Paralegal for Pro Bono Legal Team

Job Title: Paralegal (Pro Bono Legal Team)

FLSA Classification: Non-Exempt 

Reports To: Pro Bono Director 

Supervises: N/A

Compensation: $24.00 – $42.00 Hourly (Depending on Experience)

Inland Counties Legal Services, Inc. (ICLS) is seeking a Paralegal to join our Pro Bono Legal Team. ICLS is a nonprofit organization providing legal services to persons of limited financial means residing in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. ICLS targets services to older adults and those in the greatest social and economic need. Legal services are provided by attorneys or paralegals under the direct supervision of an attorney. Levels of service include advice and counsel, limited action (includes negotiations and preparation of legal documents), and direct representation before administrative law and civil courts.

ICLS provides legal assistance in several legal areas, including eight practice groups: Consumer, Elder Law, Housing, Family Law, Immigration, Systemic & Impact Litigation, Health Law, and Public Benefits/Education. ICLS also operates a robust Pro Bono Program providing a range of legal services addressing specific community needs, including a Small Business Clinic, Guardianship Program, Expungement Clinic, LGBTQ+ Services Program, Special Education Clinic, and more. Visit our website at https://www.inlandlegal.org for more information.

Overview of Position:

ICLS is seeking a Paralegal to join our Pro Bono Team, which provides legal services – with the assistance of volunteer attorneys, law students, and others – to residents, of limited financial means, in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The team supports all ICLS practice groups and runs its own projects (including a Small Business Clinic, Guardianship Program, Expungement Clinic, LGBTQ+ Services Program, Special Education Clinic, and more) addressing specific community needs. A key part of this position will be to support an expansion of the Small Business Clinic to help small business owners and entrepreneurs in San Bernardino and rural areas throughout ICLS’s service region.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct telephone, online, and in-person interviews of applicants and clients.
• Regularly participate in outreach events and legal workshops/clinics. This will include occasional travel to and from rural areas of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
• Create and help maintain cases in the case management system, including assistance with case compliance, case reports, and data collection and analysis.
• Calendar and coordinate clinic appointments, client meetings, and other events.
• With supervision, prepare, review, and file pleadings and other legal documents.
• Communicate with and manage ICLS volunteers and law students.
• Help manage client correspondence.
• Assist with coordinating law student and college student programs.
• Work effectively on a team that includes attorneys, staff, volunteers, and students.
• Work with ICLS’s Communications Manager to advertise programming related to various pro bono projects.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Desired Education, Skills, and Experience:

• Four (4) year college degree or Paralegal Certificate from an ABA accredited school.
• Minimum of 1 year of experience in a related field.
• Prior work experience in legal services serving vulnerable populations preferred.
• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing excellent customer service.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and strong ability to work and collaborate with a team.
• Strong written, verbal, and client interviewing skills.
• Ability to understand the objectives of poverty law.
• Demonstrated commitment to race, equity, and inclusion.
• Demonstrated experience working with individuals from diverse communities.
• Experience working with pro bono legal programming, including a Small Business Clinic, Guardianship Program, Expungement Clinic, LGBTQ+ Services Program, Special Education Clinic is a plus, but not required.
• Ability to be flexible, patient, and adaptive.
• Ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be self-motivated.
• Language: Ability to read, write, and communicate in English, with Spanish being a plus.
• Ability to travel or access to reliable transportation is required.

The recognition of our common humanity is the first step in fostering a diverse environment. The sum of our unique differences is greater than our individual parts. Our unique stories and experiences allow us to better solve the challenges that our community faces. Staff approach professional relationships with humility across the spectrum of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigrant status, religious identity, physical and mental disabilities, and/or limited English proficiency with a willingness to consider unique perspectives. Inland Counties Legal Services provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.