Immigrant Defenders Law Center (“ImmDef”) is a next-generation, social justice law firm that provides high-quality representation and legal services to immigrants in Southern California and beyond. ImmDef was founded with the belief that no immigrant should be forced to face an unjust immigration system alone and our universal representation programs are a first step towards that goal. Learn more about us at

ImmDef represents thousands of adults, children and families annually who have multi-faceted, complex and urgent legal needs as they face our unjust immigration system. ImmDef is currently seeking a full-time administrative assistant to join our team of fearless advocates providing creative and zealous representation to our clients in Los Angeles, CA. Administrative Assistants will be joining the largest non-profit, universal representation model deportation defense team in the state of California.

The Administrative Assistant role under the direction of the Administrative Coordinator involves a variety of essential functions. This is an excellent entry-level position where the successful applicant will get their foot-in-the-door at an organization that is engaged in cutting edge immigration litigation for individual clients with an overarching organizational goal of fighting for a more just immigration system.

(This job post may be used to hire additional Administrative Assistants on a Temp-to-Hire basis. )

Essential Functions:

• Reception duties including but not limited to: Answering and routing telephone calls and visitors appropriately; Fielding telephone calls from ImmDef clients, partner organizations, and other members of the community; Maintaining and monitoring client waiting areas as needed; Greeting and directing visitors, making them feel welcomed and respected at all times; Notifying legal team staff when guests and clients have arrived;
• Maintaining office common areas and assessing ongoing needs;
• Sending, receiving, and processing all correspondence;
• Cataloguing and maintaining ImmDef’s case filing system;
• Creating and archiving client files;
• Maintenance of internal databases to support program needs;
• Perform other clerical duties such as filing, photocopying, scanning, faxing, maintaining spreadsheets, updating case data, etc.;
• Providing back up administrative support to paralegals and attorneys as needed;
• Meticulous calendaring and maintenance of attorney schedules;
• Assisting with initiation of representation for new clients;
• Provide Spanish to English and English to Spanish interpretation, translation of documents and communication assistance for clients as needed;
• Filing documents electronically or in person at immigration and state courts;
• Submitting records requests with various agencies, such as Immigration Court and FBI;
• Other duties as assigned by the Administrative Coordinator and ImmDef leadership.

Desired Qualifications:

• High School Degree or GED is required, Bachelor’s degree is preferred;
• Passion and enthusiasm for providing high quality client services;
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail;
• Ability to take initiative and problem-solving skills;
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and Power Point;
• Experience working at a nonprofit or a public interest law firm is helpful;
• Demonstrated ability to work within a high-volume, busy law office is a plus;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both English and Spanish;
• Enthusiasm for working at a mission driven organization and passion for social justice for immigrants required;
• DACA Recipients strongly encouraged to apply!

Level of Language Proficiency

• Spanish fluency is required and will be tested at time of interview.

You can learn more about our programs at .

Due to the large number of applicants, we are unable to respond to every applicant and will only contact those who are invited to interview for the position.

• This position is included in the ImmDef employee union bargaining unit.
• Base compensation is $23.00 to $28.75 per hour, depending on experience.

Schedule:

• ImmDef’s standard work schedule is 35 hours per week, or 70 hours per pay period.
• Administrative Assistants and Receptionists are generally required to work on-site Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Holidays and Paid Time Off :

• 13 paid holidays
• 1-Week paid winter break between Christmas Eve and New Years
• 15 vacation days per year
• 15 Sick Days per year

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance:

• ImmDef provides health coverage on the first of the month following 30 days on the job.
• We cover 100% of premiums for our base dental and vision plans for our staff members and 75% of base plan dental and vision premiums for their dependents. ImmDef also covers 89% of the base plan medical premiums for our staff and 69% of the base plan medical premiums for their dependents.

FSA and Dependent Care FSA:

• ImmDef offers FSA plans to help offset the costs of eligible health care expenses for you, your spouse, and your eligible dependents using pre-tax dollars.
• We also offer Dependent Care FSA to pay for eligible dependent care services, such as preschool, summer day camp, before or after school programs, and child or adult daycare.
• Eligible for Parental Leave which includes six (6) weeks of ImmDef paid leave.

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan & Employer Matching:

• ImmDef staff are eligible to enroll in our 401(k) plans upon three months of hire, contributing pre-tax dollars towards their retirement goals.
• After three months on staff, ImmDef will match 100% of contributions up to 4% of the employee’s salary.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness:

• As a 501(c)3, full-time ImmDef staff with qualifying student loans are eligible for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Parking and Public Transportation Stipends:

• Staff members assigned to an office without free on-site parking are eligible to receive a parking stipend of up to $130 per month in actual accrued parking or transportation costs.
• Staff in all offices are eligible to receive a public transportation stipend of up to $100 per month in actual accrued public transportation costs.