Legal Assistant

The Community Legal Clinic - Central Alberta is a non-profit organization with a commitment to providing access to justice and decreasing the barriers that individuals experience with respect to the law.

The Community Legal Clinic is recruiting for a unique position within the organization. Reporting directly to the Staff Lawyer in charge of the Alberta Rural Legal Assistance Initiative (ARLAI), the successful candidate will help pave the way for remote access to justice throughout the province. This position will require a significant amount of time spent on the phone speaking to clients and other community stakeholders, and finding unique ways to connect with those clients and help meet their needs.

Day-to-day tasks will include:

• assisting on a wide range of legal files, including family law, civil litigation/small claims, estate planning, and more
• opening and closing files within a custom database, and maintaining tracking of files for reporting purposes
• drafting court documents and letters
• researching available resources in remote communities
• connecting with stakeholders in remote communities
• scheduling appointments for the Staff Lawyer
• arranging travel plans for the Staff Lawyer
• assisting with client intake, advice clinics, transgender ID clinics, temporary photo ID clinics, and other events such as informational tables at outreach events.
• all other duties as assigned.

The successful candidate thrives in a busy and dynamic work environment, and is keen to learn and grow with the organization. Open to new challenges, bursting with initiative, and always willing to learn, the successful candidate will have:

• Graduated from a legal assistant or paralegal program, or have similar training
• 6+ months of recent experience in a law office or similar environment
• Exceptional attention to detail and superb note-taking skills
• Top-notch time-management skills
• An ability to speak and write English in a clear and professional manner
• The ability to proofread and edit for clarity and content
• Experience with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Superior interpersonal skills, and compassion for clients from all walks of life

Other assets would include:

• Experience working with Court forms
• Experience working in a social services or non-profit environment
• Experience working with family law and/or civil litigation matters
• Fluency in a second language
• Mediation or other conflict resolution training

We are a non-profit organization providing legal education, advice and assistance to people who face barriers in accessing justice. Our team is passionate about helping others, aware of the challenges that our clients face, and offers assistance and compassion to those accessing our services. Our office is an inclusive environment, and the successful candidate will need to be comfortable working with people from all walks of life. We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, a team work environment, and the opportunity for growth within the organization.

Note: The Clinic is currently operating in rotating teams due to COVID-19. The successful candidate will need to have the ability to work remotely via online portal 2-3 days per week, and attend the office 2-3 days per week, as required by management.

When applying, please indicate in your job-specific cover letter or covering email details that show how you would be a great fit for this position, as well as:

• your salary expectations
• references
• The answer to this question: What are some of the possible barriers that a person might experience with a digital or telephone-based Court system, and how might those barriers be addressed?

Application deadline: 2020-06-24