Executive Legal Assistant at Empire Justice Center – Rochester, New York

Employment Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Practice Group/Team: Leadership Team

Organization Information

Empire Justice Center, a diverse and highly respected statewide legal services organization, seeks an Executive Legal Assistant. This is an opportunity to join and grow in one of the most influential organizations serving marginalized low-income individuals and families in New York State.

Empire Justice Center attracts and employs a diverse team of dedicated, determined, and passionate advocates who significantly impact the lives of low-income New Yorkers. We succeed through direct legal representation, high-impact litigation, and legislative and administrative advocacy. As an organization, we provide top-notch training and technical assistance to other advocates to ensure fairness and justice for New Yorkers. We thrive on our commitment to advancing justice for populations that have historically experienced oppression. These populations include racially diverse individuals and families experiencing poverty, housing insecurity, immigration issues, and domestic violence. Additionally, the organization advocates for people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, and school-age children facing discrimination and violations of their civil rights in schools.

Our offices in Rochester, Albany, Westchester County, and Long Island offer staff an exciting, dynamic, inclusive work environment with a strong commitment to work-life balance, teamwork, diversity, wellness, and personal/professional development.

Position Summary

Empire Justice Center is pleased to announce an opening for an Executive Legal Assistant. Specifically, Empire Justice Center seeks a highly organized and professional Executive Legal Assistant to provide high-level administrative and legal practice support in a fast-paced, mission-driven legal environment. The ideal candidate is proactive, detail-oriented, and able to manage competing priorities with professionalism and discretion.

This position plays a critical role in providing direct administrative support to the Chief Legal Officer on internal legal and labor relations matters, organizational risk management, and legal practice management and operations. This position also provides direct administrative support to the Director of Litigation and other attorneys in the Rochester office, ensuring efficient case management, effective use of technology, and smooth day-to-day operations. This position is supervised by the Chief Legal Officer.

Salary

The referenced pay range represents the estimated minimum and maximum compensation for this job. Individual annual salaries/hourly rates will be set within the job's compensation range and will be determined by considering factors, including but not limited to, education, experience, qualifications, the individual's expertise, market data, and internal equity considerations.

The salary range for this position is $44,654-$55,818.

Benefits

We are an organization that supports and promotes a healthy work-life balance. Empire Justice Center offers a generous benefit package, including:

· 35-hour full-time work week.

· Comprehensive health insurance plan.

· 403(b) eligibility - immediately eligible to begin contributing from your paycheck.

· Immediate vesting upon hire - ALL contributions (both employee and employer).

o 1% employer match is eligible after 12 months of employment.

o 3% non-elective annual contribution made by employer after 12 months of employment.

· Generous vacation, sick, personal, and holiday time

o 14 Paid Holidays

o Vacation: 10.5 hours/month; Sick: 7 hours/month; Personal: 35 hours/year

· Loan Repayment Assistance Program for qualifying employees.

· Bilingual salary enhancement for qualifying employees.

· Generous Bereavement Leave.

· Employee Wellness Activities.

· Voluntary Supplemental Disability.

· Dental Insurance (employee paid).

· Vision Insurance (employee paid).

· $150K Group Term Life Insurance.

· NYS Short-Term Disability.

· FSA Eligibility.

Empire Justice Center is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and strongly desires a diverse and inclusive workforce. Empire Justice Center provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. It prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type, specifically - race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, disability status, genetics, neurodiversity, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

· Travel to and work in the Rochester Telesca Center office is required to meet client and organizational needs.

o This position is eligible for a hybrid work request under the organizational policy.

· Provide administrative and technological support for the Chief Legal Officer’s (CLO) role as General Counsel, including confidential administrative support to senior leadership on labor relations matters such as collective bargaining and union contract administration.

· Coordinate and schedule labor-related meetings.

· Prepare, organize, track, and maintain bargaining proposals and labor relations documentation.

· Support contract implementation and grievance administration processes.

· Handle sensitive labor relations information with the highest level of discretion and confidentiality.

· This role requires regular access to confidential labor relations and collective bargaining materials.

· Assist with the coordination and tracking of organizational legal matters, including compliance, risk management, and contracts.

· Maintain and manage the CLO’s calendar as needed, including scheduling internal and external meetings, coordinating travel, and tracking deadlines.

· Prepare and organize materials for meetings, including agendas, presentations, and supporting documents.

· Provide administrative support to the Chief Legal Officer in overseeing the legal practice of the organization.

· Provide administrative and technological support to the Director of Litigation in overseeing the legal practice of the organization.

· Provide administrative support for the handling of confidential management and personnel matters related to legal practice staffing and supervision.

· Track deadlines and proactively flag upcoming dates.

· Coordinate meetings, trainings, and internal events, including preparing agendas and materials.

· Monitor, manage, and draft correspondence, prioritizing time-sensitive matters and ensuring appropriate follow-up.

· Provide litigation support, including document preparation (drafting, formatting, proofreading), exhibit organization, service of process, court and agency filings, maintenance of case files and electronic records, timekeeping, expense tracking, and reporting as needed.

· Leverage Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Copilot), Adobe, Legal Server, and other platforms to manage documents, integrate and implement technology tools, and optimize workflows.

· Maintain templates, document automation tools, and standardized processes.

· Develop familiarity with and use of legal practice procedures and forms, and respond effectively to related inquiries.

· Must demonstrate a high level of comfort and commitment to working with people from marginalized communities.

· Work closely with the assigned supervisor and participate in regular supervision meetings, including work plan development and grant deliverable management.

· Ability to work in the office and the community, as determined by the supervisor.

· Ability to travel occasionally, as needed.

· As a nonprofit with limited resources, all staff are expected to perform administrative and other support-related duties to serve our clients and fulfill our mission.

· Other duties as assigned by the supervisor and/or to meet the organization’s needs.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

· Minimum of 3 years of professional experience as an Executive Assistant, Legal Assistant, or Paralegal in a legal or non-profit setting.

· Demonstrated ability to handle highly confidential information with discretion and professionalism.

· Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

· Willingness to gain extensive knowledge of procedures to communicate effectively with staff, management, attorneys, clients, courts, and external partners.

· Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Copilot), Adobe, and document management systems, with the ability to manage calendars, documents, and collaborative workflows.

· Experience with Legal Server is a plus.

· Comfort learning and using new technologies, including emerging tools that support legal and administrative work.

· Ability to draft routine correspondence, perform basic mathematical calculations, and maintain and organize record-keeping and filing systems.

· Willingness to experiment with new tools, provide feedback, and adapt workflows as technology evolves

· Strong familiarity with litigation processes, legal terminology, and legal formatting.

· Skilled at proofreading, editing, electronic file management, and scheduling.

· Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

· Ability to work independently and collaboratively with attorneys and staff in a team-based environment.

· Experience in and commitment to working with diverse and impoverished clientele.

Preferred Qualifications

· Bilingual in Spanish

TO APPLY: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. If interested, please visit our “Work With Us” employment page at www.empirejustice.org. Please submit a complete application, including a resume, cover letter, writing sample, and contact information for three professional references (one supervisor is required). Please refrain from making phone calls or sending hard copies. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

If reasonable accommodations are needed, please contact Mercedece Love, Human Resources and Compliance Manager, at HRSupport@empirejustice.org. Empire Justice Center is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Empire Justice Center ensures that persons with disabilities and/or communication barriers have reasonable accommodations.