Negotiation Program.
• Coordinates and arranges for client signatures on required documents.
• Maintains and reviews client case files in Legal Server, the Legal Clinics' cloud-based case management system.
• Monitors the shared delegated administrative email inbox and routes messages to appropriate staff.
• Updates spreadsheets and logs to support internal reporting and case tracking.

Assist with daily operations of the Housing Rights Clinic:

• Manages high volume of inbound telephone calls and voicemails.
• Assists with customer service experience of in-person visitors including clients, law students, and professors in a law firm professional manner.
• Interfaces with outside vendors, other USD departments, and the general public.

Special Conditions of Employment:

• Must be able to occasionally work evenings and weekends as needed.
• Must be able to occasionally travel as needed.

Background check:  Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes. 

Job Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must be fluent in speaking and writing Spanish and English.
• High school diploma required.
• Two years of administrative or legal support experience required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with computerized case management systems for legal practice.
• Creativity, initiative, flexibility.
• Positive attitude at all times.
• Paralegal Certificate.

Performance Expectations - Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated skills in customer service, including problem-solving.
• Ability to communicate effectively both in person and in writing.
• Willingness and ability to learn new skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Posting Salary:

$24.00 - $31.00 per hour; Excellent Benefits
The University of San Diego offers a very competitive benefits package including; medical, dental, vision, a retirement contribution given to you by the University, and access to on-campus Fitness Centers.  Please visit the benefits section of our website to view all of the perks and benefits that USD has to offer.  USD: Human Resources: Benefits

The salary range provided in this posting reflects what we reasonably expect to pay for this position.  Actual compensation offered or earned is dependent on experience, education and other factors including departmental budget.

Special Application Instructions:

Click the 'Apply Now' button to complete our online application. In addition, please upload a cover letter and resume to your application profile for the hiring managers' review.  If you have any questions or difficulties please contact the Employment Services Team at jobs@sandiego.edu.

Additional Details:

37.5 Hours per week

Closing date: Open until filled

Note: External job postings will be up for at least three days. After that time, applications will be reviewed by the hiring manager/committee throughout the posting period. A candidate may be selected at any time which could then close this posting on a date earlier than listed.
The University of San Diego is a smoking and tobacco-free campus. For more information, visit www.sandiego.edu/smokefree.