Paralegal Trainee/Legal Assistant (Casual)

Location: Portland Community College, Portland, OR

Join Our Team at Portland Community College

Please Note: PCC currently limits employment to individuals residing in Oregon and Washington. Employment offers are contingent upon the ability to establish residence in Oregon or Washington.

Portland Community College will also ensure that applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for the hiring process are provided for. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact the PCC Talent Acquisition Team at [email protected].

Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon and 19th largest in the nation, serving approximately 80,000 full- and part-time students. With four comprehensive campuses, five workforce training and education centers, and 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area, our unique role is to make high-quality education accessible to everyone, creating opportunities for our students and contributing to the economic development of our community.

Casual positions at Portland Community College have a working hour limit per fiscal year. Please see the Casual Employment at PCC section below for more details.

The College Access Programs Department, housed within the SWEB Division works to reduce barriers to educational access, transition, and student success. Through its programs and partnerships, the department supports students from high school through college and provides culturally responsive resources for historically underserved communities. The department includes the Unity Resource Center (URC), which supports immigrant, refugee, DACA, and mixed-status students and families. In partnership with SOAR Immigration Legal Services, the department provides culturally specific programming and access to immigration legal services.

What You'll Do and Who We Are Looking For

We are searching for an enthusiastic Legal Assistant Paralegal Trainee to become part of the College Access Programs Department on a part-time basis for 16-24 hours each week.

This role is crucial in supporting our mission to remove educational barriers for students by developing programs and working in partnership with key stakeholders, both internal and external. The chosen candidate will be placed at SOAR Immigration Legal Services and will provide administrative support for Attorneys and DOJ-accredited representatives both at SOAR’s office in Portland and at SOAR’s PCC Legal Clinics.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide administrative support to SOAR attorneys and DOJ-accredited representatives.

Provide administrative support during SOAR’s Legal Clinics at Portland Community College locations, including greeting clients, conducting intake, and acting as a liaison between clients and other legal staff.

Schedule client appointments and contact clients to give reminders.

Engage in case management duties, including maintaining client digital and physical files, assisting with declaration drafting, research, and forms drafting, under the supervision of SOAR attorneys and/or DOJ-accredited representatives.

Handle various forms of communication (phone, email, Google Chat, etc., answer requests for information, relay messages when appropriate, and work independently.

Assist with community presentations on various immigration legal topics in coordination with SOAR’s attorneys.

Qualifications

Understanding or lived experience of immigrant populations.

Proficient computer skills and working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite products.

Excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills with the ability to listen to and affirm people from a wide variety of backgrounds and circumstances;.

Ability to multi-task efficiently.

Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

Ability to develop and maintain confidentiality of records and effective working relationships; maintain a reliable and dependable attendance record; learn and utilize database management systems.

Ability to work independently and collaboratively.

Preferred current or past PCC Paralegal Student

Preferred: Bilingual Spanish/English

Primary Location: PCC Cascade Campus

Additional Locations: Off Campus

This position will remain open until filled.

Casual Employment at PCC

Casual Employment Categories

Clerical/Administrative Support

Employee can work up to 599 hours in a fiscal year

Service Assistant/Maintenance

Skilled Craft

Technical Assistant

Professional

Employee can work up to 959 hours in a fiscal year

Management/Supervisory

Employee can work up to 1039 hours in a fiscal year

Casual Compensation Hourly Range$16.80 - $25.05

Potential Benefits Eligibility

As a new Casual employee, you may be eligible for certain benefits through PCC, such as Oregon Sick Leave and retirement savings plans.

More detailed information on the benefits plans, who is eligible, and how to enroll or make changes can be found at pcc.edu/hr/benefits. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions.

Please note that Portland Community College is not currently able to provide visa (e.g. H1-B Visa) sponsorship for potential employees.

Contact PCC at [email protected] if you have questions

Oregon Veterans' Preference in Public Employment

Portland Community College complies with the Oregon Veterans' Preference in Public Employment law which provides qualifying veterans and disabled veterans with preference in employment. You will be given instructions during the application process to claim Veterans' Preference in the recruitment of this position, and to provide the documents required for verification of eligibility. Please do not send your documentation to the hiring manager directly. For verification of eligibility, please submit the following documentation:

Veterans: DD214

Disabled Veterans: DD214 and Letter from the Departmen