Mandarin Chinese Bilingual Legal Assistant

Valerian Law, P.C. is a minority woman-owned social justice law firm with an exciting docket focused on employment law. From our home base in the East Bay near UC Berkeley, we help people in need and we litigate individual and class action cases in state and federal courts. We primarily represent workers and whistleblowers who are suffering wage theft, unequal pay, unsafe workplaces, retaliation, discrimination and wrongful termination. 

Legal assistants are important members of our legal team. Legal assistants assist with our civil rights, workers’ rights, and class action matters in a hands-on, substantive manner; interact frequently with clients and witnesses and other parties; manage case files and case calendars; work on investigations, factual analysis and objective and persuasive factual writing; work closely with attorneys in all aspects of litigation and negotiation; and enjoy substantive and intensive professional development opportunities. 

Qualifications: To be eligible, applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree, fluency in Mandarin Chinese and literacy in Chinese. We are not interviewing candidates who are seeking a short, gap-year position before law school, but rather would like to meet those who are interested in at least two years of growth and development within our firm. Applicants should have:  

English-Chinese bilingualism in professional setting 

strong academic credentials;  

excellent English writing, proofreading and editing skills;  

fastidious organizational skills, with a particular ability to multi-task;  

excellent research and analytical capabilities, including a strong attention to detail; 

initiative and energy to see projects to completion;  

ability to work effectively in a team environment; 

well-developed communication and interpersonal skills; and 

commitment to civil rights and social justice and an interest in litigation.  

Additional desirable skills: Microsoft Office Suite (including Excel) and Sharepoint, Adobe Acrobat or other PDF software, and LexisNexis or Westlaw; proficiency in Cantonese or Spanish. 

Compensation: Pay starts at $29.00 per hour for entry-level legal assistants and rises to $32 per hour for second-year assistants/paralegals. Pay is dependent on years of experience in legal field. An additional $4,000 per year is offered for legal team members with working fluency in Chinese or Spanish. We provide generous 401(k) benefits, accrued paid vacation time, health insurance, and 10-11 paid holidays a year.