Administrative Assistant

Introduction

            Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) strives for excellence in the delivery of legal services.  Administrative assistants play an integral role in the delivery of high volume, high quality legal services.  Due to the importance of administrative support in the delivery of legal services, PLA strives to maintain a qualified administrative staff that is well organized, motivated and efficient.

During the pandemic, the Operations Assistant will work remotely but be required to come into the office at least twice a month to process mail.

Job Responsibilities

• Handle incoming mail and other material
• Prepare mailings
• Maintain schedules and calendars
• Arrange and confirm appointments
• Organize internal and external events
• Make travel arrangements
• Prepare documents, including:
  • Initial drafts of pleadings and briefs with appropriate case captions and headings according to a template
  • Correspondence
  • Subpoenas
  • Investigator request forms for retrieving documents from court
  • Faxes
  • Check requests
  • Reimbursement requests
  • Other frequently-used forms
• Proofread and enter corrections to documents prepared by advocates
• Answer phones, take messages, transcribe voice mail messages, return calls on behalf of attorneys and paralegals
• Transcribe dictation
• Create cases in our case management system, create file folders for cases, deliver labeled file folders promptly to advocates
• Photocopy and/or scan client documents for the case file
• Make corrections to case information in our case management system
• Close cases in our case management system and prepare paper files for case closing
• Give tours of the office to new staff, train new staff about standard office procedures, supplies and resources, and be available to answer questions and provide additional training when necessary
• Manage, operate, and train others to operate office equipment, including multifunction devices (photocopiers), telephone system, voice mail system, and postage machine
• Arrange for IT assistance or repair service when office equipment (computers, photocopiers, etc.) does not work properly
• Sign checks (if designated as a check signer)
• Monitor inventories of supplies and ensure that supplies are ordered before they run out
• Maintain supplies of frequently-used forms
• Hand-deliver or serve documents outside the office when necessary
• Handle front desk receptionist duty when receptionist out or on breaks

Qualifications

            The qualified candidate will have a high school diploma or GED, 2-3 years of professional experience, a strong attention to detail, the ability to retain and apply knowledge, a strong sense of personal responsibility that leads high-quality work, and the ability to handle a wide variety of tasks in an efficient and organized manner. In addition, he or she must be compassionate and patient with clients and able to perform tasks for several different advocates.

Salary and Benefits

Salary is commensurate with years of experience based on union scale. Full health coverage for employees and their dependents.  Generous holiday and leave 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.  Interested applicants should email a cover letter and resume, preferably in one PDF document, to: work@philalegal.org.