Trilingual Receptionist and Customer Service Assistant
Compensation: $22 - $24 per hour, depending on skills and experience.
Employment type: Full-time
Fuerza Immigration Lawyers is hiring a “Trilingual Receptionist and Customer Service Assistant.” This is a full-time position, with excellent benefits, and ideal for an individual looking to launch their professional career.
THE EMPLOYER
We are one of the largest family immigration and deportation defense law firms in Northern California. We represent primarily Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking immigrants in the immigration courts and various U.S. immigration agencies. All of our employees are bilingual and some are trilingual, speaking English, Spanish, and Portuguese. We represent hundreds of "Dreamers" with DACA. We keep families together by defending immigrants who face deportation. We represent asylum applicants. We have helped thousands of Bay Area residents obtain green cards through marriage and other family-based immigration petitions. We are one of the top firms in the nation for "U Visas" and have obtained work permits for thousands of crime victims and their family members.
Our core focus is to use our passion, dedication, and talent for problem-solving to protect our clients’ rights and keep their families together. An ideal candidate embodies our six core values:
· Commitment to our clients, the law, and the success of our business;
· Willingness to go the extra mile;
· Excellence;
· Trustworthiness;
· Problem solving; and,
· Respect for clients and staff.
We foster a collegial environment in which the entire team works together to further our clients’ interests. Employees who embody the firm’s core values are regularly recognized for their efforts. The Partners have an open-door policy and employees enjoy access to management to provide feedback, seek advice, and make suggestions. The firm holds regular staff and departmental meetings to encourage open communication.
The work site is a spacious, high-tech office in Oakland's financial district, overlooking the Oakland City Center and City Hall. Our building is half a block from the entrance to the 12th Street / City Center BART station. Downtown San Francisco is two BART stations away. The newly installed 13th Street Commons is in our “front yard,” providing access to a vibrant and eclectic community space.
Learn more at our website: www.fuerzalawyers.com
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Receptionist and Customer Service Assistant is one of the most important positions in the entire law firm. The first impression a client has of our firm is based on how they are treated on the phone and greeted when they contact our firm. The Receptionist and Customer Service Assistant must have excellent people skills, even under pressure, and be an excellent problem-solver, focused on resolving clients’ concerns when they contact our firm.
The Receptionist and Customer Service Assistant works together with other staff answering calls and taking turns at the front desk. Our firm is very busy and our phones are constantly ringing with potential clients wanting to schedule consultations and current clients seeking assistance with their cases. The Receptionist and Customer Service Assistant is primarily responsible for answering the phone, determining where to direct the call, providing information about the firm’s screening process, and confirming appointments on the attorneys’ calendars.
The Receptionist and Customer Service Assistant will assist clients as the arrive at the office for appointments or to drop off or pick up documents or evidence, provide links to our screening questionnaire and instructions for completing them to potential clients, announce clients’ arrival to the appropriate attorney or paralegal, perform data entry, look up the records of existing clients to answer basic questions and resolve clients’ simple concerns, direct clients to our waiting area, assist the Accounting Department in the production of invoices and billing statements, and occasionally process payments. Every contact with a client must be recorded in our computer-based case management records, so every employee is constantly typing notes to record the nature of each phone call and client visit to the firm.
Occasionally, the Receptionist and Customer Service Assistant will be called upon to assist with other projects around the office.
Most communications with clients are in Spanish, with a significant percentage speaking Portuguese or English. Fluently spoken Portuguese, Spanish, and English are required for this position.
THE START DATE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
This job listing will remain posted until the position is filled. However, the ideal candidate would start immediately to maximize the training period with the employee currently in the position. An offer may be extended to a later start date if an exceptional candidate is currently employed or finishing an academic program.
The position is “in-office” (vs. remote). All Fuerza employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu (subject to disability or religious exemptions.)
THE COMPENSATION
· Starting pay $22 to $24, depending on education level and amount of relevant employment experience. (A candidate with several years of relevant experience will more likely start at the higher pay rate.)
· Extremely generous benefits and vacation package, including Kaiser and Delta Dental (after a vesting period) Aflac, Commuter Benefits, 401(k) plan with matching (after a vesting period), and a family-friendly work environment
· Opportunity to work in a professionally (and personally) fulfilling and meaningful position.
THE JOB REQUIREMENTS
PLEASE DO NOT APPLY UNLESS you meet ALL of the following minimum requirements:
· Fluency in English with grammatically correct writing. (You must type notes in the client's electronic case file, and the notes cannot be full grammar and spelling errors.)
· Fluency in spoken Spanish and ability to read and write Spanish.
· Fluency in spoken Portuguese and ability to read and write Portuguese.
· Good interpersonal communication skills. Ability to project friendly confidence with a positive attitude, demonstrating a sincere interest in helping the client who calls or visits our office.
· High school degree plus two years of college or vocational school education. (A candidate with at least 4 years of receptionist or client services experience will be considered in lieu of the education requirement.) Selected applicants are required to produce school transcripts prior to employment.
· At least one employment reference that can be contacted.
· Typing at 50 words per minute or more. (We test typing speed at www.typingtest.com)
· Physical ability to carry case files sometimes up to 20lbs.
· Authorized to accept employment in the United States. DACA recipients encouraged to apply.
· Willingness to work an occasional Saturday. (Take a day off during the week, and work that Saturday.)
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $22.00 - $24.00 per hour
Expected hours: 40 per week
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Monday to Friday
- Weekends as needed
Experience:
- Customer service: 2 years (Preferred)
Language:
Ability to Commute:
- Oakland, CA 94612 (Required)
Ability to Relocate:
- Oakland, CA 94612: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person
