Legal Virtual Assistant
Somewhere
🇿🇦 Hirezar Summary for South African Applicants
This fully remote full time position at Somewhere is open to applicants from South Africa. This role is suited for mid-level professionals. As a remote position, you can work from anywhere in South Africa — whether you're based in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, or a smaller town.
Job Description
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-obsessedLegal 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 insideLegalBridge(immigration case management) andDockerwise(document management).
Legal Stack Administration:Manage daily workflow, case logging, and status updates insideLegalBridge(immigration case management) andDockerwise(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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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).
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.
USCIS Workflow Literacy:Clear understanding of standard immigration forms, supporting document requirements, consular processing
Tips for South African Applicants
Timezone Advantage
South Africa (SAST, UTC+2) overlaps well with European business hours and has a few hours of overlap with US East Coast. Mention your timezone flexibility in your application.
Salary in Context
Even without a listed salary, international remote roles typically pay 2-3x more than equivalent local positions in South Africa due to the exchange rate advantage.
Application Tips
Tailor your CV to international standards — use a clean format, highlight remote work experience, and include your English proficiency. Many SA applicants succeed by emphasising their strong work ethic and cultural adaptability.
Load Shedding Preparedness
If you're applying for a remote role, having a backup power solution (UPS, inverter, or generator) and mobile data as a backup internet connection shows employers you're prepared for South Africa's infrastructure challenges.
About Somewhere
Somewhere is a company in the Recruitment & Staffing industry that hires remote workers from South Africa. They currently have 828 open positions on Hirezar. View all Somewhere jobs →