Attorney (DOORS Reentry Project) – Restoring Communities Workgroup

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision insurance

Life insurance

Long-term disability

403(b) retirement plan

Bilingual supplements

Student loan reimbursements

Cell phone stipend

Job summary

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles invites applications for an Attorney position with the Restoring Communities (ReCo) program. You will provide legal assistance to reentry individuals, work with staff and volunteers, and supervise clinic volunteers in pre- and post-clinic phases.

This role is co-located at the DOORS Community Reentry Center in South Los Angeles, requiring collaboration with community partners and county agencies to deliver holistic services to re-entry individuals.

Qualifications

• Active membership in the California State Bar.
• Experience with reentry populations.
• Experience supervising volunteers.
• Knowledge of criminal justice barriers to employment.
• Ability to handle a large caseload under stress.
• Commitment to serving low-income and reentry communities.
• Willingness to work beyond 7.5 hours, including evenings/weekends.

Responsibilities

• Interview and counsel clients on legal issues.
• Collaborate with clinic volunteers to complete record clearing petitions.
• Represent clients in hearings on various issues.
• Create trainings for volunteers in pre- and post-clinic settings.
• Supervise volunteers in clinic settings.
• Coordinate logistics of clinics.
• Remove barriers to employment (expungements, sentence reductions) and related work.
• Provide workshops and community outreach on relevant topics.
• Learn diverse legal areas to remove client barriers.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Active California State Bar

Experience with reentry populations

Volunteer supervision

Knowledge of criminal justice barriers

Manage large caseload

Commitment to low-income communities

Team collaboration

Excellent writing/public speaking

Willingness for extended hours

Job description

About the Position:

Are you interested in joining an organization dedicated to increasing access to justice while addressing systemic inequities among the most vulnerable members of the Greater Los Angeles area? If yes, LAFLA is the place for you!

The Organization:

LAFLA is a nonprofit law firm that protects and advances the rights of the most underserved—leveling the playing field and ensuring that everyone can have access to the justice system. Celebrating 95 years of service to Los Angeles communities, LAFLA is the first and most experienced legal aid organization in Greater Los Angeles. LAFLA has more than 200 employees, including more than 100 attorneys, who provide free services and resources on a broad range of civil legal issues that impact healthy, safety, and self-sufficiency. Every year, LAFLA helps more than 100,000 people find their voice, regain control of their lives, and build a brighter future. Our unique combination of neighborhood offices, self-help centers at courthouses, and domestic violence clinics puts LAFLA on the frontlines in communities at the forefront of change. LAFLA also engages in impact litigation to help enact long-term systemic change—actively collaborating with a network of public and private partners to expand access to justice, identify needs in the communities we serve, and change laws and policies that adversely affect the underserved. For more information, please visit www.lafla.org.

The Workgroup:

The Restoring Communities (“ReCo”) advocates use a community lawyering model to advocate for the rights and relief of justice-impacted individuals. ReCo is dedicated entirely to providing holistic legal services to remove legal barriers to reentry, providing community education, collaborating with community partners, and engaging in systemic change to support the restoration of justice-impacted individuals and their communities.

The Position:

The position will provide legal assistance to reentry individuals. It will require working collaboratively with staff and volunteers to record clearing services to re-entry individuals. The position will also require supervision of volunteers in a clinic setting including in a pre-clinic phase and a post-clinic phase.

This position will be co-located at the DOORS Community Reentry Center in South Los Angeles and require working collaboratively with community-based organizations and county agencies to provide holistic services to re-entry individuals.

LAFLA is currently accepting applications for the position of Attorney.

NOTE – This position is part of a special program created using designated funds. There is no assurance of ongoing funding or employment beyond 12 months.

Qualifications:

• Active membership in the California State Bar;
• Prefer experience working with reentry populations;
• Prefer experience working with volunteers;
• Some knowledge of criminal justice related barriers to employment is preferred;
• Ability to work effectively with a large caseload and function professionally within a highly stressful environment;
• Demonstrated commitment to serving the needs of low-income and reentry populations;
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team including other attorneys, support staff, volunteers, and community partners;
• Excellent writing and public speaking skills; and
• Willingness to work beyond a minimum 7.5 hour workday, including evening and weekend meetings and events, and workweeks in excess of 35 hours when caseload or other obligations so necessitate.

Examples of Duties:

• Interview and counsel clients on various legal issues;
• Work collaboratively with volunteers in a clinic setting to complete record clearing petitions;
• Represent individuals in hearings on various legal issues;
• Create trainings for volunteers in a pre-clinic and post-clinic setting;
• Supervise volunteers in a clinic settings;
• Coordinate logistics of clinics;
• Remove legal barriers to employment such as expungement of criminal records, sentence reduction, citation defense, and other post-conviction/criminal record related work.
• Provide workshops/trainings and other community outreach projects on various relevant legal topics;
• Learn various legal areas to remove clients' legal barriers to employment; and
• Other duties as assigned.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD:

A one year probationary period will be required.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

Selection will be based solely on merit and will be without discrimination because of race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, age, religion, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, marital or registered domestic partners status, or any other legally protected status.

The organization is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified candidates and employees pursuant to applicable law. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. If you require reasonable accommodation as part of the application process or expect to require an accommodation if hired, please contact [e-mail].

Benefits & Compensation:

• LAFLA offers a diverse environment with competitive compensation based on comparable public interest salaries.
• We also offer a generous benefits package for full-time employees including medical, dental, and vision for employees and dependents, life insurance, long-term disability and long-term care insurance, and 403(b) retirement plan.
• Employees may also qualify for bilingual supplements, law student loan reimbursements, and a cell phone stipend.

COMMITMENT TO EMPLOYEE WELLNESS:

Due to the mission driven nature of the organization, LAFLA is committed to a healthy work-life balance for all staff. In addition to a hybrid work schedule and robust benefits package, LAFLA staff enjoy wellness related benefits and employee assistance programs through our offered medical plans, as well as Wellness Friday video sessions, a wellness content library, 15 LAFLA observed holidays, and generous time off benefits.

SUSTAINABLE HYBRID WORK SCHEDULE:

LAFLA has recently adopted a sustainable schedule whereby employees get several Fridays off during the year. Depending on job classifications, some LAFLA staff are working on a manager approved hybrid work schedule, with the ability to work remotely up to half the week, if preferred, after the probationary period. The successful candidate must be local and willing to work from the assigned LAFLA location.