Legal Intake Specialist, Bilingual; English​/Spanish

Overview

Children’s Law Center is a mission-driven organization focused on providing high-quality legal services to children and families in DC. Our vision is a world where all children have a strong foundation of family, health and education and are free from poverty, trauma, racism and other forms of oppression. Our mission is to do this work together with DC children and families, using the law to solve urgent problems today, improve systems for tomorrow, and strengthen our community so that change endures.

We are committed to challenging and reducing racism and other biases that prevent children from thriving. Our greatest assets are our people, and we value diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to achieve the best outcomes for clients and the community.

Program

Description:

Special Legal Projects expands legal tools to include innovative healthy housing advocacy, impact litigation, collaborations, and new approaches to ensure every child grows up with a strong foundation of family, health and education and lives free from poverty, trauma, racism and oppression. Special Legal Projects includes a team working on systemic change through impact litigation and partnerships, and a Brief Service team providing client-centered, timely, fair, respectful and compassionate intakes to all community members.

At Children’s Law Center (CLC), we aim to help parents and caregivers get useful assistance when they reach out for help. Through the legal intake process, CLC provides some level of service to determine what level of assistance best addresses each community member’s goals. The intake specialist is a critical part of the Brief Service team and the first point of contact for community members via the Community Intake Line and online intake forms, and for certain referrals.

This position involves serving as a key point of contact for referrals and assisting with eligibility determination, updating the client case management system, providing information, referrals and non-legal brief services, gathering and updating community resources, creating self-help resources, and collaborating with other community organizations to help families obtain needed services. The brief services may include contacting government agencies, obtaining records in education or social security matters, and assisting with applications for emergency rental or utility assistance.

The intake specialist may also support grant and program management activities, such as reviewing grant reports and updating the case management system in reference to intakes.

Receive Referrals and Act as Liaison with Partners

• Serve as a key point of contact for referrals from our medical partners, community stakeholders, the Intake Line and online intake form. Determine which types of cases we take and attend relevant meetings with partners as needed.
• Act as a connector with other legal services and community organizations.

Intake Responsibilities

• Screen intake callers to determine the appropriate level of service, including further intake by attorney, information, referrals and/or non-legal brief services. Intake calls may involve housing, education, family law and public benefits.
• Provide information, referrals and non-legal brief services to community members by phone, email and/or text. Brief services may include contacting government agencies and schools or drafting ghostwritten letters to landlords or requests for evaluations. Occasional walk-in intake clients may occur.
• Provide administrative support, such as obtaining releases and organizing potential client records, to CLC attorneys in their provision of legal services to intake clients.

• Strong computer skills (Windows, MS Word, Excel, and other Microsoft applications) and the ability to learn online databases, including the case management system.
• Experience with customer service or conducting intake or similar interviews.
• Fluency in Spanish with the ability to provide services to and communicate in English and Spanish, verbally and in writing.

• Commitment to social, economic and racial justice.
• Excellent…