Staff Attorney - Tribal Benefits

Staff Attorney

Tribal Benefits

May be based in Wausau (preferred), Green Bay, Oshkosh

Full-time

September 15, 2026

*Introduction: *LAW is seeking applications for Tribal Public Benefits Attorney to work with Elder and Disability Benefits Specialists embedded in tribal agencies and ADRC’s across Wisconsin.

Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. (“Legal Action”) is a non-profit law firm, funded by the federal Legal Services Corporation, the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, and many other sources and supporters. Legal Action provides free civil legal aid to low-income persons in Wisconsin with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Oshkosh, Green Bay, La Crosse and Wausau. Legal Action attorneys and paralegals have expertise in a range of substantive areas, but most of our direct representation is in the areas of housing, public benefits, removing barriers to employment, consumer law, and family law.

*Mission Statement:* Legal Action’s mission is to deliver exceptional civil legal services and structural change advocacy, free of cost, to those most in need. Our core values (equity, advocacy, client-centered, integrity and community) guide our work and actions. Please see our website for a description of the core values and vision that guides our work.

*Office Location:* This position may be based in the Wausau (preferred), Green Bay, or Oshkosh offices.

*Governance: *Legal Action’s personnel policies govern this position.

*Position Description: *The Tribal Benefit Specialist Program Attorney assists both the Tribal Elder Benefits Specialist (EBS) and Tribal Disability benefits Specialist (DBS), who are lay advocates embedded in tribal agencies and Tribal ADRCs. The Staff Attorney must be familiar with and train others in advocacy for tribal elders and tribal members, 18 – 59 years of age, with disabilities. This position will support others who help tribal members with Social Security Retirement and Survivor benefits, Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicare, Medical Assistance – Health Insurance, Food Share, Utility Assistance, low-income housing, Veteran Benefits, and other public benefit programs Between these traditional and non-traditional responsibilities, staff attorneys are expected to work a minimum of 40 hours per week.

*Key Responsibilities:*

* Remain current with the areas of law that pertain to the EBS and DBS communities as they change and develop.
* Provide high-quality representation of clients in individual service cases and impact work. Impact work is expected to have long-term positive effects on low-income people or improve systems that impact the low-income community.
* Perform all duties associated with such representation as defined by our attorney performance standards.
* Develop and maintain positive working relationships with Tribal communities, ADRCs, State coordinators and community groups, bar associations, and others.
* Train and assist volunteers who participate in Legal Action's Volunteer Lawyer Project and other Legal Action staff attorneys.
* Perform intake duties and, where necessary, make appropriate referrals to other community agencies.
* Serve on at least one of our Priority Committees: Housing; Barriers to Employment; Consumer; Public Benefits; and Family law. Priority committees are comprised of Legal Action advocates practicing in those areas of law. They meet quarterly to discuss trends in the law and practicing in that area of law and strategizing the firm’s work.
* Travel to each of the EBS and DBS offices covered by the program on an annual basis and conduct regular case reviews and advocate reviews.
* Perform case work and outreach activities, including statewide meetings of importance to tribal elders and those living with disabilities.
* The staff attorney may be assigned additional duties from time to time.

*Required Qualifications:*

* Juris Doctor.
* Admission to Wisconsin Bar or within the next year.
* Strong oral and written communication and advocacy skills.
* Experience working with low-income clients and/or victims of violence.
* Ability to interact professionally and work cooperatively with staff, clients, and the public.
* Ability to use basic computer systems, including email, word processing software, and internet-based applications.
* Willingness and ability to learn job-specific procedures and systems during the probationary period.
* Ability to manage multiple tasks and maintain accuracy in a busy office environment.

