Legal Assistant, School Law

Posting Date

Mar 2, 2026, 2:54:02 PM

Central-42 West Madison Street (Law Office)

$50,000.00 - $66,000.00

Non-Union Position

Non-exempt

Reporting to the Unit’s General Counsel, Managing Deputy General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, Assistant Deputy General Counsel, Senior Assistant General Counsel, Assistant General Counsel and Business Operations Administrator in the Law Department, the Legal Assistant performs routine administrative duties for assigned attorneys and provides general administrative support across the Law Office. This is a full-time, non-exempt position that will be paid for time worked on an hourly basis.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a district on the rise, serving over 320,000 students in 500+ schools and employing over 44,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world‑class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity.

Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The School Law Unit provides legal guidance to staff on a wide range of legal and policy issues affecting schools, student rights and privacy, the student code of conduct, student enrollment and transfers, school accountability, Local School Council issues, legislative review, charter school matters, and educational initiatives.

• Coordinate student expulsion hearing process, which includes scheduling student expulsion hearings, providing accurate and timely notice of such hearing, and preparing files for each hearing.
• Coordinate administration of special projects, such as, but not limited to, annual principals’ conference and administrative hearings.
• Manage and update internal record systems in accordance with the Unit’s protocols and track deadlines and milestones.
• Organize and maintain physical and electronic case files and records with attention to detail and confidentiality.
• Support with coordination of records requests.
• Schedule meetings, hearings, and/or other similar matters as appropriate and manage staff calendars as needed.
• Properly route and respond to emails and other communications in a timely and professional manner.
• Input data and maintain databases (e.g., open and closed files).
• Draft and mail tailored letters to parents/guardians, opposing counsel, witnesses, etc.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• High school or GED equivalent and a minimum of five (5) years of administrative or clerical work experience; or
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum of one (1) year of administrative or clerical work experience, preferred.

• Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to maintain accuracy while balancing multiple time-sensitive priorities.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills; demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize work in a dynamic, complex, fast-paced environment to meet and manage competing deadlines.
• Ability to independently manage tasks, timelines, and systems, and follow tasks through to completion with little or no follow-up; knows when to ask questions.
• Sound judgment regarding confidential matters and information; ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Clear, effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills (speaking, writing, listening).
• Ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact positively and professionally at all times with team members, other Law Department staff, executive offices, internal clients and external partners.
• Knowledge of legal requirements to ensure compliance with subpoenas and court orders or the…