Job Opportunity: Paralegal

Reports to: Legal Director
Supervises: Paralegal does not supervise other staff.
Overtime Status: Overtime eligible, hourly-paid.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We seek a Paralegal dedicated to advancing the rights of low-wage, immigrant, and contingent workers. The Paralegal will support our organization’s efforts to ensure that workers know their rights under local, state, and federal law and that employers are held accountable to labor standards. They will support Legal Clinic activities that advance the rights of low-wage workers, including support for litigation (interfacing with clients, filing pleadings, reviewing documents under attorney direction, and legal research as necessary), support for in-person legal clinics (clinic logistics, planning for the clinic, worker intake, and data collection), and support for efforts to track our activities for reporting to funders (collating intake information, tracking cases, and using our Salesforce database).  They will also support collaborative projects between the Legal Clinic and other elements of the Fair Work Center and Working Washington.  From time to time, the Paralegal may need to work from our Yakima, Washington office. We are looking for Paralegal committed to using their skills to build the power of Washington’s working people. This position will report to the Legal Director.

 

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

We build power through education, organizing, and enforcement. We work to raise and uphold standards in the workplace. And we fight for economic and racial justice in our communities. Here’s how: 

EDUCATION – We learn together about our rights as workers, and we develop the tools to exercise our rights and make them  real.
ORGANIZING – We organize, speak out, and take action to win changes in our workplaces and our lives. Together, we transform industry practices, change laws, and shift norms around the value of work.
ENFORCEMENT – We hold employers accountable to workplace laws and standards through legal services, and we use the law creatively to help build our movement.

ABOUT THE LEGAL TEAM

Our legal team provides free individual consultations, pro se assistance, representation in administrative enforcement processes, and maintains an active strategic litigation docket focused on our priority industries. In addition to direct representation our attorneys provide policy analysis, research, and enforcement strategy support to campaigns to improve workplace conditions.

 

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

We recognize that race equity is central to advancing the mission of our organization. All staff are expected to integrate race equity into the performance of their position’s duties.  

Worker Inquiry Coordination 

  • Monitors email, phone and web form inquiries from workers contacting the organization.
  • Maintains referral resources for workers in the intake process.
  • Coordinates with other teams to respond to new worker inquiries and to direct internal referrals to the Legal Clinic. 
  • Collects and organizes worker intake information.

Legal Clinic Administrative Support 

  • Provides case management support to new and concluded matters, including: opening and closing cases in the clinic’s database, producing and distributing close letters, and updating case status on the Clinic’s case tracking documents.
  • Prepares grant reports as directed by the Legal Director.
  • Prepares reports that assist the Clinic in measuring the team’s impact, including measuring case outcomes and equity priorities.
  • Provides logistical and administrative support to clinics and other public events in which the clinic is participating.

Intake & Client Representation 

Under attorney supervision, the paralegal:

  • Conducts initial intakes.
  • Conducts factual research, including worker interviews, witness interviews, and document gathering.
  • Reviews documents provided by clients or during discovery with attorney oversight.
  • Prepares draft damages calculations for litigation and settlement, with attorney oversight.
  • Drafts internal analysis of potential claims and enforcement options.
  • Prepares correspondence and other case related documents.
  • Files pleadings and other documents with the appropriate court or agency.
  • Interacts with court staff regarding filing, other logistical matters.
  • Provides workers pro se assistance in navigating enforcement processes.

Additional Duties

  • Participates in initiatives to advance equity in the organization’s work.
  • Other duties as assigned by the Legal Director.

 

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

Required Qualifications

  •    Ability to speak Spanish, Tagalog, Somali, Mandarin, or Amharic.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience working with, or personal experience with, the obstacles and opportunities facing low-wage, immigrant, and contingent workers.
  • Prior experience working as a paralegal.
  • Prior experience managing complex, document heavy workflows.

 

Salary & Benefits: This is a bargaining unit position. Rates of pay are set by the union pay scale, with starting pay between $29.58 per hour and $33.92 per hour based on relevant experience, and significant annual step increases each year. Generous benefits package, including fully-paid family health care, employer 401k contribution, substantial holidays, vacation and sick leave, and ORCA card.

Location: This position is based in our Seattle office, with potential occasional work out of our Yakima office. We are a hybrid workplace and expect this role will have a combination of in-person work and work that can be performed remotely, and are open to considering strong candidates who currently live out of state but are willing to relocate. It may require occasional evening and weekend work and occasional travel throughout the state.

Other Information: 

How to Apply: Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample (not to exceed five pages) to jobs@fairworkcenter.org with the applicant’s last name and “Paralegal” in the subject line. In your cover letter, let us know why you’re interested in this role and which skills you believe will make you successful in it. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with the priority deadline for applications by May 31, 2023. 

Commitment to Equity: Fair Work Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strongly encourage people from communities most negatively affected by historical and ongoing inequity to apply, particularly: people of color, immigrants, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities. We seek candidates whose lived experiences reflect the lived experiences of the workers we support. If you need disability, language or other accommodation in the application process, please contact Zhi Chen at zhi@fairworkcenter.org.