Paralegal - La Crosse Office
La Crosse, WI La Crosse, WI Full-time Full-time Estimated:
$43.
4K - $55K a year Estimated:
$43.
4K - $55K a year 17 hours ago 17 hours ago 17 hours ago Legal Action of Wisconsin is seeking one full-time paralegal to work at our La Crosse Office.
The paralegal will work with three staff attorneys and the managing attorney.
LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN:
We are a large and vibrant non-profit law firm funded by the federal Legal Services Corporation, the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Victim of Crime Act funding, the Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund, and many other sources.
Each year, we provide free legal aid to about 11,000 - 14,000 low-income persons in Wisconsin's southern 39 counties with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Oshkosh, Green Bay, and La Crosse.
Most of our work is in the areas of housing, public benefits, removing barriers to employment, consumer, family law, and victim rights.
La Crosse Office staff work primarily in the physical office with some partial remote work.
For this paralegal position, we will consider a schedule that combines remote work and in-office work upon hire.
New hires will receive most training in the physical office with some remote training.
Legal Action believes that equal justice under law can only be achieved through the collaboration of a diverse staff.
We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and people with life experiences or educational backgrounds that add to the firm's diversity and our capacity to provide high-quality legal aid.
OFFICE LOCATION:
The La Crosse office is located at 700 North Third Street, Suite 203, La Crosse, WI, 54601.
The La Crosse Office staff currently consists of a Managing Attorney, 3 staff attorneys and 1 paralegal.
Our La Crosse office serves 10 counties in south central Wisconsin.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
Client Interviews and Communication:
Under the supervision of an attorney, the paralegal interviews clients on intake, as the needs of the office and special projects dictate.
The paralegal is responsible for recognizing legal problems, asking questions to determine facts, performing conflict checks, and informing clients which cases will be accepted or denied.
This position may also be responsible for interviewing current clients for purposes of case development and providing clients with case updates.
Under the supervision of an attorney, the paralegal prepares written client correspondence.
Job duties also involve making referrals to other organizations or law firms when appropriate and responding to e-mail and text message correspondence from clients.
Organization and File Maintenance:
The paralegal will assist with case management recordkeeping by maintaining client paper records and electronic records.
Electronic records may include phone downloads, as well as records in the client database.
The paralegal may also help attorneys and other advocates with large-scale organization and administrative projects, such as outreach planning, travel reimbursement, maintaining client trust accounts, and organization of non-case related electronic files.
Litigation Investigation and Support:
The paralegal will assist attorneys with litigation support activities.
Some examples include legal research, document gathering, damage calculations, interviewing of witnesses, and public record searches.
Drafting legal and other documents under the supervision of an attorney.
Data Reporting:
The paralegal will assist staff with the collection and tabulation of project data and other internal LAW data while maintaining confidentiality of all client information.
Other:
The Paralegal will be assigned other duties, including participation in the firm's race equity alignment and diversity, equity, and inclusion work and occasional evening and weekend work.
Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Training will be provided.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The following qualifications are required:
A high school diploma or prior experience in the legal or social service field.
Excellent technology skills and willingness to develop existing skills in technology such as internet, email, web-based activities, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Adobe, Goggle Apps, texting applications, and phone data preservation.
Ability to travel occasionally.
Highly organized with the ability to juggle multiple deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.
Ability to tactfully communicate and work cooperatively with community partners, potential clients, clients, volunteer attorneys, opposing counsel, court staff, and other outside parties.
The following qualifications are desired:
A college degree or a Paralegal certificate from an accredited program.
Familiarity with courtroom procedure (state and municipal) and administrative hearings.
Ability to communicate with persons in the client community who speak a language other than English as their principal language.
Spanish or Hmong fluency preferred.
Knowledge and understanding of legal problems and the needs of low-income persons.
Prior work in the client community or in other programs that work with low-income persons.
SALARY:
Depending on skills, knowledge, abilities, and experiences, Legal Action will place the incumbent on either the Paralegal Tier 1 or Tier 2 salary ladders and on the appropriate step of the salary ladder:
Tiers are determined by skills, knowledge, and ability and Steps are determined by years of relevant experience only.
