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About the Role

Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. (NLS) is seeking an Administrative Assistant to support the Public Benefits Unit in the Buffalo office. This role provides critical administrative and legal support to attorneys and paralegals representing clients in various legal matters, including those experiencing homelessness. The unit assists clients with urgent needs related to public assistance, SNAP, Medicaid, and other essential services.

Responsibilities

Provide general secretarial support, including answering telephones and assisting reception.
Type, file, and copy documents.
Assist attorneys and paralegals with their tasks.
Coordinate unit-wide projects.
Review and format legal materials such as court filings, petitions, pleadings, motions, memoranda, letters, and reports.
Review, format, and edit outgoing correspondence for accuracy and proper processing order.
Sort and distribute mail.
Assist with answering client inquiries over the phone or in person.
Organize and maintain confidential and sensitive files and records.
Provide backup for reception staff, including answering telephones and greeting clients.
Manage professional development, stay informed of new rules and processes, and participate in training.
Develop specialty knowledge relevant to the role.
Organize trainings and meetings for the unit.
Work collaboratively with other NLS staff on advocacy projects.
Perform diverse clerical work as directed by management.
Conform to employee rules and responsibilities and perform all assigned tasks.

Requirements

Legal services background or knowledge of general civil legal work.
Experience working with vulnerable populations and knowledge of community resources.
Self-motivated and dependable.
Excellent communication skills for client contact and attorney interface.
Excellent writing skills with attention to detail and proofreading for written materials.
Understanding of the court filing system and its requirements.
Excellent organizational skills and calendaring awareness.
Document-drafting capability under supervision for court filings, including formatting.
Willingness to work as a team member and contribute to case efforts.
Ability to work on-site in an office environment.
Ability to travel to meetings and hearings off-site.
Proficiency in using a computer, fax, photocopiers, and telephones.

Skills

Strong personal work ethic
Time management
Ability to manage diverse activities
Ability to meet critical deadlines with minimal supervision
Excellent writing skills
Excellent editing skills
Excellent proofreading skills
Detail-oriented
Strong interpersonal skills
Ability to work collaboratively
Cultural humility
Second language skills (a plus)

Location

Buffalo Office

Work Type

Full-time
On-site

Experience Level

Entry-level to experienced administrative professionals based on years of relevant experience

Salary/Compensations

Step 1 – $ 43,000
Step 5 – $ 50,979.85
Step 10 – $ 57,000.20
Step 15 – $62,727.00
Step 22 – $69,525.00

Benefits

Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Generous PTO policy
3 weeks of vacation time
12 paid holidays
1 week of PTO between Christmas and New Year’s
Reduced summer hours
Sick leave
Personal leave
Eligibility for public student loan forgiveness
Life insurance
Pension plan
HRA
Flexible Spending Accounts
Paid memberships
Professional development

About the Company

Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. (NLS) is the largest provider of civil legal services in Western New York.
NLS provides free civil legal assistance to low-income individuals and families facing barriers to stability, safety, and access to justice.
The Public Benefits Unit helps clients address urgent needs related to public assistance, SNAP, Medicaid, utility shutoffs, emergency assistance, shelter access, benefits fair hearings, overpayments, language access, and LGBTQ+ advocacy.
The role supports attorneys and paralegals who represent clients before administrative agencies, tribunals, and courts, including clients experiencing homelessness through outreach efforts such as the Homeless Task Force.

Equal Opportunity

Neighborhood Legal Services provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.