Paralegal - Benefits Unit

The Organization:

South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. (SCCLS), along with its subsidiary the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts, is a vibrant and growing non-profit legal aid program where our core mission is to fight injustice and poverty by advocating on behalf of low-income individuals and families across Southeastern Massachusetts, the Cape, and Islands in civil matters when their basic needs are at stake. The organization prioritizes legal services in housing, public benefits, elder law, domestic relations, employment, education, immigration, and consumer matters.

With a staff of over 100, SCCLS is the principal provider of civil legal aid in the region. We operate from offices in Brockton, Fall River, New Bedford, and Hyannis. Our team provides representation and litigation services to thousands of people each year, while also delivering a wide range of community outreach and educational programs. We seek candidates who are committed to advancing equal access to justice and opportunity through client-centered advocacy. This is an opportunity to join a collaborative, mission-driven team dedicated to delivering impactful legal services to some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

The Role:

SCCLS seeks a full-time paralegal to support the work of its Benefits Unit staff across multiple offices. The paralegal will support and promote the work of SCCLS by being the bridge between our clients, their medical and community providers, and government agencies such as the Social Security Administration, Department of Transitional Assistance, and/or other state or federal agencies. This is a critical role in helping vulnerable people secure Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), cash, MassHealth, child care and other state and federal benefits. The paralegal will primarily investigate the facts of a case and develop the evidentiary record. The paralegal will secondarily assist clients with brief advice and assistance, such as helping to complete government forms and/or utilize pro se documents. The position will be located in our either our Fall River or Brockton office.

Duties Include:

1.Case Management and Intake: Conduct interviews with clients to gather medical history, work history, functional limitations, and other relevant information.

2.Financial and Medical Evidence Development: Request, track, and organize voluminous financial and/or medical records related to client eligibility for benefits. Review said records and analyze how the records relate to client eligibility.

3.Form preparation: Assist clients in completing various government forms, such as: Social Security Requests for Reconsideration or Waivers of Overpayment; state requests for fair hearings; and applications for benefits.

4.SSA Liaison: Serve as a point of contact for SSA Field Offices and Offices of Hearing Operations for clients and advocates. This includes calling the field office for status updates, submitting appeals, and helping to ensure deadlines are met.

5.ALJ Hearing Support: Assist attorneys in preparing cases for Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearings. This includes summarizing medical records, drafting exhibit lists, and helping clients prepare their testimony.

6.Work alongside, and closely collaborate with staff and other case handlers.

7.Assist with outreach, educational presentations, advocacy, and other tasks as needed to support the legal work of the organization.

Qualifications:

1.Paralegal Certificate/Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; commitment to working clients from all backgrounds who may have experienced poverty, trauma or discrimination required;

2.Prior experience advocating or serving the needs of those clients desirable; experience with case management desirable; experience with community education desirable, and prior experience working as a paralegal or in a similar role desirable;

3.Knowledge and experience in various areas of the law desirable, especially with Social Security Disability, and benefits legal issues;

4.Ability to work independently and as a team member; goal and detail oriented with ability to prioritize;

5.Ability to work effectively with people from diverse cultures, with diverse opinions and values, including with staff, volunteers, students, community members and funders;

6.Fluency in a second language which reflects our client communities (Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole) strongly preferred;

7.Ability to be flexible and multitask; willingness to become familiar with a variety of substantive law matters; ability to establish hybrid client and colleague relationships with a combination of in-person and remote work;

8.Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, social media or graphic design; familiarity with other technology platforms desirable. Willingness to become effective and efficient in use of case management system required.

Compensation and Benefits:

SCCLS offers competitive compensation based on comparable public interest salaries and commensurate with experience with a salary scale started at $52,100 a year. Multi-lingual annual increment to base salary may be added for demonstrated language skills (written, oral, or both). Generous benefits package includes health and dental with supplemental coverage, life insurance, disability, flexible spending account, 403(b), and loan forgiveness. Generous paid leave including sick, vacation, personal, and holidays.

APPLY:

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and until the matching of funding to staff positions is complete. For full consideration, submit resume, three (3) professional references, and cover letter to: Lissl Thelin at [email protected] with subject line: SCCLS Paralegal - Benefits.

South Coastal Counties Legal Services and its subsidiary are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of age, class, color, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender, national origin, race, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. We welcome applicants from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. We strive to foster a healthy, inclusive environment where all staff, clients, and community members are valued, empowered and recognized.

Pay: $52,100.00 - $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid sick time
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Fall River, MA 02720