Legal Virtual Assistant (Immigration Practice)

Employment Type: Part-Time, Independent Contractor

Work Volume: ~15–20 hours per week (Flexibility to scale hours as the practice grows)

Work Model: Fully Remote

Work Hours: Pacific Time (PT) alignment

Reports To: Solo Managing Attorney

Role Summary

We are seeking a highly organized, detail-obsessed Legal Virtual Assistant (VA) with dedicated experience supporting US immigration law practices. This position is built specifically to serve as the primary operational support for a fast-growing solo immigration firm specializing in business and family-based cases.

Having operated as a "true solo" practitioner for two years, the Managing Attorney is expanding execution capacity to scale the practice. You will step in as the administrative anchor—taking full ownership of client intake coordination, document collection, petition assembly, and casework tracking. This allows the principal attorney to shift focus from daily administrative maintenance to high-level legal strategy and business growth.

Key Responsibilities

1. Case Processing & Document Management

Legal Stack Administration: Manage daily workflow, case logging, and status updates inside LegalBridge (immigration case management) and Dockerwise (document management).
Document Hygiene: Ingest, organize, and systematically review incoming client civil documents, financial records, transcripts, and foreign records—ensuring everything is properly named, classified, and audit-ready.
Form & Questionnaire Preparation: Coordinate with clients to complete initial intake questionnaires and draft preliminary USCIS/DOS forms for attorney review.

2. Client Communications & Intake Coordination

Warm Client Onboarding: Act as the primary, empathetic administrative point of contact for new and prospective clients—guiding them through onboarding steps, document checklists, and portal access.
Status Updates: Keep clients proactively informed on petition milestones, receipt notifications, RFEs (Requests for Evidence), and interview scheduling.
Inbound Triage: Filter email inquiries, client portal messages, and consultation requests, prioritizing urgent legal deadlines for the attorney.

3. General Administrative & Operations Support

Calendar & Deadline Tracking: Maintain strict docketing and calendar oversight for filing deadlines, court/interview dates, and biometrics appointments.
Ad-Hoc Practice Operations: Format case indexes, draft routine client correspondence, compile exhibit packets, and support invoice/retainer tracking as needed.

Required Skills & Qualifications

Domain Experience: 2+ years of direct experience working as a Legal Assistant, Paralegal, or Legal VA within a US immigration law environment (specifically covering family-based and business immigration pathways).
Software Stack Mastery: Hands-on experience with specialized immigration case management platforms (LegalBridge) and cloud document management suites (Dockerwise).
USCIS Workflow Literacy: Clear understanding of standard immigration forms, supporting document requirements, consular processing steps, and USCIS filing procedures.
Exceptional Communication: Clear, professional, and empathetic written and verbal English communication. Ability to interact warmly and patiently with clients navigating complex immigration processes.
Extreme Attention to Detail: Absolute accuracy when handling sensitive personal identifiers, immigration receipt numbers, and legal document packets—zero tolerance for typos or misfiled documents.
High Operational Autonomy: High-agency work ethic. You excel in a solo-firm environment, anticipating attorney needs and taking ownership of tasks without requiring step-by-step supervision.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Onboarding Velocity: Minimizing time between retainer execution and initial document checklist delivery to clients.
Data & Filing Accuracy: Zero errors on data entry across client profiles, petition questionnaires, and software logs.
Attorney Time Freed: Measurable reduction in time the Managing Attorney spends on administrative triage, scheduling, and basic file gathering.