Paralegal

Prairie State Legal Services is seeking a Paralegal to join our team in the Waukegan office. Paralegals at PSLS provide a wide range of support to attorneys that enable them to serve some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, including low-income individuals, older adults, veterans, and people with disabilities. We focus our services on legal problems that impact the ability of our clients to meet their basic human needs, including physical safety, access to healthcare, adequate housing, and financial stability. Prairie State is the only legal aid organization in the majority of our area, and we pride ourselves on providing high-quality legal services to our clients while fostering a work environment that is motivating, collaborative, and rewarding, with plenty of opportunities for professional growth.

Responsibilities
Among other duties as assigned, the Paralegal will:

• Maintain contact with clients to provide information on the status of their cases
• Prepare pleadings and correspondence for Attorneys as assigned
• Prepare correspondence and documents for direct services to clients
• Monitor case files to see that they contain all required documents
• Generate and mail notices for court proceedings and schedule matters on the court docket
• Working with PSLS attorneys to assist clients in a wide range of legal problems, including family law, domestic violence litigation, administrative law, Social Security Disability benefits, landlord/tenant, and other matters
• Supporting the attorneys in their legal work, including assisting with and preparing routine pleadings, notices, subpoenas, correspondence, and other similar documents; scheduling court dates; e-filing; scheduling client appointments in open cases; assisting with medical and other records requests; assisting attorneys with file organization and review of closed files; and assisting with filing
• Entering client information and data into case management software
• Performing a variety of other office tasks such as typing, copying, faxing, and emailing
• Assisting with medical and other records requests
• Periodically assisting with off-site intake

Salary and Benefits
The Paralegal position is a full-time position at 37.5 hours per week. PSLS offers a salary that is competitive with similar organizations. The Paralegal position salary range is $42,000 to $54,139 annually for candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and increase with relevant experience. PSLS is committed to providing an excellent, comprehensive benefits package to its full-time employees that includes:

• Health insurance, including the opportunity to qualify for wellness credit
• Dental Insurance
• Vision insurance
• 403b retirement plan, including employer contributions
• Training and education program
• PTO that starts at nearly 3 weeks/year and increases with additional years worked at PSLS
• Paid sick leave
• 6 weeks of paid parental leave after one year of employment
• 12 paid holidays

Qualifications

• Spanish-English bilingual candidates are highly preferred
• 2-year associates degree, 4-year bachelor’s degree, and/or a paralegal certificate
• Previous legal experience preferred
• Excellent organizational and oral/written communication skills
• Proficient with computers and online tools
• Travel to other offices is necessary; valid driver’s license and/or reliable transportation is required
• We will give preference to candidates who have experience providing services to low-income individuals

Application Details - Resumes accepted until position is filled
Please indicate “Paralegal-Waukegan” in the subject line and email a letter explaining your interest and experience, resume, and three references to [email protected].

PSLS is an equal opportunity employer that strives to create a welcoming environment. We recruit, employ, pay, and promote qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, national origin or citizenship, ancestry, religion, sex, disability, familial status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, military status or unfavorable discharge from military service, or other characteristics protected by law.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $42,000.00 - $54,139.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person