Job Description
We are seeking to recruit a dynamic, self-driven and result oriented person to fill in the position of Legal Assistant at our Forced Migration Programe in Nairobi.
Responsible to the Legal Officer-FMP for opening, updating and filing client documents for rapid retrieval. Also, responsible for filing court applications, serving legal documents and pleadings, obtaining hearing dates and notifying Advocates about the position of their cases. Other duties include attending and responding to clients’ queries and notifying them about hearing dates and court fees to be paid to initiate or continue court proceedings.
Minimum Qualifications and Training and Relevant Experience
• Minimum Qualifications and training: Must be in possession of a Diploma in Law and or Paralegal Studies, Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) with credits in English and holder of a current process server certificate.
• Relevant Experience: Must have gained a minimum five (5) years relevant experience as a paralegal clerk in a busy law firm or the equivalent.
• Skills: Must have good communication skills both orally and in writing. Also should be proficient in using word processing and spreadsheet packages.
Key duties and responsibilities include:
• Reviewing “bring up diary” to retrieve client files, which require immediate action for the attention of all lawyers responsible.
• Notifying clients about hearing dates and requesting them to deposit the necessary court fees in order to enable their cases to be processed. The same is done through letters, phone calls and physically.
• Assisting in the preliminary interview of walk in and return clients in the Forced Migration Programme
• Filing “initial client interview forms” systematically according to admission number, date and month in order to update the daily attendance register.
• Receiving receipts from return clients in order to retrieve the “initial client interview form” and then directing them to appropriate Legal officer.
• Opening client files in accordance with instructions received from the Legal Officer and requesting clients to deposit nominal administrative fees.
• Opening client files and filing them systematically in relevant drawers according to the alphanumeric system, which includes the file number and year for rapid retrieval.
• Managing, attending and responding to client enquiries about the position of their cases and informing them of the action taken and what requires to be done.
• Attending court to fix hearing dates, file pleadings and pay the required court fees. Also updating the “Master diary” by entering hearing dates as well as updating the diaries of Legal Officers against the “master diary”. And also requesting other Advocates to hold briefs for KITUO in the event of inadvertent absence of Legal Officers.
• Examining and/or perusing court files to find out the position of specific cases in court and notifying Legal Officers.
• Serving pleadings, plaints, affidavits, applications, judgments, rulings and Court summons to defendants or their Advocates and ensuring that the documents are correctly signed.
• Drawing simple court pleadings, plaints, decrees, applications, orders and Compiling record of appeal.
• Maintaining complete records of financial transactions relating to court fees and other relevant disbursements.
• Making statistical and narrative reports on activities of the registry.
• Assist Advocates in legal aid clinics activities and workshops.
• Assisting individual clients and community groups in arbitration and negotiation in out of court settlements (A.D.R.) in matters that involve legal disputes or otherwise.
• Photocopying clients documents as requested by Legal Officers.
• Requisitioning and accounting for all monies spent in the course of duty.
• Counseling clients
• Report writing.