PRISONERS’ LEGAL SERVICES – INTAKE WORKER/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Burnaby, BC – Prisoners’ Legal Services is located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and qiqéyt (Qayqayt) Nations.
Prisoners’ Legal Services is looking for an intake worker/administrative assistant who wants to use their skills to support the rights and dignity of people in prison.
About us:
Prisoners’ Legal Services is a non-profit society providing legal assistance to people in federal and provincial prisons in British Columbia. We also engage in strategic litigation and advocacy on the prison justice issues brought forward by our clients to achieve systemic, anti-carceral change.
We are a team of lawyers and non-lawyers who believe that no one is disposable, and who work alongside and in solidarity with incarcerated people. We witness some of the harshest forms of state violence, and use the legal system’s tools to protect our clients from the abuses and degradations of prison.
About this role:
The intake worker/administrative assistant is a critical role, acting as the first point of contact for incarcerated people with our office and triaging their needs with compassion and efficiency. PLS has two intake workers/administrative assistants who work in close partnership with one another.
Duties include:
- Answering calls from clients, entering information into our database, determining clients’ legal issues, directing calls to the appropriate staff member and taking messages;
- Providing clients with referrals to other agencies, sending public legal education material and providing limited legal information in specific identified areas;
- Answering other calls, taking messages, arranging couriers, sending and delivering faxes and mail;
- Maintaining accurate database and filing systems;
- Drafting letters;
- Tracking access to information requests and responses;
- Arranging legal aid lawyers to represent clients at hearings;
- Providing advocacy and litigation support to advocates and lawyers;
- In partnership with the office manager, ensuring facilities and IT systems are working;
- Keeping the office organized and tidy, vacuuming and taking out recycling and garbage.
Qualifications & skills:
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work with people in prison, lawyers, and prison and parole officials;
- Desire to assist marginalized clients, including people with high mental health needs and people convicted of various crimes, and ability to speak with distressed clients in a calm and supportive manner;
- Ability to be discreet and to exercise excellent judgment in matters of ethics and confidentiality;
- Efficient and detail-oriented;
- Commitment to social justice and anti-oppression work;
- Grade 12 education;
- Comfortable with Microsoft Office;
- Ability to work well with others in a team setting;
- Experience in a legal environment and/or with record keeping and file management an asset; and
- Ability to care for yourself and colleagues amidst challenging work.
We are committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity and inclusion and we welcome and encourage applications from members of marginalized communities or communities that experience structural discrimination, including but not limited to Indigenous people, racialized people, people with (dis)abilities, and people of minority sexual orientations and gender identities.
This is an in-person position based at our office in Burnaby, BC.
Salary: $46,265, plus a comprehensive benefits package. Additional benefits include 20 paid vacation days, wellness days, and professional development opportunities.
Closing date: January 10, 2025 or until filled. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.
Interested applicants should submit a covering letter and résumé outlining how their qualifications meet the position requirements to:
Nicole Kief, Interim Executive Director
Prisoners’ Legal Services / West Coast Prison Justice Society
info@pls-bc.ca
Please note “intake worker/administrative assistant” in the subject line.