Legal Advocacy Specialist

At SafePlace, we pride ourselves on being a widely diverse group of individuals who are collectively dedicated to preventing domestic violence and sexual assault, while providing crucial services for survivors and their children. SafePlace is an inclusive and supportive environment where each employee feels welcome, can do their best work, and can be their best selves.

Job Title:                                 

Legal Advocacy Specialist

Reports to:                              

Community Services Program Manager

FLSA Status:                           

Non-exempt

Salary Level & Range:             

Schedule D

Range: $24.34 - $27.99

Hours Per Week:                     

35 hours per week

Normal Work Schedule:          

Monday through Thursday:

• Base hours - Monday – Thursdays: 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.


• First and Third Thursday evenings each month are required. Occasional weekend work required

Benefits:                                   

Medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid holidays and paid time off leave, and Employee Assistance Program are provided as per SafePlace personnel policies. Retirement benefits will be available when simple plan qualifications have been met. Voluntary Life, Accident and Critical Illness Insurances are available.

Position Summary

• Provide legal advocacy to survivors of sexual and domestic violence, perform crisis intervention and ongoing advocacy in person and on the phone, and provide clients with referrals and other information.


• Provide training for the SafePlace initial Advocate Core Training (ACT).


• Assist with the referral system as needed by the Community Services Program Manager.


• Support legal advocates.


• Train and supervise legal advocacy volunteers and /or interns.

Responsibilities

Provide and assist with legal advocacy services to our emergency shelter residents, legal clinic attendees, and court clients. Those services include accompaniment during legal proceedings in preparation for courtroom activities, as requested.

• Provide advocacy and assist clients in gathering information connected to InfoNet.


• Assist clients with anti-harassment, sexual assault, and domestic violence protection orders, divorce, and parenting plan hearings as


• Assist clients with police interviews and DV/SA criminal hearings as requested


• Ensure current statistics on clients are maintained and are entered into InfoNet


• Keep accurate case notes on clients.


• Distribute and track legal referrals as they are received.


• Maintain networking with the community legal systems with oversight by the Community Services Program Manager

Maintain and assist in the ongoing development of culturally appropriate legal resources.

• Provide information to clients about safety planning


• Organize and attend bi-monthly legal clinics as needed


• Assist with the facilitation of the Parenting Plan Forms Workshop


• Be available for on-call shifts as needed. This includes Sexual Assault Responses 


• Organize, conduct, and participate in legal resource outreach and education to rural communities, legal service providers, Thurston County courts, and other SafePlace program employees and clients with oversight by the Community Services Program Manager


• Provide support during walk-ins at the Community Services Building, with the 24-hour helpline, and collaborate with the Community Services Advocate and the Domestic Violence support group, as assigned


• Attend community meetings and report relevant information to staff


• Supervise legal interns on a weekly schedule and provide interns with mentorship and support.

Work with the Community Services Program Manager in identifying potential changes to current operational systems when needed.

• Attend community services, direct services, and all-staff meetings, as required


• Work with the Volunteer Program Coordinator to prepare, update, and deliver the Legal Advocacy I and II classes for SafePlace’s Advocate Core Training


• Perform duties as described in a culturally responsive manner


• Leads by being a change agent of positive change, encourages others in relationship building, and steps towards trust building. (this provision excludes employee communications regarding employees’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act).

 Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform each essential duty. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation(s) may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• High School diploma or general education degree (GED) required.


• One year’s experience in crisis intervention and/or sexual and domestic violence survivor advocacy.


• Demonstrated understanding of and training in sexual and domestic violence issues.


• One year’s experience providing crisis intervention and/or sexual and domestic violence


• Demonstrated understanding of sexual and domestic violence issues and legal


• Working knowledge of the court system, law enforcement systems, and legal


• Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications


• Experience in prioritization and problem-solving.


• Ability to organize effectively


• Experience establishing and maintaining working relationships with co-workers and community organizations


• Ability to work independently


• Ability to handle stress effectively


• Ability to maintain a positive attitude in a crisis intervention work environment


• Have (or be willing to obtain) a car, current automobile liability insurance and telephone


• Commitment to the need for client and agency confidentiality


• Commitment to the SafePlace mission and values


• Multilingual is a plus

Training

• Employee is required to complete the initial SafePlace ACT training and on-the-job crisis line training with shelter staff. This will be provided once hired.


• Employee must attend 20 hours of on-going direct service training a year, which must include 15 hours advocacy, 12 hours of sexual assault training and 3 hours of CPR training.

Primary Competencies Were Are Seeking

• Customer / Community Focused


• Manages Complexity


• Resourcefulness


• Collaborates


• Communicates Effectively


• Builds Effective Team

Culture Statement

SafePlace employees are part of a cultivating team, where team members are friendly, accepting, and truly care about the wellbeing of others. Team members are proactive about sharing resources that benefit clients and are inspired by and enthusiastic about each other’s success! This is a workplace that encourages new ideas and collective input in an atmosphere that is both patient and dependable. SafePlace offers an inspiring environment to be yourself and thrive!