Legal Assistant and Office Administrator

The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of over 200, including more than 130 legal and policy experts, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, with offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, DC. 

Position Overview:

The Southern Environmental Law Center is hiring a Legal Assistant and Office Administrator to join our Birmingham, AL. office. Reporting to SELC’s Regional Administrator, this individual will handle administrative and legal support responsibilities for our dynamic Alabama office. This is an excellent opportunity to join a highly successful, nationally recognized organization that is effectively addressing some of the most pressing and challenging environmental issues throughout the South and the nation.

SELC has a hybrid work model that offers employees flexibility to work remotely up to two days per week. This is a full-time, non-exempt position.

Primary Responsibilities:

The Legal Assistant and Office Administrator will assume a diverse set of administrative and legal/litigation support duties, including:

• Sets annual office budget, tracks quarterly spending with the Office Director, and manages office accounting duties.
• Maintains the office calendar and relays information about new policies, procedures, guidelines, and technology updates to staff.
• Coordinates summer interns, assists with new staff onboarding, and arranges local events.
• Provides general administrative support which includes printing, copying, scanning, and mailing. Arranges travel; submits and tracks invoices for payment.
• Shares responsibility for taking minutes during staff meetings, answering the main phone line, and fielding, documenting and processing cold calls.
• Serves as a primary contact with landlords, business vendors, and maintenance staff.
• Provides legal support to SELC attorneys, which may include preparing and submitting court filings in state/federal courts and utility commissions, preparing and submitting comment letters to federal and state agencies, researching local court rules, proofreading and editing written materials, and other litigation support tasks.
• Maintains files including pleadings, transcripts, memos, and correspondence; computes and calendars court deadlines.
• Reviews citations and verifies citations to the record.
• Assists with the logistical and evidentiary preparations for judicial and administrative proceedings (including depositions, mediations, hearings, and trials).
• Assists in the collection and review of documents and records obtained through public records requests.
• Handles complex discovery productions in e-discovery software.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combined education and experience.
• Professional experience in an office setting.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively, convey information clearly, and build positive working relationships.
• Excellent time management skills and sound judgment in prioritizing tasks, knowing when to work independently and when to seek guidance or clarification.

Desired:

• Two years of litigation support experience or four years of office administration and operations support experience.
• Experience with e-discovery tools or legal document management tools. Experience with Logikcull and/or NetDocuments is a plus.
• A genuine interest in and commitment to helping SELC create and foster an equitable and inclusive workplace that reflects the rich racial and cultural diversity of our region.