Managing Legal Assistant

The Organization:
The Florence Project was founded in 1989 to respond to a representation crisis for indigent non-citizens detained at the rural Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center in Florence, Arizona. Through our programs today, we provide services to thousands of adults, youth, and children detained in Eloy, Florence, Phoenix, and Tucson, Arizona on any given day. In 2001, the Florence Project implemented our Integrated Social Services Program, one of the first of its kind in this field. The Florence Project provides high quality legal and social services and supports initiatives for national changes in immigration law and policy.

Primary Purpose of the Job: 

The Managing Legal Assistant will be part of the Adult Program Managerial Team, including Adult Program Managing Attorneys, Adult Program Managing Social Workers, the Adult Legal Program Manager, and Associate Adult Legal Program Manager. The Managing Legal Assistant in the Adult Program will provide supervision to Legal Assistants as well as leadership, coordination, and oversight of programmatic needs related to Legal Assistants’ duties and responsibilities. The Managing Legal Assistant will also provide mentorship and support to Legal Assistant staff and may supervise other administrative staff as needed. This position includes casework and client contact with men and women in ICE custody and some released clients. This position will report directly to the Adult Legal Program Manager or to the Associate Adult Legal Program Manager. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Supervise Legal Assistants and other administrative staff in the Adult Program as needed. This includes coordinating regularly scheduled meetings with supervised staff members, providing critical feedback to promote staff members’ development and growth, and evaluating staff members’ performance and compliance with policies and procedures.
• Provide leadership, coordination, and oversight in the hiring and training processes of new Legal Assistants and similar positions. This includes participating in hiring committees, coordinating onboarding of new staff, and creating and leading training for new staff. These duties will be performed in collaboration with the Office of People and Culture and the Adult Program Managerial Team.
• Oversee and being responsible for the quality of services provided to clients, including the provision of Know Your Rights presentations, workshops, and legal intakes, as well as direct representation. These duties will be performed in collaboration with the Adult Program Managerial Team.
• Provide leadership, coordination, and oversight on programmatic needs related to the management of clients. These duties will be performed in collaboration with the Adult Program Managerial Team.
• Provide mentorship and support to supervised staff in their provision of services to clients. These duties will be performed in collaboration with the Adult Program Managerial Team and Staff Attorneys.
• Provide leadership, coordination, and oversight on programmatic needs related to updating drive management systems, case management systems and databases, and other administrative systems.
• Provide assistance to Staff Attorneys by maintaining an assigned caseload (number of cases will depend on workflow and needs).
• Lead Legal Assistant meetings, working groups, and special projects as needed.
• Provide coordination and oversight related to programmatic needs related to mail and operations systems. These duties will be performed in collaboration with the Adult Program Managerial Team and the Operations Team.
• Participate in overall program development with the Adult Program Managerial Team. Including attending the Adult Program Managerial team meetings and managing relationships with stakeholders.
• Support Florence Project outreach and development activities as needed, including ad hoc projects.
• Data entry as assigned.
• This position can be assigned to a primary line of work while maintaining flexibility to be assigned to other lines of work/cases at other moments depending on program’s needs, including pro se work, direct representation work, and trafficking work. Additionally, this position may perform case work for, and provide other legal support to, Children’s Legal Program or Advocacy Team as assigned. The position involves the possibility of being transferred fully to other legal work programs depending on the needs and priorities of the organization.
• Administrative duties as needed.
• Other duties as needed.

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor's Degree preferred. A combination of relevant experience and education can be considered.
• Two years of relevant professional experience required (e.g. Legal Assistant)
• Ability to work with diverse and vulnerable populations is required.
• Must be comfortable working with people with criminal convictions. 
• Fluency or advanced proficiency in Spanish.
• Strong leadership skills.
• Self-starter with a demonstrated strong interest in immigration issues.
• Demonstrate interest in advocating for indigent immigrant clients in a respectful and empowering way.
• Demonstrate zealous support for the Florence Project’s mission.
• Demonstrate being a hardworking, flexible, respectful team player that can work effectively in a collaborative and client-centered work environment.
• Highly organized and able to be an innovative thinker and work in a high-volume setting with limited resources.
• Ability to work independently, be adaptable and reliable in the face of conflict, pressure, crisis, or changing priorities.
• Highly organized, innovative thinker, and ability to work in high-volume settings with limited resources.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with diverse populations.
• Deliver exceptional, high-quality work consistently
• Exhibit high ethical standards and the ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Exhibit a high level of consistent, exceptional performance on work products.
• Displays a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Excellent problem-solving, research, and analytical skills.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.
• Proven computer skills, including Microsoft Office 365, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Pro.
• Must be able to pass federal and state background checks.

Preferred Requirements:

• Mentoring experience is highly desired.
• One year of supervisory experience.
• Prior experience with immigration law, family law, working with teenagers, and/or survivors of trauma is a plus.
• Prior experience working in a unionized workplace is a plus.
• Prior Legal Assistant experience at the Florence Project

Working Conditions/Physical Demands:

• Operate in a professional office environment and requires the ability to sit for long periods of time with intermittent walking, standing, bending, squatting, pulling, and pushing.
• Ability to use standard office equipment such as scanners, computers, keyboards, phones, shredders, photocopiers, and filing cabinets.
• Requires the ability to lift up to ten pounds - accommodations may be available. 
• Requires travel regularly between offices, and secondary work locations.
• Effective September 1, 2021, FIRRP has implemented a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy. To comply with this policy, active employees must be fully vaccinated by October 15, 2021. Employees seeking an exemption due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief should contact our Human Resources Department at humanresources@firrp.org

Salary & Benefits:

This is a full-time position. Salary is competitive for our field and geographical area. Salaries will be calculated based on relevant experience and our established comprehensive wage scale: $64,459.20  -  $84,068.22 Annually DOE.

We strive to create and uphold a positive, supportive, and inclusive work environment for all staff. We offer excellent benefits, including:  

• Medical plans including health, dental, vision coverage, subject to plan terms
  
• Short Term Disability
  
• Eligibility for group benefits such as voluntary life insurance, subject to applicable waiting periods
  
• Retirement plan, subject to plan terms
  
• Paid Time Off earned on a biweekly accrual basis- Twenty-five (25) Days of Vacation Time, annually
  
• Five (5) Days of Medical/Sick Time, annually
  
• One (1) Day of Personal Time, monthly
  
• Eight (8) Week Paid Sabbatical, after three years of employment
  
• Bereavement leave.
  
• Fifteen (15) Organization-paid holidays, all observed
  
• Eligible for Parental Leave which includes Twelve (13) paid weeks
  
• Mileage reimbursement for travel between offices and places of work.
  
• Relocation Assistance for out of state new hires available for some positions.

Application Process: 

This is an immediate opening. Salary is commensurate with experience. The position will remain open until we receive enough qualified applicants. To apply, please submit a cover letter detailing your interest in the position as well as your resume, three professional references. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and candidates are encouraged to apply early. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. The Florence Project values diversity in the workplace and strongly encourages applications from people of color, LGBTQ individuals, persons with disabilities, and members of underrepresented communities.  

At FIRRP, we recognize that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the requirements of a job.  If your experience is close to what you see listed in our current job opportunities, please still consider applying.  Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and excellence, which is very much valued at FIRRP.  Therefore, we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our positions.  Please let us know if you require accommodations during the interview process. 

This job announcement is for informational purposes only and is subject to change and modification without notice. This job announcement includes a non-exhaustive list of responsibilities, qualifications and requirements of the position, but does not necessarily include all the job functions of the position.