Family Court Based Paralegal

Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) seeks to hire a full-time family law paralegal to staff the Family Law Help Center, located at the Philadelphia Family Court, 1501 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA.

BACKGROUND: PLA is a nonprofit legal services organization primarily funded by the Legal Services Corporation. We serve approximately 3,000 clients each year in the area of family law and view our family law practice to be an integral part of the war on poverty and family violence.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The paralegal will primarily work at the Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas Family Court Help Center at 1501 Arch Street, under the direct supervision of an experienced family law attorney. The paralegal will operate the Family Court Help Center, assisting pro se custody litigants seeking assistance with filing pleadings in custody matters. The paralegal will screen litigants for domestic violence and sexual assault and will assist those survivors in a variety of domestic relations matters, including child custody, support, and protection from abuse. This assistance includes client interviews, pleading preparation, pro se litigation assistance, litigation coordination, options counseling, safety planning, referrals to other legal and social services, and other routine paralegal duties.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

College graduate. Commitment to and experience working with survivors of family violence issues preferred. Ability to interact well with the public in a high-stress environment and work with clients who are facing emotionally-charged issues. Ability to speak and write Spanish strongly preferred but not required.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

Salary is dependent upon experience, starting at $39,000.  PLA offers a generous benefit package in addition to salary:  health insurance premiums paid in full for employee and family, cash incentives for health insurance opt out, vacation, personal, and sick leave, thirteen (13) paid holidays, 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution based on years of service, life insurance and short and long term disability benefits.   

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) is an equal opportunity employer. PLA values a diverse work environment and strongly encourages women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ, people with disabilities, people who have experienced poverty or homelessness, and people who have had prior contact with the juvenile, criminal, or child welfare systems to apply. PLA invites all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your unique background and/or experiences might contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and legal services practice. 

Send cover letter, resume, references, and five-page writing sample, preferably in one PDF document, to work@philalegal.org.   

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and the positions will remain open until filled.  We encourage applicants to submit applications as soon as possible.