Administrative Assistant, Immigration Practice

Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) is seeking administrative assistants to join our Immigration Practice.

BDS is a public defense office representing low-income New Yorkers in criminal, family, immigration, and civil legal matters. Our work with clients is focused on the intersection of the legal systems that disproportionately impact people in Brooklyn who are primarily Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) living below the poverty level.

BDS represents thousands of people each year who have diverse, complex, and multi-faceted legal needs. In addition to a zealous legal defense, our interdisciplinary teams of attorneys, social workers and advocates provide a wide range of legal and advocacy services, including housing, public benefits, education, and employment issues.

BDS’ Immigration Practice is a team of over 50 staff who represent people in detained and non-detained removal proceedings as well as applications before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to help clients maintain family unity and obtain lawful immigration status in the U.S.

Under the direct supervision of the Associate Director of Administration, the Administrative Assistant provides a wide range of administrative support to attorneys, accredited representatives and social workers on the Immigration team.

Responsibilities

Within a Case Management System

• Open, update, and close cases in our custom Sales-Force based case management system.
• Maintain data quality and remedy recurring issues, such as cases without an active primary attorney or next court date.
• Generate individual and practice wide reports, such as pending caseloads, intake and referral trends, and disposition and outcome information.
• Assist attorneys and accredited reps with data entry issues and case management functionality.
• Ensure digital document storage locations are correctly synced with individual cases.
• Additional responsibilities as assigned.

Additional Duties

• Organize paper and digital files.
• Prepare closed files for off-site storage.
• Answer phone calls and other communications.
• Sort and scan mail, including time-sensitive documents from courts, clients, and immigration agencies.
• Send out mail and FedEx.
• Compile, copy, scan, and mail or file legal submissions that are prepared by the attorney or paralegal on the case.
• Submit requests for court documents with New York State Courts and other agencies.
• Work with other administrative professionals to organize and maintain office space, stock office supplies, and organize the unit’s resources and materials.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• At least two (2) years of prior administrative or related experience, preferably in a legal setting or in an agency that worked with migrant clients.
• High skill level with Microsoft programs including Outlook, Word, Excel and Adobe Acrobat.
• Experience with case management systems and cloud-based document storage, preferably Salesforce based systems.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attentive to detail and deadlines.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Ability to work independently and in a team setting and in an interdisciplinary unit that works together to forward the goals of the client and the case.
• Fluency or high proficiency in Spanish is preferred.

Position Information

This is a full-time, non-exempt, salaried position. The normal schedule is Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. The position is based at BDS’s offices, located in Downtown Brooklyn. Administrative assistants have a hybrid work schedule which consists of three days per week in the office.

BDS determines salary on a pay scale based on education and experience. For this position, there is a salary range from $51,880 -$77,880 based on the applicant's experience and education. BDS also offers comprehensive benefits including health and dental insurance, short-term disability and life insurance, a 403(b)-retirement plan with employer contribution, pre-tax commuter benefit, pre-tax flexible spending accounts, and above-average vacation, sick, holiday, family, and medical leave policies.

Application Instructions

Click “Apply Now” to submit a cover letter and resume on our online application portal. Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. We recommend you submit your application by January 26, 2024.

Brooklyn Defender Services is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to celebrating diversity and maintaining an equitable and inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, expressions, orientations, disabilities, and experiences to apply. If you require an accommodation due to a disability or another reason, please contact the H.R. Manager, Christopher Cox, at ccox @ bds.org.