Legal Assistant Supervisor - Child Welfare Unit
About The Position
Legal assistants in the Child Welfare Unit meet with Department of Human Services ("DHS") social work service managers and Community Umbrella Agencies ("CUA") case managers to discuss proposed and pending court cases, draft dependent petitions which are filed in the Dependent Branch of Family Court following these interviews, and review DHS case records in order to prepare petitions seeking either Voluntary Or Involuntary Termination Of Parental Rights, or Permanent Legal Custody. They also prepare related documents and gather necessary information in order to supplement these pleadings. The legal assistants occasionally expunge DHS case records of confidential information for review by outside parties and appear at Pre-Hearing Conferences at Family Court on behalf of the Law Department. Legal Assistant Supervisors in the Child Welfare Unit perform the above-described duties of a legal assistant in the unit. Legal Assistant Supervisors, on a daily basis, review, revise when necessary, and electronically file dependent petitions in coordination with Family Court staff, and they appear weekly at Pre-Hearing Conferences at Family Court on behalf of the Law Department.
Requirements
- Excellent organizational skills
- Effective and professional oral and written communication
- Ability to work independently and think proactively
- Ability to manage and prioritize numerous assignments
- Computer skills required/desired for the position include: MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, OneNote, Access) Google Drive (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms) Spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets, OpenOffice Calc). ... Email (mail merge, filters, folders, rules) Presentations/Slideshows (Powerpoint, Google Slides, OpenOffice Impress, Tableu) Microsoft Teams, Zoom and other virtual platforms
- Experience with electronic filing through PACfile
- Ability to complete work projects in a timely and accurate manner
- Commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Experience exercising discretion and confidentiality with sensitive information
Nice To Haves
- Preferred candidate will possess an Associates degree, paralegal certificate or equivalent and have experience supervising employees formally or informally, preferably in a legal setting.
Responsibilities
- Participate in interviews of candidates for City of Philadelphia Legal Assistant positions
- Assist in new hire coordination and training of new legal assistant staff
- Schedule, prepare, and attend meetings specific to Child Welfare Unit legal assistant responsibilities
- Assist with scheduling, preparing, and attending meetings specific to Child Welfare Unit area of practice
- Assist in the development/modification of Child Welfare Unit training modules/programs/materials
- Prepare monthly Child Welfare Unit legal assistant staff calendar for on-call dependent petition drafting assignments
- Assign work to subordinate staff and monitor work assignments
- Provide direct supervision/oversight for City of Philadelphia legal assistants and indirect supervision for Legal Service Initiative Paralegals (LSIP) assigned to draft dependent petitions
- Prepare annual employee performance evaluations for City of Philadelphia legal assistants under direct supervision
- Provide feedback to LSIP supervisory/management staff regarding LSIP employee performance related to dependent petition drafting
- Assist with drafting dependent petitions as needed
- Provide direct oversight of dependent filing submissions to the Juvenile Branch of Family Court, Division of the Court of Common Pleas
- Interact with Juvenile Branch of Family Court, Division of the Court of Common Pleas staff (Dependent Court Operations, Adoptions Unit, Truancy Unit) regarding dependency and adoption/permanent legal custody related filings
- Act as liaison between Juvenile Branch of Family Court, Division of the Court of Common Pleas staff and Child Welfare Unit staff to resolve filing impediments
- Report to Child Welfare Unit management and Human Resources regarding employee performance and work status
- Assist in resolving issues and disputes
- Develop, update, and maintain work and document logs/databases regarding dependency pleadings and maintain document quality control
- Assist with providing reports to interoffice/interdepartmental management and client representatives
- Assist attorneys with special due diligence efforts and other special projects
- Conduct research utilizing legal research tools and other databases/resources
- Handle an independent dependency and adoption/permanent legal custody related case load under the supervision of an assigned attorney and with assistance of a LSIP
Benefits
- Transportation: City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA's Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
- Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 8 weeks of paid parental leave.
- We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.
- Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
- Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
- Generous retirement savings options are available
- Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Join the ranks of hundreds of employees who have already benefited from this program and achieved student loan forgiveness.
- Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships. Experience savings of 10% to 40% on your educational expenses, extending not only to City employees but in some cases, spouse and dependents too!
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Industry
Support Activities for Transportation
Education Level
Associate degree
