Paralegal - Housing Unit

The Organization:

South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. (SCCLS), along with its subsidiary the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts, is a vibrant and growing non-profit legal aid program where our core mission is to fight injustice and poverty by advocating on behalf of low-income individuals and families across Southeastern Massachusetts, the Cape, and Islands in civil matters when their basic needs are at stake. The organization prioritizes legal services in housing, public benefits, elder law, domestic relations, employment, education, immigration, and consumer matters.

With a staff of over 100, SCCLS is the principal provider of civil legal aid in the region. We operate from offices in Brockton, Fall River, New Bedford, and Hyannis. Our team provides representation and litigation services to thousands of people each year, while also delivering a wide range of community outreach and educational programs. We seek candidates who are committed to advancing equal access to justice and opportunity through client-centered advocacy. This is an opportunity to join a collaborative, mission-driven team dedicated to delivering impactful legal services to some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

The Role:

SCCLS is hiring a full-time paralegal to support the work of its Housing Unit. This paralegal will support and promote our work with case work, advocacy, community education, and intakes. This position will be staffed out of our Brockton Law Office.

Duties Include:

This paralegal will help to address the most critical problems facing our clients through support and advocacy while directly supporting the work of our Supervising Attorneys for the Housing Unit. They will be expected to work alongside, and in close collaboration with, our staff and other case handlers. Their work will include case handling, investigation, outreach and education, advocacy, and other tasks as needed to support the legal work of the entire organization. Paralegals are often the initial point of contact for individuals with critical and time sensitive legal needs.

Qualifications:

1.Paralegal Certificate/Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; commitment to working clients from all backgrounds who may have experienced poverty, trauma or discrimination required;

2.Prior experience advocating or serving the needs of clients, experience with case management, experience with community education, and experience working as a paralegal (or in a similar role) are all desirable;

3.Knowledge and experience in housing law (or other related issues) desirable;

4.Ability to work independently and as a team member; goal and detail oriented with ability to prioritize;

5.Ability to work effectively with people from diverse cultures, with diverse opinions and values, including with staff, volunteers, students, community members and funders;

6.Fluency in a second language which reflects our client communities (Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole, and others) strongly preferred;

7.Ability to be flexible and multitask; willingness to become familiar with a variety of substantive law matters; ability to establish hybrid client and colleague relationships with a combination of in-person and remote work;

8.Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, social media or graphic design; familiarity with other technology platforms desirable. Willingness to become effective and efficient in use of case management system required.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

SCCLS offers competitive compensation based on comparable public interest salaries and commensurate with experience with a salary scale starting at $52,100 a year. Multi-lingual annual increment to base salary may be added for demonstrated language skills (written, oral, or both). Generous benefits package includes health and dental with supplemental coverage, life insurance, disability, flexible spending account, 403(b), and loan forgiveness. Generous paid leave including sick, vacation, personal, and holidays.

APPLY:

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. For full consideration, submit resume, three (3) professional references, and cover letter to: Lissl Thelin at lthelin@sccls.org with subject line: “Housing Paralegal (SCCLS).”

South Coastal Counties Legal Services and its subsidiary are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate based on age, class, color, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender, national origin, race, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. We welcome applicants from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. We strive to foster a healthy, inclusive environment where all staff, clients, and community members are valued, empowered and recognized

Pay: $52,100.00 - $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• AD&D insurance
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid sick time
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Brockton, MA 02301