Economic Justice Attorney - SSI

Job Description

Job Description

Bay Area Legal Aid (BayLegal) is a non-profit law firm. Our staff provide free civil legal services to individuals and families living in poverty throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our community-based service model includes a wide range of access points, including legal hotlines, six physical offices, and community-based advocacy clinics and intake points. We practice in multiple inter-related legal substantive areas to prevent and stop homelessness, increase economic stability, protect low-income consumers, expand access to healthcare, and enhance safety for survivors of interpersonal violence. Our clients include the working poor, families with children, foster youth, seniors, immigrants, veterans, individuals impacted by the criminal and juvenile legal systems, and persons with disabilities. The core of our community-based practice is working alongside our individual clients to protect their legal rights, resolve immediate crises and remove legal barriers to long-term stability and escaping poverty. BayLegal is also uniquely positioned to identify patterns of illegal practices and engage in opportunities to protect the legal rights of low-income communities and increase efficiency and effectiveness of public services through broader advocacy and impact litigation.    

Position: BayLegal’s San Francisco Economic Justice / Social Security Disability Advocacy Practice Team seeks an attorney with a strong commitment to the public interest to join our team. Based in our San Francisco office, this position represents unhoused San Franciscans with claims for Social Security disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI). The position requires regular outreach at city shelters, as well as travel in the city/county to best serve our clients. As a member of BayLegal’s regional practice, there may also be travel within BayLegal’s broader service area for purposes of training and advocacy. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Learn and advocate for the diverse legal needs of undeserved and vulnerable communities in San Francisco and the broader Bay Area to reduce homelessness, enhance stability, and address social justice.
• Represent clients in Social Security disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income and California Assistance Program for Immigrants claims and appeals. Represent clients in all stages of administrative proceedings from initial applications through federal court.
• Assist clients with accessing other county, state, and federal public benefits programs, as needed.
• Identify and employ impact advocacy strategies to remove barriers to public benefits for clients, including people experiencing homelessness and people with disabilities.
• Develop relationships and engage in collaboration with a range of public and private community partners, including governmental agencies and community-based organizations, to outreach clients, ensure integrative services and address barriers facing BayLegal's client community.
• Provide workshops and technical assistance to community partners and client community on economic justice, disability advocacy, and a range of civil legal issues.
• Track and document client and project services and funding deliverables in compliance with BayLegal policies and funding requirements and help promote BayLegal's mission and resource development.
• Work collaboratively with attorneys practicing in BayLegal’s other substantive areas.
• Engage in other tasks and projects that further BayLegal's mission and operations as a non-profit.  

Required Qualifications: 

• Member of CA Bar in good standing or admitted to practice in another state and eligible to practice in California for 3 years under the California State Bar rules for the Registered Legal Services Attorney Program.
• Commitment to complying with all California Rules of Professional Conduct, BayLegal funding requirements, and firm standards, policies, and practices.
• Experience representing clients with government benefits programs, especially Social Security disability/SSI benefits, preferred.
• Commitment and desire to work with low-income and unhoused individuals.
• Humility in working with colleagues and clients, and individuals of all identities, experiences, and perspectives.
• Willingness to travel to and meet clients in the community at homeless shelters, SROs, jail, and other locations where clients are at.
• Current proficiency, and ability to improve proficiency, in technological equipment, hardware, and software necessary to perform duties of the position.
• Ability to organize time, manage diverse activities, and meet critical deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proof-reading skills, with ability to be detail oriented.
• Strong oral advocacy skills; thoughtful and attentive to client communication.
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work collaboratively with a dynamic team.
• Curious and self-directed with an ability to anticipate what needs to be done.
• Ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects while maintaining a firm grasp of individual project details.  

Hybrid Work Option: BayLegal is committed to the health and safety of our staff, clients, and community.  BayLegal employees are expected to work on-site and in-person at a designated BayLegal office or community-based advocacy site at least three (3) days per week and may work remotely from home on a part-time basis.  BayLegal employees are expected to reside in California and at a distance allowing them to commute to their physical BayLegal base location during the standard work week.  

Compensation and Benefits: We offer a diverse, family friendly environment, and compensation based on competitive public interest salaries along with a generous benefits package.   

BayLegal's benefits package includes 100% employer covered medical, dental, and life insurance for employees and up to 60% for dependents; BayLegal student debt reimbursement program; long term disability insurance; employee assistance program; wage differentials for multi-lingual employees whose non-English language skills are regularly used in the provision of work tasks and pass a request test of fluency and/or proficiency; dependent childcare employer contribution program; employer paid CA Bar license and/or social work license fees; and 401k retirement plan with BayLegal contribution following first year. BayLegal has a generous paid leave policy which includes 15 holidays each year; vacation (starting at 13 days and increasing with additional years of employment), 3 floating holidays each year (days chosen by employee); sick leave; and parental leave.  

This is a union position (Bay Area Legal Aid Workers, “BALAW”), and the 2026 salary range is: $83,948 - $138, 127 and placement depends on years of experience and the salary scale can be found on our BayLegal union positions salary scale for 2022-2026.  

Work Environment & Physical Activity:   

Work Environment: This position is primarily sedentary. When in office, the applicant can expect to be working at a desk in a temperature-controlled office, in a modular space or individual office. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.  Regular in-person appearance in court and some travel is required.

Physical Activity: BayLegal provides this list for transparency of the physical activity that may be required for this position. BayLegal is committed to being a workplace that supports applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants and employees may request reasonable accommodation and BayLegal will engage in an interactive process.

Physical activity while performing duties of the job include occasionally being required to sit for prolonged periods; be ambulatory; travel; use hands to type; feel objects, operate tools, and/or controls; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear. Employees may regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Applications: BayLegal is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Recruitment, placement and promotions are conducted without regard to an individual's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability status, veteran status or sexual orientation, or any other classification protected by Federal, State, and local laws & ordinances.

We will consider qualified candidates with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act, Federal and local laws. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if BayLegal is is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding your conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the Civil Right's Department  Fair Chance Act   webpage.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. 

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