Paralegal, Eviction Defense Project

For nearly 50 years, Bet Tzedek Legal Services has provided high-quality, free legal services to Los Angeles’ most vulnerable residents. In that tradition, Bet Tzedek is seeking a paralegal to join our Eviction Defense Project (EDP). The project fights to eliminate homelessness by providing litigation-based direct services to residential tenants in Los Angeles County facing eviction or other rental housing disputes. EDP is part of the Right to Counsel Coalition and Stay Housed L.A. initiative.

This position is eligible for Bet Tzedek Legal Services’ hybrid/remote workplace designation. While the primary workplace is Bet Tzedek’s offices, at the discretion of the immediate supervisor, the employee may be permitted to work remotely or may be required to work in other locations depending on workload/business obligations.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Support a high-volume caseload that includes delivering advice and counsel in landlord-tenant matters and eviction defense under the supervision of an attorney;
• Prepare court forms and case documents under the supervision of an attorney;
• Support attorneys with discovery requests, including assisting with drafting, serving, and preparing responses to  interrogatories, requests for production, and requests for admissions, as well as helping attorneys arrange for depositions;
• File documents with the courts;
• Maintain well-organized digital case files and accurate case statistics;
• Assist with outreach and education efforts, including delivering “Know Your Rights” presentations;
• Assist with administrative and clerical duties such as communicating with clients, calendaring, e-filing, and opening and closing digital case files; and
• Other assignments as deemed appropriate.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• A paralegal certificate/degree in paralegal studies from an ABA-approved institution OR bachelor’s degree and at least 1 year of law-related experience under the supervision of an attorney who has been an active member of the California bar for the preceding 3 years (required);
• Experience in state court systems, including state court e-filing systems (required);
• Thorough knowledge of legal terminology, court rules, and procedures (required);
• Proficiency with the Internet and Web-based applications (required);
• MS Office and legal database (Lexis/Nexis, Westlaw, Legal Server, NetDocs, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, OneLegal) proficiency (highly preferred);
• At least 2 years of law firm experience supporting multiple attorneys (preferred);
• Knowledge and experience in landlord-tenant law, eviction defense, or similar practice areas related to housing or homelessness (preferred);
• Bilingual and biliterate in both English and Spanish (highly preferred);
• Demonstrated commitment to Bet Tzedek’s mission to provide free legal services to those who need the most (required); and
• Demonstrated commitment to applying principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in performance of job duties (required)

BENEFITS PACKAGE:

Bet Tzedek offers an excellent benefits package in addition to competitive salaries. These benefits currently include:

• A generous number of paid holidays, vacation, and sick days annually.
• Personal and floating holidays
• Compensatory time for exempt employees.
• 18 weeks of paid parental leave (after 1 year of employment).
• Medical, dental, vision, chiropractic and acupuncture coverage for employees and dependents, with office visit co-pay reimbursement for HMO enrollees.
• Life/accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, long-term disability insurance, and Employee Assistance Plan.
• Voluntary (employee-contributed) life/AD&D, accident, critical illness, hospital confinement, and pet insurance.
• Employee-contributed 401(k) plan.
• Employee-contributed 403(b) plan.
• Healthcare and childcare flexible spending accounts.
• Commuter transit and/or parking benefits.

HOW TO APPLY:

• Email letter of interest, resume, and writing sample to bettzedek.63.F3A@applynow.io. Subject: “Paralegal – EDP.”

Note: All positions are subject to funding; ongoing funding or employment cannot be assured.  

To best serve our communities Bet Tzedek seeks a diverse staff with cultural competency reflecting our client populations. We strongly encourage candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities and historically oppressed groups to apply.

Funding for the Paralegal-Eviction Defense Project requires candidate to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and/or proof of exemption status as per funder’s guidelines.