(For example, an incumbent with zero years of experience will be on Step 0 of the Tier 1 salary ladder.
An incumbent with ten years of experience in a position with the same essential duties and proven abilities may be placed on the Step 10 of the Tier 2 salary ladder.
) Employees advance one step on their salary ladder on their anniversary dates unless they are on a performance improvement plan.
The Tier I Paralegal salary ladder is as follows:
Paralegal Tier I Step 0 $38,958 Step 1 $39,607 Step 2 $40,257 Step 3 $40,906 Step 4 $41,555 Step 5 $42,205 Step 6 $42,854 Step 7 $43,503 Step 8 $44,152 Step 9 $44,802 Step 10 $45,451 Step 11 $46,100 Step 12 $46,750 Step 13 $47,399 Step 14 $48,048 Step 15 $48,698 Step 16 $49,347 Step 17 $49,996 Step 18 $50,645 Step 19 $51,489 Step 20 $52,333 Step 21 $53,177 Step 22 $54,021 Step 23 $54,865 Step 24 $55,710 Step 25 $56,554 Step 26 $57,398 Step 27 $58,242 Step 28 $59,086 Step 29 $59,930 Step 30 $60,774 Step 31 $61,618 Step 32 $62,462 Step 33 $63,306 Step 34 $64,150 Step 35 $64,994 Step 36 $65,839 Step 37 and beyond:
Step 36 plus a flat $1,500 stipend that does not compound and is given as one flat lump sum on anniversary pay check.
The Tier II Paralegal salary ladder is as follows:
Paralegal Tier II Step 0 $46,749 Step 1 $47,528 Step 2 $48,307 Step 3 $49,086 Step 4 $49,866 Step 5 $50,645 Step 6 $51,424 Step 7 $52,203 Step 8 $52,982 Step 9 $53,761 Step 10 $54,541 Step 11 $55,320 Step 12 $56,099 Step 13 $56,878 Step 14 $57,657 Step 15 $58,436 Step 16 $59,215 Step 17 $59,995 Step 18 $60,774 Step 19 $61,787 Step 20 $62,800 Step 21 $63,813 Step 22 $64,826 Step 23 $65,839 Step 24 $66,851 Step 25 $67,864 Step 26 $68,877 Step 27 $69,890 Step 28 $70,903 Step 29 $71,916 Step 30 $72,929 Step 31 $73,942 Step 32 $74,955 Step 33 $75,967 Step 34 $76,980 Step 35 $77,993 Step 36 $79,006 Step 37 and beyond:
Step 36 plus a flat $1,500 stipend that does not compound and is given as one flat lump sum on anniversary pay check.
FRINGE
Benefits:
Legal Action provides a generous fringe benefits package, including employer-paid health and dental insurance for employees, spouse, and eligible dependents and a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) to assist with the employee's cost for deductibles and co-insurance.
(Employees are required to contribute $200/month to the health insurance premium if the spouse has group health insurance provided by their employer.
) Legal Action also provides life and long-term disability insurance, a profit-sharing retirement plan contribution, salary deferral options for retirement planning, low-cost employee-paid vision coverage, three weeks of vacation per year, four personal holidays, and generous sick leave.
Legal Action also offers four weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees.
RELOCATION EXPENSES REIMBURSEMENT:
Up to $1,200 in relocation expenses may be available for reimbursement.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The position involves sedentary work, working in a stationary position for an extended period, operating a computer, and using a telephone.
Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision of a computer screen.
The position may require driving a motor vehicle while seated for short trips and/or extensive travel.
The position requires occasional reaching, bending, kneeling, and stooping to retrieve assorted items and materials and the need to exert up to 10 pounds of force to lift, carry, push, or otherwise move objects.
NATURE AND SCOPE OF JOB ACCOUNTABILITIES AND AUTHORITY:
The work of Tier 1 positions is under close immediate supervision, closely-controlled, and highly structured because of the nature of the work itself or because of circumstances under which the job tasks are performed.
