FULL-TIME PARALEGAL - HOUSING UNIT

Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity / Accessible Employer and strives to ensure that our staff members reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.

Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) seeks applications for a full-time Paralegal position in the Housing Unit. The Paralegal will support the full range of activities of the Housing Unit, with significant emphasis on coordination, planning, and implementation of a new eviction record sealing program.

The Eviction Sealing Program: A new law that will go into effect on May 5, 2025, for the first time, will give tenants in Massachusetts the ability to seal an eviction record. Unfortunately, sealing is not automatic and will require tenants with qualified evictions to ask the court to remove the cases from the public record (and from being reported by consumer reporting agencies). GBLS was instrumental in advocating for this new law, and since it passed in the summer has been working with community and legal partners in preparing for its implementation.

Responsibilities: The paralegal responsibilities will include leading community outreach and education; coordinating the work of staff, volunteers, and pro bono counsel in connecting with tenants looking for assistance with eviction records sealing. The position may also require doing work to support tenants living in public and subsidized housing, tenant organizations seeking to preserve affordable housing, shelter advocacy, legislative and administrative advocacy projects, impact litigation, and any other paralegal work of the Housing Unit.

Off-site travel or work outside traditional hours (Mon-Fri, 9-5) may be required. GBLS is a hybrid workplace and will allow work from home several days per week. GBLS provides reimbursement for work-related travel.

Qualifications: We are looking for a candidate who can respond quickly and professionally to requests from applicants, clients, staff members, and external partners. Candidates must be able to work cooperatively on a team and have good attention to detail. Additionally, applicants should possess strong advocacy skills that include the ability to communicate effectively and persuasively both orally and in writing. Candidates with lived experience of displacement and housing instability are strongly encouraged to apply. Fluency in one or more languages spoken by GBLS clients (e.g., Portuguese, Spanish, and Haitian Creole) is a plus.

Compensation and Benefits: Salary and benefits are based on a union scale and additional compensation for increased years of experience. A paralegal with 3 to 6 years of experience (including certain educational experiences) would earn between $49,000 to $52,000, with an additional $950 annual payment for second language ability. GBLS offers a generous benefits package including low-cost comprehensive health insurance, paid time off, and ongoing professional development opportunities.

Application: Candidates should submit (1) a resume, and (2) a letter of interest, in PDF format, to the Human Resources Department via e-mail at jobs@gbls.org. Please refer to Job Code: HU-PARA when applying for this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis after March 11, 2025.

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