Staff Attorney - Pottstown

Job Description

Job Description

Overview

SUMMARY

Legal Aid of Southeastern PA (“LASP”) seeks an attorney to provide civil legal services in its Pottstown Office in Montgomery County. LASP serves individuals with low incomes in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. This position has focused previously on representing clients in landlord and tenant cases including private residential rental issues such as defending evictions and addressing habitability problems, subsidized and public housing, and family law. The position may also include other LASP practice areas such as bankruptcy, consumer, public benefits, and other cases as assigned. This is a full-time position. Staff currently work on a hybrid basis. The successful candidate will be expected to perform in-office work as well as be able to work remotely.   

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

1. Interviewing clients, assisting in determining eligibility for services, and ascertaining and investigating facts;

1. Conducting legal research and interpreting statutes, case law, regulations, and other sources of law;

1. Providing advice and counsel to clients;

1. Preparing legal documents, including but not necessarily limited to briefs, pleadings, motions, notices, correspondence, memoranda, discovery and documents responsive to discovery requests;

1. Developing strategy and arguments for presentation of cases and assisting in preparation of witnesses for hearings and trials;

1. Representing clients in trial and appellate courts and before quasi-judicial or administrative agencies;

1. Reviewing decisions and consulting with management team to determine merit of potential appeals;

1. Participating in external professional and community organizations relevant to casework;

1. Conducting clinics, outreach, community education, and workshops;

1. Becoming engaged in LASP team efforts to achieve office and program goals, including participation in program-wide affinity groups and task forces;

1. Developing knowledge of referral resources and assessing community and client needs.

1. Enhancing skills and substantive knowledge through training, CLE, and other educational opportunities;

1. Abiding by all applicable professional standards of ethics and practice;

1. Completing required administrative tasks including entering of notes and timekeeping in LASP case management software, and maintaining of physical files;

1. Ensuring that requirements of grants and contracts which may provide funding for the position are followed, and assisting with grant reports;

1. Performing other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned.

SUPERVISOR : Pottstown Office Managing Attorney.

QUALIFICATIONS : License to practice law in Pennsylvania or admitted in another jurisdiction and eligible for admission to Pennsylvania. At least two (2) years’ experience as a lawyer preferred; demonstrated proficiency in word processing, Outlook products, case management software, and online legal research tools; Passionate commitment to public interest law and serving low-income individuals and vulnerable populations; Strong written and oral advocacy and organizational skills. The successful candidate must be willing to accept complex and challenging cases and develop creative strategies to assist clients. Spanish language fluency is strongly preferred.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS : Base salary for attorneys starts at $65,500, but salary is commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits, including a 401K retirement plan with generous employer contributions, health insurance option in which 100% of premium costs are currently provided, ancillary benefits, and generous leave provisions, including paid holidays, floating holidays, personal leave, vacation, sick, and parental leave.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER : LASP is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate in the recruitment, selection, or advancement of employees on the basis of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information or on any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within LASP, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, and training. LASP makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

TO APPLY : Send resume and cover letter, including the job title (Pottstown Staff Attorney) to Carolyn Johnson, Chief Counsel at Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania, at View email address on ziprecruiter.com.  Position remains open until filled.

JOB CLASSIFICATION : Position is Exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.