Tier 1 positions must strictly adhere to Legal Action's guidelines and procedures and have little or no authority to deviate from them without supervisory approval.
Tier 2 paralegals require minimal assistance or direction, a high level of efficiency, and/or independent initiative.
Regular supervision is provided but may be less frequent than the Tier 1 paralegal positions.
A Tier 2 paralegal does not always require detailed instructions, guidelines, procedures and/or rules to perform their duties.
A Tier 2 paralegal has some autonomy to perform duties though must always follow the firm's policies, operating procedures, compliance requirements, and instruction from our licensed attorneys.
COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY:
At Legal Action, health and safety is a top priority.
We require all new employees and interns, law clerks, volunteers, and contractors from employment agencies or consulting firms to have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations and bivalent booster and to provide medical proof from Wisconsin's Immunization Registry or from a medical provider of their fully vaccinated status as a condition of employment within 28 days of their first day of employment.
Employees may request a medical or religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
Exemption requests must be completed and approved on or before the first day of employment.
GOVERNANCE:
This is a full-time position and is eligible for overtime.
LAW's personnel policies and other operating policies and procedures, which are subject to unilateral change by the LAW Board of Directors, govern this position.
This position is subject to a probationary period of up to six months.
HOW TO APPLY:
Applicants must submit the following application materials via Legal Action of Wisconsin's online applicant portal:
secure2.
entertimeonline.
com/ta/7988.
careers?ShowJob=553810754 Cover letter Resume Names and contact information for three professional references (current LAW staff members are not required to include references) Amanda Schamens, the La Crosse Office Managing Attorney, is the hiring manager for this position and will interview applicants in person or virtually depending on their availability.
If there are questions about the hiring process or the hiring portal, she may be reached at AMS@legalaction.
org.
DEADLINE:
This position will be open until filled.
For early consideration, we encourage applicants to apply by Monday, July 24th, 2023.
Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.
is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Estimated Salary: $20 to $28 per hour based on qualifications.
$43.
4K - $55K a year Estimated:
$43.
4K - $55K a year 17 hours ago 17 hours ago 17 hours ago Legal Action of Wisconsin is seeking one full-time paralegal to work at our La Crosse Office.
The paralegal will work with three staff attorneys and the managing attorney.
LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN:
We are a large and vibrant non-profit law firm funded by the federal Legal Services Corporation, the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Victim of Crime Act funding, the Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund, and many other sources.
Each year, we provide free legal aid to about 11,000 - 14,000 low-income persons in Wisconsin's southern 39 counties with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Oshkosh, Green Bay, and La Crosse.
Most of our work is in the areas of housing, public benefits, removing barriers to employment, consumer, family law, and victim rights.
La Crosse Office staff work primarily in the physical office with some partial remote work.
For this paralegal position, we will consider a schedule that combines remote work and in-office work upon hire.
New hires will receive most training in the physical office with some remote training.
Legal Action believes that equal justice under law can only be achieved through the collaboration of a diverse staff.
We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and people with life experiences or educational backgrounds that add to the firm's diversity and our capacity to provide high-quality legal aid.
OFFICE LOCATION:
The La Crosse office is located at 700 North Third Street, Suite 203, La Crosse, WI, 54601.
The La Crosse Office staff currently consists of a Managing Attorney, 3 staff attorneys and 1 paralegal.
Our La Crosse office serves 10 counties in south central Wisconsin.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
Client Interviews and Communication:
Under the supervision of an attorney, the paralegal interviews clients on intake, as the needs of the office and special projects dictate.
The paralegal is responsible for recognizing legal problems, asking questions to determine facts, performing conflict checks, and informing clients which cases will be accepted or denied.
This position may also be responsible for interviewing current clients for purposes of case development and providing clients with case updates.
Under the supervision of an attorney, the paralegal prepares written client correspondence.
Job duties also involve making referrals to other organizations or law firms when appropriate and responding to e-mail and text message correspondence from clients.
