Legal Intake Specialist, Bilingual (English/Spanish)
Childrens Law Center
Washington, District of Columbia
Compensation: $50K/yr - $57K/yr
Who We Are
Children’s Law Center is a mission-driven organization focused on providing high-quality legal services to children and families in DC. As an organization, we envision a world in which all children have a strong foundation of family, health and education and are free from poverty, trauma, racism and other forms of oppression. Our mission is to do this work together with DC children and families, Children’s Law Center uses the law to solve children’s urgent problems today, improve the systems that will affect their lives tomorrow and strengthen our community so that change endures. A key part of our mission is to challenge and reduce ways in which racism and other biases – structural and interpersonal – prevent each of us, our organization and the systems in which we work from providing children a strong foundation from which to thrive.
Our greatest assets are our people. We recognize that people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives fuel our ability to provide the best outcomes for our clients and our community. Staff members at Children’s Law Center advance the organization’s mission through their leadership, result-oriented mindset and commitment to cultural humility. We are looking for individuals who like to be challenged to grow both personally and professionally and value the opportunity to make a difference in their community. Children's Law Center's continued success depends on recruiting and retaining individuals who possess and exemplify these attributes.
Program Description
Special Legal Projects is expanding Children’s Law Center's legal tools to include other forms of innovative healthy housing advocacy and collaborations, impact litigation and new approaches to working toward a future where every child can grow up with a strong foundation of family, health and education and live in a world free from poverty, trauma, racism and other forms of oppression. Special Legal Projects includes a team working on systemic change through impact litigation and partnerships as well as a Brief Service team working to provide client-centered, timely, fair, respectful and compassionate intakes to all community members.
Job Summary
At Children’s Law Center (CLC), we try to help parents and caregivers get something useful when they reach out for help and not simply determine whether they are eligible for our legal services. Through the legal intake process CLC aims to provide some level of service to help each community member who is connected to us, working with the community member to determine what level of assistance best addresses their goals. The intake specialist will be a critical part of the Brief Service team and the first point of contact for community members for CLC. This position involves serving as a key point of contact for our Community Intake Line and online intake forms and being a direct point of contact for certain referrals. The intake specialist will assist with the following: determining eligibility for CLC services; updating and maintaining the client case management system; providing administrative intake support to attorneys receiving referrals from our medical partners; providing information, referrals and non-legal brief services to community members; gathering and updating community resources and referral information; creating self-help and community information resources and; connecting and working with other community organizations to support families getting the help they need. The brief services that the intake specialist will provide may include contacting government agencies with/on behalf of community members; obtaining records in education or social security matters and; assisting with applying for emergency rental or utility assistance. The intake specialist will also provide support as requested with grant and program management activities, such as reviewing grant reports and updating the case management system in reference to intakes.
Role Responsibilities
Receive Referrals and Act as Liaison with Partners
* Serving as a key point of contact for referrals received from our medical partners, community stakeholders and partners, our Intake Line and our online intake form. The Intake Specialist will receive the referrals from these partners, answer questions about which types of cases we take and may attend relevant meetings between partners.
* Act as a connector with other legal services and community organizations.
Intake Responsibilities
* Screen intake callers to determine the appropriate level of service, including further intake by attorney, information, referrals and/or non-legal brief services. Intake calls will include issues related to housing, education, family law and public benefits.
* Provide information, referrals and non-legal brief services to community members typically by phone, email and/or text message. Some examples of these brief services may include contact with government agencies and schools or drafting ghostwritten letters to landlords or requests for evaluations. There may be occasional walk-in intake clients.
* Provide administrative support, such as obtaining releases and obtaining and organizing potential client records, to CLC attorneys in their provision of legal services to intake clients.
Required Skills and Experience
* Strong computer skills (ability to use Windows, MS Word, Excel and other Microsoft applications) and ability to learn online databases (such as our case management system).
* Experience with customer service or conducting intake or similar interviews.
* Fluency in Spanish with the ability to provide services to and communicate (both verbally and in writing) with clients in both English and Spanish.
Preferred Qualifications
* A demonstrated commitment to social, economic and racial justice.
* Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
* Experience working with individuals from under-resourced communities through work or lived experience.
* Ability to multi-task and organize assignments.
* Ability to work independently and collaboratively with colleagues.
* Excellent interpersonal skills.
* Strong communication and problem-solving skills.
* Familiarity with DC community and community resources.
Organizational Competencies
* Cultural Humility – an openness to self-reflection and to understanding and respecting other cultural experiences and points of view and viewing individuals as experts in their own culture and experiences.
* Giving and Receiving Feedback – the ability to be self-reflective, give and receive appreciative, coaching, constructive, interpersonal and evaluative feedback.
* Conflict Management – a process which is designed to guide individuals and groups from the moment of conflict to the implementation of an identified solution. This process incorporates skills and techniques, including recognizing points of conflict, identifying the facts and feelings involved to get to the root of the issue, investigating equitable solutions, implementing and evaluating solutions, and supporting and guiding others throughout the process.
Salary and Benefits
The salary for this position ranges from $50,000 to $57,000 annually based on relevant experience. Children’s Law Center offers a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and short- and long-term disability insurance; employer-provided retirement contributions; flexible spending plans; and vacation, sick, holiday, family and medical leave. You can find more details about Children’s Law Center’s comprehensive benefits package at https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/employee-benefits/ [https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/employee-benefits/].
The responsibilities of position include providing services to Spanish-speaking clients. Applicants for this position must have the ability to communicate in Spanish, both orally and in writing, with a high level of proficiency. As a part of the recruitment process, you will be required to complete Spanish oral proficiency testing. If hired for this position, you will receive a sign-on bonus after the start of employment.
Children’s Law Center is a 501(c)(3) organization. Employees with federal student loan debt can apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. For more information, go to https://myfedloan.org/borrowers/special-programs/pslf [https://myfedloan.org/borrowers/special-programs/pslf].
Application Instructions
To apply, please submit a resume via CLC's careers page [https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/] (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/ [https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/]).
Children’s Law Center is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. If you believe that you need accommodation to search for, or apply for, one of our positions please send an email to Jobs@ChildrensLawCenter.org [Jobs@ChildrensLawCenter.org]. In your email, please include the accommodation you are requesting and the job title you are applying for. It may take up to three business days to receive a response to your request.
Hybrid Working Conditions
Children’s Law Center is currently operating on a hybrid work schedule. Employees are required to work in-person from Children’s Law Center’s office a minimum of two days per week. At least one of these days must be either Tuesday or Wednesday. The hybrid work schedule is subject to change based on organizational needs and/or best practices for health and safety. Hybrid work expectations may vary depending upon role responsibilities.
Work Authorization
Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. Children’s Law Center is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.
Background Checks
Candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment will be subject to a background check.
EEO
Children’s Law Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and existing employees. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to ancestry, age, color, disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. We invite you to visit our website [https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/] to learn more about our company and our career opportunities (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/ [https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/]).
Our Commitment
Children’s Law Center is dedicated to building a world that is inclusive in approach and has equal opportunities and equitable outcomes for all. Our organization is committed to developing and supporting a robustly diverse, equitable, inclusive and anti-racist community, where all members can create and feel a sense of belonging. Through our collective deliberate efforts, we work toward racial and social justice for children and families in DC.
