Administrative Assistant at East Bay Community Law Center – Berkeley, California

TEMPORARY BI-LINGUAL (SPANISH-SPEAKING) ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/RECEPTIONIST (6-MONTH TERM)

East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is a non-profit legal services organization, the community-based clinical program for U.C. Berkeley Law School, and one of the Bay Area’s largest and most effective systems disrupters. With a dual service and teaching mission, EBCLC is a racial justice organization committed to building a culturally diverse workplace, centered on equity. With about 50 staff, 120 law students a year, and a nearly $7.5 million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal services in Alameda County, providing multimodal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 4,000 clients annually and engaging in legislative and policy advocacy at the state and local level.

The Opportunity

EBCLC’s Administrative Assistants are the first point of contact for clients seeking services by phone and in person and provide vital programmatic and administrative support. EBCLC provides a range of legal services in the areas of housing, immigration, public benefits, and economic security issues, and our staff frequently interact with people who are experiencing instability or are in crisis. Our Administrative Assistants are expected to provide compassionate and respectful support to all community members in line with EBCLC’s client-centered, and trauma-informed philosophy, and utilize verbal de-escalation techniques as needed.

This position is an integral part of the Administration team, which includes the Director of Finance & Administration, Client Operations Manager, Facilities Manager, and two (2) Administrative Assistants. The temporary Administrative Assistant is supervised by the Client Operations Manager. This position is in coverage for a leave of absence, with an anticipated start date in May 2026.

Primary Responsibilities

• Establish trusting relationships with clients and community members in crisis using trauma-informed client service model
• Perform initial intake screening for individuals who contact us by phone or walk into our office, assessing clients’ eligibility and legal issues, and directing them to appropriate internal services or external referrals
• Address emails and voicemails left in our general mail and voicemail boxes, by either responding directly/calling the person back or forwarding the message to the appropriate internal recipient
• Use case management software to enter client and legal issue information, following appropriate intake procedures and policies for EBCLC’s legal practice areas
• Research, identify, update, and circulate referral information for services outside the scope of those provided by EBCLC that respond to client inquiries and needs, and maintain a strong working knowledge of community resources to support providing accurate external referrals to clients.
• Support program operations in a variety of ways, including scanning client paperwork, accepting and documenting client trust deposits, connecting clients with appointments to the person they are scheduled to meet with, and other administrative and reception tasks associated with EBCLC’s legal services.
• Assist with administrative tasks in support of EBCLC’s office functioning generally, including sorting and scanning mail, updating staff directories, maintaining an inventory of office supply items, logging closed client files to be sent to offsite storage, and ensuring office opening and closing procedures are completed at the beginning and end of each workday.
• Work collaboratively with other administrative and program support staff to address client, programmatic and operational needs.
• Provide additional administrative support and other duties as assigned by the supervisor

Salary and Benefits

Starting hourly rate for this full-time non-exempt position is $34.07 to $40.11 per hour based on the number of years of prior relevant experience, as dictated by EBCLC’s salary scale. EBCLC’s standard work day is 7 hours per day, and this position is expected to work 35 hours per week.

Benefits include fully paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision) for employees and their dependents, life and disability insurance, and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, and holidays); EBCLC also offers flexible spending accounts for qualified health, dependent care, and commute expenditures; and retirement options.

Workplace Expectations and Physical Requirements

Administrative Assistants are expected to work on-site at the organization’s Berkeley office five days per week, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., providing front desk coverage and general administrative support. This shift includes a 1-hour unpaid meal break and 2 paid rest breaks.

This position serves as the first point of contact for the public and requires frequent interaction with a diverse group of visitors, clients, vendors, and staff. The organization serves a broad and diverse community, including individuals from historically under-resourced populations, and the role requires the ability to interact with members of the public in a respectful, empathetic, and culturally responsive manner.

Physical requirements may include prolonged sitting or remaining stationary at a workstation, repetitive hand and wrist motions such as typing and data entry, use of computer and mouse frequent use of hands and fingers to handle documents and office equipment, and the ability to communicate clearly with visitors and callers via our phone systems. The role may also occasionally require lifting or moving items such as files, packages, or office supplies within the office.

Working At EBCLC

EBCLC is strongly committed to advancing justice through education and advocacy, and the need to transform legal services and legal education. Please take time to review EBCLC’s mission, vision, programs, and website, and ensure that your cover letter reflects how your background, experience, and expertise have prepared you to be successful in performing the responsibilities of the position.

Additionally, EBCLC is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. To achieve this goal, EBCLC works actively to improve our office climate, systems and structures, communications, and community engagement to create an inclusive and respectful workplace where differences are acknowledged and valued.

We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. EBCLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior contact with the criminal legal system, or any other basis prohibited by law.

EBCLC is a unionized workplace and members of the bargaining unit are represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20, IFPTE. This position is not part of the bargaining unit.

Application Process

Interested applicants should submit application materials to https://ebclc.org/about-us/careers/ Applicants will be required to upload a resume, answer initial screening questions, and provide contact information for two professional references.

EBCLC will review applications on a rolling basis.

Minimum Qualifications

• Proficient to intermediate administrative skills with Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
• Strong communication skills and capacity to respond to clients and co-workers in an empathetic and respectful way, and utilize verbal de-escalation techniques as needed to assist clients in crisis
• Strong organizational skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion, be adaptable to various competing demands and demonstrate the highest level of customer/client service
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse range of people and groups
• Strong desire to support clients from underserved communities and a commitment to social justice
• Ability to communicate fluently in Spanish with Spanish-speaking clients.