The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida (“ACLU of Florida” or “ACLU-FL”) is seeking a full-time paralegal and legal administrative assistant to assist its attorneys involved in civil rights and civil liberties litigation. The paralegal will be based in the ACLU of Florida’s Miami or Tallahassee office. The ACLU-FL’s Legal Department is composed of 8 lawyers. Legal Department staff work on a wide range of civil rights and civil liberties cases.
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida is an affiliate of the national ACLU a national public interest organization devoted to the defense of civil rights and civil liberties. For over 100 years, the ACLU has served as the nation’s primary protector of the liberties that define our democracy. The organization implements its vital civil liberties mission in all 50 states in large part through affiliate entities such as the ACLU of Florida.
The ACLU of Florida, the state’s largest civil rights and civil liberties organization, employs litigation, public policy advocacy, communications strategies, and public education to protect and promote a broad range of constitutional values and individual rights, such as freedom of speech, equality, due process, racial justice, privacy, religious liberty, criminal-justice reform, voting rights, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights, and immigrants’ rights. The ACLU of Florida litigates a broad range of constitutional cases in state and federal court through direct representation and amicus briefs, and by submitting administrative complaints to state and federal agencies.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Paralegal and Legal Administrative Assistant performs paralegal support and operational administrative functions for the Legal Department. The position functions as an integral and main source of contact for internal departments and external entities regarding operational matters of the department. The position supports staff in paralegal, administrative, and management support needs.
Work is performed under limited supervision with moderate latitude. The position relies on experience and exercises independent judgment to determine the best approach by using and interpreting policies and procedures.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Prepare, file, and/or serve a variety of legal documents, including complaints, briefs, motions, court forms, petitions, subpoenas, discovery documents, and appellate documents.
- Meticulously maintain electronic and paper case files, including pleadings, correspondence, discovery, agreements, and other materials.
- Meticulously maintain internal databases and other systems.
- Communicate/coordinate with clients, court personnel, co-counsel, partner organizations, opposing counsel, the news media, etc.
- Draft and/or mail correspondence, declarations, notices, and various court/legal documents.
- Manage logistics for filings as well as preparation for hearings and trials (e.g., organization of exhibits; scanning, copying, printing, and binding documents; mailing materials; coordination of printing or courier services, etc.).
- Manage logistics for depositions, oral arguments, court hearings, media appearances, and other events.
- Manage financial matters with vendors, cooperating counsel, and staff and ensure compliance with internal policies and procedures.
- Assist attorneys with legal and other research.
- Assist with analysis of data and discovery.
- Assist attorneys with timekeeping and reporting on certain cases.
- Format, cite-check, and proofread correspondence and legal documents.
- Support various investigatory, research, advocacy, and case-related projects as needed.
- Support the legal team in the recruitment, selection, supervision, and evaluation of law clerks, interns, and volunteers.
- Maintain up-to-date legal materials for publication on the ACLU-FL website.
- Adhere to the highest standards of professional ethics and client confidentiality.
- Provide logistical support for meetings, both in and out of the office, including helping to organize the ACLU-FL’s involvement in coalitions and coordinated advocacy efforts.
- Attend community meetings when necessary.
- Appear at public events on behalf of the organization when necessary.
- Provide comprehensive administrative support, including travel arrangements; miscellaneous copying, scanning, shredding, binding, and mailing; taking minutes; assisting with scheduling; helping with word processing; and carrying out other general clerical and administrative duties.
- Coordinate and implement large mailing projects and service of court documents.
- Assist with data entry.
- Assist with budgeting.
- Actively support a collaborative, mutually respectful work environment within the legal team and among other office staff.
- As needed, manage legal intake.
- As needed, draft Legal Department reports.
- As needed, support attorneys in compliance with CLE requirements.
- As needed, supervise coordination of CLE events.
- Work demands sometimes include travel, and working evenings, weekends, and holidays may sometimes be required to comply with court deadlines or other time-sensitive work.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree or relevant work experience.
- Proficiency in Microsoft products (SharePoint, Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams), Adobe Acrobat, Zoom and electronic filing systems of courts in Florida.
- Facility with mail merge, spreadsheets, and tables.
- Excellent word-processing, proofreading, and verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to work well with others in a collegial and diverse environment.
- Ability to work well under pressure.
- Strong multi-tasking and organizational skills.
- High attention to detail.
- Ability to manage time and tasks independently, problem-solve, and manage multiple projects and cases simultaneously.
- Ability to exercise sound independent judgment and exhibit high levels of integrity, discretion, and diplomacy.
- Ability to communicate and work effectively and respectfully with clients, staff, board members, volunteers, and the general public.
- Ability to build effective working relationships inside and outside the organization and to maintain mutually trusting relationships with clients and coalition partners.
- Ability and willingness to become an in-house expert on ACLU-FL policies and on Legal Department software and systems.
- Knowledge of legal terminology and legal principles; familiarity with legal case management software; familiarity with legal citation conventions (the Bluebook); experience with state and federal electronic court filing systems; experience with electronic legal research tools (Westlaw); and experience with handling data.
- Prior experience with public-interest organizations will be considered a plus, but not required.
- Fluency in Spanish preferred but not required.
