Posted: February 12, 2025

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Position:          Legal Assistant – Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic

Permanent Full-time (35 hours per week) Monday – Friday

 

The Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic is seeking a Legal Assistant to provide administrative office support and assistance specific to the day to day operation of the legal clinic. The three core values that guide IRLC’s work are: legal excellence, accessibility and respect and care. The IRLC has a highly collaborative team-based work culture that encourages mutual support amongst all staff. We are seeking a Legal Assistant who shares a commitment to our values for a full-time permanent position. The work location is Vancouver.

 

About the Position

 

The Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic (IRLC) is seeking a Legal Assistant to join our team. Reporting to the Director of Operations and Finance, the Legal and Administrative Assistant (“Legal Assistant”) will provide administrative office support and assistance specific to the day to day operation of the legal clinic. The Legal Assistant will assist with the delivery of legal services in the areas of litigation by: filing court documents, drafting, preparing and proofreading legal, administration documents and correspondence and compiling related information. Administrative tasks related to maintaining, organizing and filing documents and correspondence, responding to client inquires and conducting follow-up meetings are fundamental to this role. The Legal Assistant will be assigned general administrative and reception duties maintain assigned calendars, field calls from clients, direct clients to the appropriate staff member and /or refer to an outside organization.

 

Responsibilities:

 

  • Assisting with the delivery of legal services by corresponding with clients and service providers, assisting with gathering and organizing client information and documents, filing court documents, drafting, preparing and proofreading legal administration documents and correspondences and compiling related information.
  • Answering telephones, route calls, take messages and ensure that staff lawyers are informed of important information, communications, dates, and requirements.
  • Greeting and directing visitors to the office as appropriate
  • Providing front line services to the public and intake services, including taking client information, checking conflicts and making appointments.
  • Contacting medical, legal, tribunal and court offices as necessary to obtain necessary information at the direction of staff lawyers.
  • File management and administrative support including filing, file organization, and scanning.
  • Tracking dates independently with respect to client files and practice management and maintaining the lawyers’ calendars.
  • Process and maintain program data, databases, data input and reporting.
  • Submitting payment requisitions to the Director of Finance and Operations.
  • Providing recommendations to the Legal Director, Director of Finance and Operations and /or Staff Clinic Lawyer specific to the provision of clinic services
  • May assist with litigation support, as needed.
  • Running general errands.
  • Performing other related duties as assigned.

 

Qualifications:

 

  • Completion of a legal assistant, paralegal or equivalent program of study.
  • Experience working in a similar role and experience working in the anti-violence sector in a client-facing role are assets.
  • Ability to speak a second language is an asset.
  • Must obtain a Police Information Check (PIC) with a Vulnerable Sector Check (VS)
  • Experience working with marginalized communities is an asset.

 

Skills and Abilities:

 

  • Strong attention to detail and accuracy, and ability to multi-task, organize and meet deadlines.
  • Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion including a personal approach that values all individuals and respects differences in regard to race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance.
  • Demonstrated experience/knowledge of the immigration and refugee systems in Canada.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills as a powerful, mature, and efficient communicator who can accommodate and work effectively with people with disabilities.
  • Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, and expertise or ability to become an expert user of legal management software Clio.
  • Excellent composition, grammar, spelling, and editing/proofreading skills.
  • Must possess a high degree of personal initiative and to work independently as well as within a team.
  • Commitment to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and/or conflicts.
  • Ability to be flexible as circumstances and assignments change.
  • Discretion to perform all duties with complete confidentiality.
  • Required to possess and maintain a clear Criminal Record Check

Compensation:  $60,000 – $65,000 per annum, depending on education and experience; Extended health and dental benefits and defined-benefit pension plan; vacation and sick pay

 

How to Apply:

 

Individuals interested in this role are invited to submit:

  • An expression of interest in letter format (PDF)
  • A resume or CV (PDF)

Please email in PDF format. Please use subject line “Legal Assistant Position” and email to general@irlc.ca by 4pm on March 5, 2025.

 

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible. While all applications are considered, only those applicants selected to be interviewed will be contacted.

 

IRLC’s mission and values emphasize inclusivity and recognition of individuals’ unique talents. In recruiting and developing staff, we see strength in diversity of backgrounds, lived experiences, and identities. We welcome and encourage applicants from equity-seeking groups to apply. If you belong to one of these groups, we encourage you to self-identity in your cover letter.

 

About the Clinic:

 

The Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic (IRLC) is the only legal clinic dedicated to refugee and immigration law in British Columbia. IRLC provides free legal advice and representation, with interpretation services, for low-income people across BC on immigration and refugee law matters. We aim to reach those who fall through the cracks of our legal system and provide them with excellent, respectful, and caring legal advice and representation. Alongside our casework, we advocate for change on issues that repeatedly come up for our clients by engaging in systemic litigation and law reform efforts. We provide legal education to community groups and service providers across BC. Clinic staff also serve as mentors to law students and junior lawyers interested in the refugee and immigration law field.

 

The clinic was jointly created by the Province of British Columbia and the Law Foundation of BC after the BC Government’s External Review of Legal Aid services recommended a refugee legal clinic be established to “take on urgent and complex cases” and supplement the legal aid system.

 

The IRLC operates as an independently managed program, hosted by the Community Legal Clinic Operating Society of BC. The Legal Assistant would be an employee of the Community Legal Clinic Operating Society of BC.