Staff Attorney- Housing Eviction Litigation (San Diego)

Staff Attorney

Demonstrated capacity to maintain a large caseload which may include: Interviewing prospective clients; analyzing their legal problems; rendering legal advice; negotiation with opposing parties and agencies; preparing and submitting documents for clients; representing clients in various phases of litigation; attending community meetings; developing positive relationships with client communities; developing complex litigation; finding solutions to broader client problems through litigation; policy development or other strategies.

Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD), the largest poverty law firm serving San Diego County since 1953, strengthens our communities by redressing our clients' legal problems, empowering our clients to access and effectively participate within the legal, governmental and social systems and encouraging self-empowerment in the fight against poverty and injustice. LASSD continues to be a proud, committed and compassionate group of people dedicated to providing equal access to justice for San Diegans through aggressive, quality legal services. #justicebeginshere

Essential Functions:

• Interviewing prospective clients, conducting investigations and legal research, rendering legal advice, preparation of legal documents, developing a caseload
• Handling an increasingly complex caseload of prelitigation and unlawful detainer cases
• Representing clients in all phases of administrative hearings or court litigation, including research, drafting pleadings and briefs, trial, and appeal
• Developing positive relationships with the client community
• Handling an increasingly complex litigation caseload
• Assisting in the training and supervision of advocates, law students and volunteers as appropriate
• Developing creative methods, litigious and non-litigious for dealing with recurring client problems
• Developing good working relationships with court, administrative agency personnel, and opposing counsel
• Collaborating with other teams and outside organizations to provide holistic services
• Staying up to date on substantive developments in the housing field
• Compliance with all program and grant requirements

Additional duties may include: Handing affirmative litigation cases as appropriate; attending community meetings, conducting education and outreach events to community groups, service providers, partners, and governmental agencies and employees; assisting with legislative and administrative policy analysis and advocacy as appropriate; other duties as may be assigned

Qualifications:

• Admitted and in Good Standing with the California State Bar
• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently as well as support team efforts, and to strategize and plan so as to timely and consistently meet grant deliverables and reporting requirements
• Must have reliable transportation

Desired Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Fluency in written and spoken Spanish preferred
• Member of the Federal Bar
• Knowledge of or experience in landlord-tenant law and/or civil litigation
• Demonstrated commitment to serving low-income people
• Ability to work successfully with people from diverse backgrounds

Pay and Benefits:

The Staff Attorney position is a salaried position with a salary range of $75,000 - $120,500. The starting salary is $83,000. In addition, there is a bilingual pay increase of 2% for passing an oral test and 2% for passing a written test for threshold languages other than English.

LASSD offers a generous benefits package, a 35-hour workweek, paid vacation leave and sick leave and 100% employer-paid medical premium, 50% employer-paid premium for dependents under LASSD health plan, as well as dental, vision, and life benefits. Staff also have the option to participate in a 403(b)-retirement plan and dependent and health flex savings accounts (FSA). LASSD has its own law school loan repayment program and is an eligible nonprofit employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

LASSD is an equal opportunity employer, we hire without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, reproductive health decision making, age, sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.

Hybrid Work Environment:

Legal Aid Society of San Diego ("LASSD") has adopted a hybrid work environment in which most staff are required to work in the office part of the week and permitted to work remotely for the remainder of the week, provided their job duties allow. All employees are issued LASSD computers and provided with appropriate supplies to perform their work. LASSD has implemented and continues to explore additional technologies to make our hybrid working environment as efficient and connected as possible. All employees must be available to travel to LASSD offices and service locations throughout San Diego County as needed and in compliance with public health advisories. Applicants must reside in or near San Diego County or plan to relocate in or near the County prior to their start date and must be able to commute to the physical Legal Aid Society of San Diego office locations or service delivery locations within San Diego County. LASSD's normal business hours are 9am-5pm, but we are open to providing flexible work schedules to the extent feasible for the position. LASSD reserves the right to change these policies at any time.