A note about our Disability Law Clinic

The Disability Law Clinic at DABC is currently unable to provide any legal services due to a staffing shortage. Since 2020 the Disability Law Clinic has provided legal advice and assistance to people with disabilities in BC, in some disability-related areas of law. But we recently experienced a change in our staffing, and we do not have the resources to provide legal services at this time.

If you contact the Disability Law Clinic, our staff may still be able to provide basic information and referrals to other legal resources, but they will not be able to connect you with a lawyer or give any legal advice. If you need legal advice, we recommend that you consider other legal resources, such as the ones listed in our Resource and Referral Guide: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/programs/disability-law-clinic-resource-referral-guide/.

DABC will be hiring new staff as soon as possible, but at this time we don’t know how long it may take. We will provide updates on our website and social media as soon as we are able to resume providing legal services.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

JOB POSTING: Intake Worker/Legal Assistant, Disability Law Clinic

Our Mission

For over 40 years, Disability Alliance BC (DABC) has been a provincial, cross-disability voice in British Columbia. Our mission is to support people with all disabilities to live with dignity, independence, and as equal and full participants in the community. We champion issues impacting the lives of people with disabilities through our direct services, community partnerships, advocacy, research, and publications. We are a member organization of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities and the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition.

In 2020, DABC opened the Disability Law Clinic (DLC). Funded by the Law Foundation of BC, the DLC is the first non-profit legal clinic in BC that works exclusively in the area of disability rights. The DLC provides free legal advice and assistance to low-income people with disabilities, directly to persons with disabilities from across BC, on certain disability-related areas of law. You can find more information about our services on our website, at https://disabilityalliancebc.org/program/disability-law-clinic/.

The DLC currently consists of two lawyers, an articling student, and a full-time legal assistant/advocate. This posting is for a new position, for a part-time intake worker/legal assistant.

Duties and responsibilities

• Answering calls from clients, entering information into our database, determining clients’ legal issues, directing calls to the appropriate staff member and taking messages
• Providing clients with referrals to other agencies, sending public legal education material and providing limited legal information
• Answering other calls, taking messages, arranging couriers, sending and delivering mail
• Maintaining accurate database and filing system
• Providing advocacy and litigation support for advocates and lawyers
• Assisting with IT and website
• Other duties as required

Required

• Completion of a legal assistant or paralegal program, or other comparable program
• At least 2 years of experience in a similar role

Assets

• Lived experience as a person with a disability
• Fluency in a language other than English
• Knowledge of legal and community resources in BC
• Excellent judgment in matters of ethics and confidentiality
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to deal with distressed clients in a calm and respectful manner
• Ability to prioritize and respond to shifting program needs
• Ability to work under pressure, be flexible, and adapt to changing situations easily
• Ability to work well with all types of personalities and levels of responsibility
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, and as part of a team

This position is for 3 days per week. The position will be located at DABC’s office in Vancouver. The successful candidate may be required to work at home one or two days per week.

We encourage applications from members of communities that experience structural discrimination and marginalization, especially people with disabilities.

Compensation: $27,000 per year, extended health and dental benefits after 3 months

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to Andrew Robb, Managing Lawyer, Disability Law Clinic, by email: andrew@disabilityalliancebc.org.

Closing date: July 15, 2022

*This position is funded by the Law Foundation of BC*