*Preferred Qualifications:*

* Prior experience in a role working with elders, people with disabilities those living in poverty, or individuals with a minority status or affiliation.
* Experience teaching lay advocates or others.
* Experience with client advocacy in a court setting.
* Experience working in a nonprofit, client-facing environment or legal services.
* Knowledge of Indian Law, experience working with tribes or tribal members

*Salary/Compensation: Legal Action’s salaries are not negotiable. Our salary scales are based solely on years of experience with each step on the scale equivalent to one full year of experience. We strongly encourage applicants to include detail in their resume about the duties they performed and the months they worked at each employer and in each position so that we can accurately calculate experience and salary. If we make an offer to an applicant, we depend on the resume that the applicant submitted, and we do not allow for revisions after submission. The salary steps for this position range from:*

* Step 0 = $65,000 (Tier 1)/Not applicable for Tier 2
* Step 5 = $76,000 (Tier 1)/$80,763 (Tier 2)
* Step 10 = $86,000 (Tier 1)/$91,888 (Tier 2)
* Step 20 = $104,000 (Tier 1)/$111,275 (Tier 2)
* Step 30 = $114,000 (Tier 1)/$122,025 (Tier 2)
* Step 36 = $120,720 (Tier 1)/$129,227 (Tier 2)

Step = years of experience.

*Tier 1 and tier 2 staff attorney description & scope of authority: All staff attorneys are required to utilize and follow Legal Action’s attorney performance standards in performing their duties.*

*Tier 1 Staff Attorneys are:*

* Relatively new
* to providing legal services to low-income clients.
* Closely supervised and practices law under close control and structure.
* Closely adhering to Legal Action’s guidelines, rules, policies, and procedures and have little or no authority to deviate from them without supervisor’s approval.

*Tier 2 Staff Attorneys have:*

* At least 3 years of post-J.D. experience that includes work relevant to the skills required for staff attorneys and skills and abilities to:
* consistently perform most Tier 1 Staff Attorney duties with minimal assistance or direction, a high level of efficiency and/or independent initiative, and less immediate, regular supervision than a Tier 1 Staff Attorney;
* consistently carry a caseload of substantial size and complexity suitable to an experienced attorney;
* consistently adhere to Legal Action administrative and programmatic procedures such as, but not limited to contemporaneous timekeeping and accurate completion of administrative and client service forms; and
* Demonstrated initiative and ability to undertake the additional duties that the Tier 2 Staff Attorney level requires such as, but not limited to mentoring, training, and otherwise supporting Tier 1 staff attorneys and others. (Tier 2 Staff Attorneys do not have the authority to discipline others and are not confidential management positions.)

*Legal Action’s organizational structure allows for additional career advancement opportunities, such as: Attorney Managers; Managing Attorneys; Project Managers; Supervising Attorneys; and Priority Coordinators. Legal Action posts these opportunities as they become available.*

*Fringe Benefits: *All Legal Action employees receive a full package of fringe benefits. It currently includes: employer-paid health and dental insurance for employee, spouse, and family with a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), employer-paid life and long-term disability insurance; employee-paid income protection benefits; a profit-sharing plan; generous sick leave accrual; and at least four weeks of vacation leave and four personal holidays per year. (Legal Action policies require employees with a spouse to contribute $200/month to the health insurance premium if the spouse has other health insurance available to them.)

*Spanish or Hmong Language Frequency Premium: *Legal Action’s Salary Administration Plan includes additional pay of either $2,400 annually or $4,800 annually to those employees who are fluent in Spanish or Hmong.

*Flex Work:* Legal Action supports flexible work arrangements that meet the goals of the organization and the employee. All employees are eligible to request flexible work, including flextime, compressed work week, and remote work.

*Supervision: This position is supervised by the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO).*

*Probationary Period: *6 months

*How to Apply: Applicants must submit the following application materials via Legal Action of Wisconsin’s online applicant portal:*

* Cover letter
* Resume
* Names and contact information for three professional references
* Writing Sample
* Law School Transcripts (if graduated after 2023)

*Deadline for Applications: This position will be open until filled. We will review applicants on a rolling basis. To assure early consideration, please submit application materials by September 30, 2026.*

Work Location: In person