The paralegal will support our general admission system by spending 6 to 9 hours per week in the call centre and making additional recordings received in the form of recommendations, online recordings and messages from people who speak languages other than English, as required by the Admissions Director. Admission tasks include initial contacts and interviews with clients, suitability testing, computer-assisted entry of client data into the case management system and, where appropriate, provision of legal information and recommendations. The lawyer will also be involved in the service area. Outreach may include trainings and events for community members and other organizations serving low-income customers in Downeast Maine. In addition, the lawyer will help educate the community and raise awareness of its legal rights by developing written training materials for clients, as well as other materials for distribution and access. Finally, the lawyer may be involved in the recruitment, training and supervision of law students, articling students and volunteers in the office, as well as in supporting volunteer volunteers in the community. The Managing Counsel at Pine Tree is a recognized leadership position within the program as a whole. The managing lawyer is responsible for both the quality and extent of the legal work carried out by his or her law firm or project and the performance of the staff assigned to that office or project. As a supervisor, the managing counsel is also expected to create and foster an atmosphere of teamwork and collaboration between employees and volunteers, which will further strengthen program services in their office or project. The managing lawyer must be an active and dedicated member of Pine Tree`s small management team and be committed to supporting colleagues throughout the program.
The managing lawyer must be a lawyer for the local office and project requirements under the program. It is also expected that the managing counsel will promptly identify issues of concern or controversy related to his or her work or office/project staff and submit them to senior program managers for resolution. If program-wide protocols or decisions have been made by the board or officers, the managing counsel plays a critical role in supporting and enforcing the implementation of those decisions at the local level. The managing lawyer also plays a leadership role in overseeing and managing the reputation of his office/projects (as well as Pine Tree`s overall reputation) in his local community. Networking at the local level is to be expected within the civil justice system, non-profit organizations and potential donors. Management responsibilities are currently expected to require at least 15 hours per week. Managing lawyers also maintain an active workload that is tailored to their management responsibilities. As a general litigator, the lawyer should expect to appear regularly in court to provide consumers, landlords and tenants with benefits (including health and income benefits), as well as administrative advocacy services in a number of different civil needs. While the typical workload is handled by the district court or Supreme Court, the attorney can handle appeals to the Maine Supreme Court. Based on experience, the lawyer may also deal with cases before the Federal Court.
This position will have the opportunity to travel throughout the service area. The lawyer oversees and supports the work of the local paralegal firm, both by providing limited legal assistance and in other work specific to the lawyer`s workload. It is important that the lawyer works as a member of the small office team and supports the work of others in the office. Pine Tree has an immediate opening to a managing attorney in its Augusta office. The Augusta office currently includes staff responsible for general legal services, as well as specialists from the Equitable Housing Unit and the Veterans Unit. Augusta`s managing attorney has also traditionally overseen the attorney who handles foreclosure defense cases. The burden of Augusta`s Managing Attorney`s cases will primarily include general legal services (particularly housing and consumer issues) for low-income individuals living in the four county regions served by the Augusta office (Kennebec, Somerset, Knox and Lincoln counties). Eviction Prevention Paralegal Advocates – Bangor, Portland Interested candidates must submit a letter of interest, an up-to-date curriculum vitae and 3 professional references to Ms. Necia Chaparin (nchaparin@ptla.org) and Mr. Chet Randall (crandall@ptla.org) with copies to Ms.
Elizabeth Johnson (ejohnson@ptla.org). The pro bono lawyer reports to pro bono services director Shannon Karam and pro bono paralegal Mary Murphy. Under the supervision of a lawyer, the paralegal will also provide legal assistance to eligible clients, including documenting issues, requesting and arranging relevant financial information and documents related to their call for help, as well as client advice and general litigation assistance. Chet is the deputy director of Pine Tree Legal Assistance – a national legal advisory agency that provides free legal assistance to low-income Mainers – where he has worked as an attorney for 16 years. Prior to assuming the role of Deputy Director, he was The Managing Counsel of the organization`s Augusta office. His current workload includes cases involving the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act, Maine`s Debt Settlement Act, the Maine Human Rights Act and fair Housing Act, illegal evictions, and Maine`s Foreclosure Act. In 2009, Chet served as chairman of the Maine Foreclosure Diversion Commission at the request of the Maine Branch of Justice. The Commission`s report led to the creation of the enforcement program, which is now managed by the Maine Department of Justice.
