PARALEGAL - ELDER, HEALTH & DISABILITY UNIT

Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) is committed to fair employment practices. We are proud to employ a staff with the cultural and linguistic competency to work within a variety of communities.

Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) seeks a paralegal to work in the Elder, Health and Disability Unit. We provide free legal services and representation to clients in the greater Boston area who cannot afford private legal representation. The Unit represents elders, people with disabilities and families to ensure that they have income, health care and services needed to live independently in the community. The unit’s work includes access to SSI income for children and adults, access to affordable health care for all and representation of elders in benefits and housing matters. Our special projects include: Medicare Advocacy Project, Children’s Disability Project, and School to Prison Pipeline Intervention Project. The unit’s work includes keeping people out of institutions and improving the quality of life for those who live in institutions. We empower people to make decisions about their lives and support people with disabilities in their fight for accessibility and integration.

The Paralegal will be part of our School to Prison Pipeline Intervention Project team, primarily handling special education and school discipline cases for low-income students, with an emphasis on students with disabilities, students of color, and homeless students, mostly in Boston public and charter schools in the Boston area; this work will also include policy advocacy. The candidate may also work on other unit cases as needed.

The position involves responsibility for client cases under the supervision of unit attorneys including: interviewing, investigating facts, assessing the merits of a case, research and analysis of law, drafting of written and oral legal arguments, negotiation with school officials and agency staff, and preparation for and handling of administrative hearings with examination of witnesses including clinical experts. The position may also involve assisting attorneys in litigation, legislative and policy advocacy, supervising student and volunteer interns, and community legal education. The position requires attendance at statewide meetings and trainings.

Qualifications: Candidates should have good communication, writing, organizational, and oral presentation skills; ability to read, analyze and synthesize large volumes of school and other records; and strong demonstrated commitment to anti-poverty and civil rights work. Experience advocating for low-income people and working with young people of color preferred. Spanish fluency/proficiency is a plus.

The salary for this position is based on a union scale. The salary range for an applicant with 4 to 6 years of experience is $50,000 to $52,000 with an additional $950 annual payment for second language ability. GBLS offers a generous benefits package, retirement contribution and generous Paid Time Off leave.

Candidates should submit cover letter, resume and a brief writing sample to via e-mail at jobs@gbls.org . Please refer to Job Code: EHD-PARA, when applying for this position. Deadline: April 23, 2025 or until the position is filled.

GBLS encourages applicants from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences.