About Accion

Accion is a global nonprofit on a mission to create a fair and inclusive economy for the nearly two billion people who are failed by the global financial system. We develop and scale responsible digital financial solutions for small business owners, smallholder farmers, and women, so they can make informed decisions and improve their lives. Through targeted investment strategies, advisory solutions, and expert thought leadership, we work with local partners to develop and scale cheaper, more accessible, and customer-friendly financial solutions. Since 1961, Accion has helped build 267 financial service providers serving low-income clients in 75 countries, reaching 440 million people. More at http://www.accion.org.

About our Legal Department

Accion’s legal team is comprised of six full-time lawyers, including the Chief Legal, Compliance and Risk Officer (CLO), who manage all Accion’s legal needs, as well as the organization’s Compliance and Risk Programs. The legal team also supports Accion Impact Management (AIM), Accion’s platform for impact investments in financial inclusion leveraging third-party capital.  Accion Impact Management is an SEC registered investment adviser.  Working closely with each department, the legal team plays a critical role in ensuring that Accion’s mission advances, its goals are met, and projects are successful by combining experienced counsel with strong business sensibilities.

Position Summary 

The Corporate Paralegal will report to the CLO and support the Legal Team. The role requires strong attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to handle confidential information with integrity and discretion.

Designed with career progression in mind, this role offers a steppingstone to more senior positions within the legal team.

This position is in Washington, D.C., with a hybrid work model. May require extended hours during deal closings or filing deadlines.

Position Responsibilities 

Corporate Matters and Charitable Solicitations:

• Manage the CSC Global platform, coordinating the payment of franchise taxes or other similar dues for Accion affiliates.
• Prepare and file corporate documents such as corporate certifications, articles of incorporation, bylaws, board resolutions, and meeting minutes.
• Support tracking, preparation and submission of state corporate and charitable solicitation filings, registered agents, and related corporate formalities in coordination with vendors.
• Review trademark watch notices and escalate concerns to assigned attorney.
• Notarize, legalize or apostille documents in DC or other states.
• Assist with corporate governance activities by tracking Board and Committee responsibilities as per bylaws and charters and logging resolutions.

KYC/AML Due Diligence for Accion and AIM:

• Coordinate collection of information and documents from internal stakeholders or third parties.
• Run compliance screenings through LexisNexis Bridger Insight, resolving false positives, escalating true matches, and appropriately saving screening reports.
• Maintain and update periodic screening lists for business units.
• Respond to information or document requests from internal stakeholders or third parties.

Administrative:

• Provide administrative support to the CLO, including handling scheduling, travel coordination, meeting preparation, office space logistics and legal budget management.
• Maintain contract templates and other shared resources and content.
• Prepare reports, presentations, and other documents for meetings and internal use; draft routine correspondence for external use.
• Ensure Legal Department-generated content adheres to internal brand standards and guidelines.
• Coordinate signatures (in person or electronically using DocuSign).
• Mail hard copies of documents using Accion’s shipping system, Optima Shipping.
• Organize and coordinate internal and external meetings, including preparing agendas.
• Liaise with internal departments and external stakeholders on behalf of the CLO.
• Process expense reports and reconcile credit card statements.
• Track invoices and pro bono support from outside counsel and service providers.
• Assist with data intake and reporting on the Legal Department’s annual goals, objectives, key results, and other metrics.

Management and Administration of Legal Platforms:

• Manage the Bloomberg LEI platform to ensure Legal Entity Identifier numbers of Accion affiliates are renewed on a timely basis.
• Serve as a department administrator for certain technologies (e.g., Smartsheet, Archer, Legal Intranet).
• Liaise with the IT Department on identifying, implementing, integrating, and optimizing applications and tools, and building internal tools, workflows and automation capabilities.
• Maintain a straightforward and efficient system of both hard and soft files for the Legal Department.
• Function as a key records liaison, contributor, and point-person for the Legal Department.
• Maintain Accion operational records in appropriate print and digital formats, paying particular attention to key and confidential documents and record retention policies.

Position Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree required from an accredited College or University.
• Paralegal Certificate from an ABA-approved program, preferred.
• 3 years of experience in a corporate legal department, law firm, in-house legal department of a financial services company or a nonprofit organization.
• Active Notary license. Will be required to become a Washington, D.C. Notary within the first 30 days of employment.
• Strong knowledge of legal terminology and corporate law procedures.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint), LexisNexis Bridger Insight, DocuSign, Smartsheet, virtual meeting platforms (Zoom, Teams).
• Familiarity with entity management platforms is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; fluency in Spanish is a plus.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to meet deadlines and work effectively and independently in a fast-paced environment with multiple demands and a minimum of direct supervision.
• High level of professionalism and confidentiality.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including additional hours/overtime as needed.
• Interested in Accion’s mission and willing to embody the organization’s values of excellence, respect and passion for social change. 

Compensation and Benefits 

• The expected hourly pay range for this position with a work schedule of 35 hours per week is $41.21 - $43.96 ($75,000-$80,000 annually), plus potential for overtime.
• The above range serves as a general guideline. Accion considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, training, skills, location, current market conditions as well as internal pay alignment.
• Accion provides a total compensation package, including base salary, discretionary merit-based bonus, and a variety of benefits including health insurance (90% employer funded), life and disability insurance, retirement plans (up to 7.5% employer match), paid holidays and paid time-off for vacation plus personal days as well as sick days.

Accion is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace culture. Accion seeks qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, change of sex or transgender status, or any other basis protected by law. Accion is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.