Organization and File Maintenance:
The paralegal will assist with case management recordkeeping by maintaining client paper records and electronic records.
Electronic records may include phone downloads, as well as records in the client database.
The paralegal may also help attorneys and other advocates with large-scale organization and administrative projects, such as outreach planning, travel reimbursement, maintaining client trust accounts, and organization of non-case related electronic files.
Litigation Investigation and Support:
The paralegal will assist attorneys with litigation support activities.
Some examples include legal research, document gathering, damage calculations, interviewing of witnesses, and public record searches.
Drafting legal and other documents under the supervision of an attorney.
Data Reporting:
The paralegal will assist staff with the collection and tabulation of project data and other internal LAW data while maintaining confidentiality of all client information.
Other:
The Paralegal will be assigned other duties, including participation in the firm's race equity alignment and diversity, equity, and inclusion work and occasional evening and weekend work.
Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Training will be provided.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The following qualifications are required:
A high school diploma or prior experience in the legal or social service field.
Excellent technology skills and willingness to develop existing skills in technology such as internet, email, web-based activities, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Adobe, Goggle Apps, texting applications, and phone data preservation.
Ability to travel occasionally.
Highly organized with the ability to juggle multiple deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.
Ability to tactfully communicate and work cooperatively with community partners, potential clients, clients, volunteer attorneys, opposing counsel, court staff, and other outside parties.
The following qualifications are desired:
A college degree or a Paralegal certificate from an accredited program.
Familiarity with courtroom procedure (state and municipal) and administrative hearings.
Ability to communicate with persons in the client community who speak a language other than English as their principal language.
Spanish or Hmong fluency preferred.
Knowledge and understanding of legal problems and the needs of low-income persons.
Prior work in the client community or in other programs that work with low-income persons.
SALARY:
Depending on skills, knowledge, abilities, and experiences, Legal Action will place the incumbent on either the Paralegal Tier 1 or Tier 2 salary ladders and on the appropriate step of the salary ladder:
Tiers are determined by skills, knowledge, and ability and Steps are determined by years of relevant experience only.
(For example, an incumbent with zero years of experience will be on Step 0 of the Tier 1 salary ladder.
An incumbent with ten years of experience in a position with the same essential duties and proven abilities may be placed on the Step 10 of the Tier 2 salary ladder.
) Employees advance one step on their salary ladder on their anniversary dates unless they are on a performance improvement plan.
The Tier I Paralegal salary ladder is as follows:
Paralegal Tier I Step 0 $38,958 Step 1 $39,607 Step 2 $40,257 Step 3 $40,906 Step 4 $41,555 Step 5 $42,205 Step 6 $42,854 Step 7 $43,503 Step 8 $44,152 Step 9 $44,802 Step 10 $45,451 Step 11 $46,100 Step 12 $46,750 Step 13 $47,399 Step 14 $48,048 Step 15 $48,698 Step 16 $49,347 Step 17 $49,996 Step 18 $50,645 Step 19 $51,489 Step 20 $52,333 Step 21 $53,177 Step 22 $54,021 Step 23 $54,865 Step 24 $55,710 Step 25 $56,554 Step 26 $57,398 Step 27 $58,242 Step 28 $59,086 Step 29 $59,930 Step 30 $60,774 Step 31 $61,618 Step 32 $62,462 Step 33 $63,306 Step 34 $64,150 Step 35 $64,994 Step 36 $65,839 Step 37 and beyond:
Step 36 plus a flat $1,500 stipend that does not compound and is given as one flat lump sum on anniversary pay check.
