Legal Assistant

ACLU of Nevada•North Las Vegas, NV

3d•$18 - $22•Onsite

About The Position

The Legal Department Assistant provides administrative support for the ACLUNV’s Legal Department. They also proactively help identify, investigate, and respond to alleged civil liberties and civil rights violations to achieve maximum impact on litigation, including investigating complaints in Nevada and often acting as the first point of contact for potential clients. This is a part-time, in-person position. The ACLUNV is Nevada’s largest and most active organization devoted to the protection and advancement of civil rights and civil liberties and one of the state’s most effective public interest nonprofits. The organization works on a broad range of civil rights and civil liberties issues, including but not limited to free speech, mass surveillance, election protection, education reform, drug law reform, women’s issues, prisoners’ rights, immigrants’ rights, the rights of the homeless, criminal legal reform, and LGBTQIA+ rights. To learn more about the work of the ACLUNV and the civil liberties and civil rights principles we uphold, please visit www.aclunv.org.

Requirements

Demonstrated commitment to civil liberties and civil rights, and strong support for the goals of the American Civil Liberties Union;
Ability to self-start and to work independently under pressure;
Ability to juggle workload and complete competing tasks;
Ability to work professionally, cooperatively, and collegially on wide-ranging projects with staff and diverse individuals, organizations, and coalitions;
Ability to maintain professionalism in interactions with prospective, former, and current clients;
Excellent written and oral communication skills;
Strong organizational skills and ability to maintain orderly records;
Commitment to diversity within the office using a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regards to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, veteran status, involvement with the criminal legal system, or differently-abled status.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in Spanish
Knowledge/understanding of the landscape and culture of Nevada
Prior experience as legal support staff
Working knowledge of the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
Experience with State and Federal Court filings and systems such as Odyssey, PACER, and ECF
Familiarity with legal research

Responsibilities

Greet office visitors and explain ACLUNV Intake procedures when necessary; scan, document, and distribute legal mail including Intake; answer calls, take messages, and handle correspondence with prospective clients on behalf of the legal department;
Keeps the Legal Department informed by reviewing and analyzing special reports, summarizing information, and identifying trends; reads, researches, reviews, verifies, and routes legal correspondence, reports, and legal documents;
Schedules couriers, court reports, expert witnesses, and other special functions;
Submits payments to legal vendors and monitors office supply shortages to place orders as needed; prepares, submits, and maintains expense reports for attorneys under the supervision of the Legal Department Coordinator;
Keeps cases organized by establishing and organizing files, monitoring calendars, meeting deadlines, documenting actions, inputting information into file database and case management software, and confirming case status with attorneys;
Helps develop cases by maintaining contact with people involved in the case, scheduling depositions, forwarding summonses and subpoenas, mailing discovery requests, documents with both state and federal courts, and generating status reports.
Keeps clients informed by communicating case progress; acts as a liaison among all parties, including court personnel or other neutrals, for scheduling and sharing information;
Summarizes and/or transcribes meetings, court proceedings, or other recordings;
Enhances trial proceedings by organizing evidence, preparing exhibits, scheduling witnesses, ensuring witnesses are ready when needed, and taking courtroom and meeting notes;
Assists with the preparation, filing, and service of court papers and pleadings;
Uploads digital files and data; organizes and archives records and documents; checks paperwork, digital forms, and files, updating or correcting documentation as needed; updates filing systems and devises new filing and organizational/storage systems for data and documents as needed;
Transcribes audio and video content; Types and performs data entry;
Looks for ways to improve filing systems and designs forms and templates for data entry;
Works with outside storage vendors to assure safe archiving of documents;
Checks and corrects documentation and placement of previously filed documents;
Other duties as assigned.