About the Community Economic Defense Project and CED Law
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented eviction risk for U.S. renters. Nationwide, more than 15M people are at risk of eviction, with more than 200,000 at risk in Colorado alone. The Community Economic Defense Project was formed in April 2020. Our mission is to Keep Coloradans Housed. We do this by helping to prevent mass evictions and homelessness. We quickly built a team of housing lawyers, economists, data analysts, policy-experts, and organizers to respond to this crisis.
With guidance from our clients-a majority of whom identify as people of color-and community partners, we launched a “continuum care” approach to eviction prevention that centers the legal and financial needs of housing-insecure families and uses a variety of tools to keep them housed. At the center is the Colorado Stability Fund, a rental assistance and tenant advocacy vehicle.
Our focus in 2021 was on providing rental assistance and legal services to help at-risk individuals and families gain access to state and private rental assistance dollars and protecting individuals’ rights as tenants. We proved the efficacy of this effort with a remarkably successful 9-month period, during which we issued over $23M in rental assistance and provided legal services to over 400 clients. We are scaling and expanding the effort in 2022 by targeting the continued distribution of rental assistance and expansion into new areas of need from a legal and policy perspective.
As the COVID-19 crisis moves from pandemic to endemic, the Community Economic Defense Project will remain. Our continuum of care offers stability in the face of growing housing instability driven by inflation and ongoing economic challenges. Our continuum of care includes:
- Rental Assistance: For the vast majority of our clients, our partners at the Colorado Stability Fund provide rental assistance and we offer negotiation services. We use public funds to pay back and future rent, reinstate leases, and avert evictions through rental debt settlements alone.
- Legal Services: For complicated cases with additional legal issues or difficult landlords, we offer eviction defense services, paired with rental assistance dollars, to encourage settlement or stabilize tenancies and represent tenants in court when negotiation does not work. This is the work of CED Law that this position will work directly to support.
- Rehousing and Case Management: Where legal services do not work, we provide rehousing support services through ERA funding and agency referrals.
- Advocacy: More broadly, we go case to cause. We work with our clients to tell their stories and amplify their voices into policy change. In the 2020-2021 legislative session, for example, we drafted and, in coalition with other stakeholders and community organizations, passed the renters’ rights legislation that caps late fees, penalizes abusive landlords, and gives Coloradans access to the warranty of habitability without paying a bond.
More about the Staff Paralegal Position
Our practice is seeking a full-time Staff Paralegal, who will work primarily remotely but must be available for in person obligations in the Denver Metro area. The ideal candidate will have exceptional administrative and research skills. Staff Paralegals are expected to work comfortably under pressure with tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Top candidates will be detail oriented, familiar with key Colorado legal principles, have strong IT skills and excellent time management.
Staff Paralegal Responsibilities:
- Conducting client intake interviews, mostly remote, but some meetings are in person.
- Preparing and filing affidavits, legal correspondence, pleadings, motions, and other documents for attorneys.
- Organizing and maintaining documents in an electronic filing system.
- Meeting with clients, attorneys, and other professionals to talk about case details, while most work is remote, some meetings are in person.
- Helping prepare for trial by organizing exhibits and assisting with other tasks as needed.
- Preparing briefs, discovery, contracts, pleadings, appeals, and other legal documents.
- Investigating facts and laws of cases and searching public records and other resources to prepare cases and determine causes of action.
- Directing and coordinating law office activity, including delivery of subpoenas.
- Gathering and analyzing statutes, decisions, and legal articles, codes, documents and other data.
- Interviewing witnesses to testify at hearings.
Staff Paralegal Requirements:
- Traditional paralegal experience not required but a strong plus
- Associates degree
- Proficient with Microsoft Office, specifically Outlook, Word, and Excel
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Excellent organizational skills
- Must be able to effectively multi-task, manage time sensitive documents and have exceptional organizational skills in a fast-paced environment
- Must be able to function effectively in a busy, team-oriented environment
- Office administration experience
- Familiarity with legal research tools
- Other language skills not required but a plus and eligible for additional stipend
- As our work is, from time-to-time, in person, and to protect the health and safety of our employees and the health and safety of the clients with whom we interact, a current COVID-19 vaccination is required.
Equal Opportunity
CED Law is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Benefits & Compensation
- Salary grade – $60,000 per year
- Benefits include health, vision, dental, 4 weeks paid vacation, short-term and long-term disability, and 401K
To Apply
Please click on the “apply” button on this page and submit your application online.