The Tier II Paralegal salary ladder is as follows:
Paralegal Tier II Step 0 $46,749 Step 1 $47,528 Step 2 $48,307 Step 3 $49,086 Step 4 $49,866 Step 5 $50,645 Step 6 $51,424 Step 7 $52,203 Step 8 $52,982 Step 9 $53,761 Step 10 $54,541 Step 11 $55,320 Step 12 $56,099 Step 13 $56,878 Step 14 $57,657 Step 15 $58,436 Step 16 $59,215 Step 17 $59,995 Step 18 $60,774 Step 19 $61,787 Step 20 $62,800 Step 21 $63,813 Step 22 $64,826 Step 23 $65,839 Step 24 $66,851 Step 25 $67,864 Step 26 $68,877 Step 27 $69,890 Step 28 $70,903 Step 29 $71,916 Step 30 $72,929 Step 31 $73,942 Step 32 $74,955 Step 33 $75,967 Step 34 $76,980 Step 35 $77,993 Step 36 $79,006 Step 37 and beyond:
Step 36 plus a flat $1,500 stipend that does not compound and is given as one flat lump sum on anniversary pay check.
FRINGE
Benefits:
Legal Action provides a generous fringe benefits package, including employer-paid health and dental insurance for employees, spouse, and eligible dependents and a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) to assist with the employee's cost for deductibles and co-insurance.
(Employees are required to contribute $200/month to the health insurance premium if the spouse has group health insurance provided by their employer.
) Legal Action also provides life and long-term disability insurance, a profit-sharing retirement plan contribution, salary deferral options for retirement planning, low-cost employee-paid vision coverage, three weeks of vacation per year, four personal holidays, and generous sick leave.
Legal Action also offers four weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees.
RELOCATION EXPENSES REIMBURSEMENT:
Up to $1,200 in relocation expenses may be available for reimbursement.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The position involves sedentary work, working in a stationary position for an extended period, operating a computer, and using a telephone.
Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision of a computer screen.
The position may require driving a motor vehicle while seated for short trips and/or extensive travel.
The position requires occasional reaching, bending, kneeling, and stooping to retrieve assorted items and materials and the need to exert up to 10 pounds of force to lift, carry, push, or otherwise move objects.
NATURE AND SCOPE OF JOB ACCOUNTABILITIES AND AUTHORITY:
The work of Tier 1 positions is under close immediate supervision, closely-controlled, and highly structured because of the nature of the work itself or because of circumstances under which the job tasks are performed.
Tier 1 positions must strictly adhere to Legal Action's guidelines and procedures and have little or no authority to deviate from them without supervisory approval.
Tier 2 paralegals require minimal assistance or direction, a high level of efficiency, and/or independent initiative.
Regular supervision is provided but may be less frequent than the Tier 1 paralegal positions.
A Tier 2 paralegal does not always require detailed instructions, guidelines, procedures and/or rules to perform their duties.
A Tier 2 paralegal has some autonomy to perform duties though must always follow the firm's policies, operating procedures, compliance requirements, and instruction from our licensed attorneys.
COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY:
At Legal Action, health and safety is a top priority.
We require all new employees and interns, law clerks, volunteers, and contractors from employment agencies or consulting firms to have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations and bivalent booster and to provide medical proof from Wisconsin's Immunization Registry or from a medical provider of their fully vaccinated status as a condition of employment within 28 days of their first day of employment.
Employees may request a medical or religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
Exemption requests must be completed and approved on or before the first day of employment.
GOVERNANCE:
This is a full-time position and is eligible for overtime.
LAW's personnel policies and other operating policies and procedures, which are subject to unilateral change by the LAW Board of Directors, govern this position.
This position is subject to a probationary period of up to six months.
HOW TO APPLY:
Applicants must submit the following application materials via Legal Action of Wisconsin's online applicant portal:
secure2.
entertimeonline.
com/ta/7988.
careers?ShowJob=553810754 Cover letter Resume Names and contact information for three professional references (current LAW staff members are not required to include references) Amanda Schamens, the La Crosse Office Managing Attorney, is the hiring manager for this position and will interview applicants in person or virtually depending on their availability.
If there are questions about the hiring process or the hiring portal, she may be reached at AMS@legalaction.
org.
DEADLINE:
This position will be open until filled.
For early consideration, we encourage applicants to apply by Monday, July 24th, 2023.
Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.
is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Estimated Salary: $20 to $28 per hour based on qualifications.
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