Foreclosure Prevention Fellow

Inland Counties Legal Services; Riverside (CA); On-site; USD 78,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Inland Counties Legal Services seeks a Foreclosure Prevention Fellow to join its Housing Practice Group in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The exempt, full-time role focuses on eviction defense and tenants' rights under federal and state law.

You will represent tenants in unlawful detainer cases, provide legal advice and full-scope representation in court, and participate in community outreach and clinics. Mentorship and a 4-day work week are available.

Qualifications

• Admission to the State Bar of California, in good standing.
• 0–3 years of experience in legal practice.
• Bilingual abilities are desirable or required.
• Commitment to housing and tenants' rights.

Responsibilities

• Represent tenants in unlawful detainer (eviction) lawsuits.
• Provide full-scope representation and legal advice in court.
• Conduct intake interviews with new clients.
• Participate in community outreach events and clinics.
• Travel to community events within ICLS service area.

Skills

Active listening

Trauma-informed interviewing

Legal writing and research

Courtroom/trial experience

Analytical skills

Time management

Bilingual

Negotiation

Job description

Job Title: Foreclosure Prevention Fellow

FLSA classification: Exempt

Reports To: Practice Group Director

Supervises: Paralegals and Legal Secretaries as required

Compensation: $78,000.00 - $115,000.00 annually

If you believe safe and habitable housing is a human right worth working for, this position in ICLS’s Housing Practice Group may be right for you.

Housing Attorneys provide legal assistance and representation to clients facing eviction in courts throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Unlawful Detainer (UD) cases are heard daily in some courts and two to three times a week in other courts.

Either through negotiation or at a trial our attorneys work to secure a client’s right to safe and habitable housing and to ensure tenants’ rights under federal and state law are upheld. A win in these cases is often a soft landing that allows adequate time for the client to move, seals the court record from the public, and provides the client an accurate record of money owed.

The work is challenging – many individuals experiencing a UD do not have alternative options and they fear what comes next if they can’t find decent housing they can afford. Housing is scarce and affordable housing may be non-existent in parts of ICLS’ service area of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

The work is also rewarding -- preserving housing for ICLS clients is done in community and the approach is multi-faceted. Experienced attorneys in the Housing Practice Group form a support system to discuss case trends, negotiation tactics, and litigation strategy. Mentorship is built-in to our daily operations and guidance is readily available.

Incredibly dedicated paralegals assist at ICLS’ court-based projects and support our clinic services that assist clients who need document preparation. Our housing hotlines, staffed by experienced paralegals working under an attorney’s supervision, provide real-time advice to individuals with housing related concerns. The community is rounded out by talented legal administrative support staff to help facilitate your client management and case file disposition, as well as the preparation of simple legal pleadings.

Staff attorneys are encouraged to conduct at least one community legal education presentation (preferably on-site within ICLS’ service area) and to attend at least one community resource event per year. Additional opportunities to expand your legal network include working collaboratively with Pro Bono volunteers, participating in local bar association events (costs reimbursed by ICLS), and engaging with an amazing civil legal aid community at national, state and local levels.

ICLS currently operates under a 4-day work week arrangement while maintaining full-time status. Thus, staff will work approximately 80% of hours, whilegetting 100% of pay. Staff can arrange theirwork week to the extent possible, while prioritizing client/program needs and coordinating with theirpractice group director and colleagues.

Qualities:

The following qualities are desirable in a staff attorney :

• Community centered with willingness to learn from and work with others including an openness to share challenges and an intentional practice to express gratitude to their colleagues.
• Patience with clients and self including healthy and sustainable practice to manage stress and vicarious trauma and is willing to learn practices that may be helpful in these regards.
• Approachable for staff, clients, and the community ICLS’ serves.
• Determination to achieve the best options for clients and passionate dedication to access justice via civil legal aid.
• Curiosity and desire to learn about client’s experiences that led to legal issue including systemic injustices that have historically disadvantaged persons of color and low income individuals.
• Hard-working but appreciates a work-life balance; has boundaries and respects others’ boundaries.
• Passion for learning and personal/professional growth including mentorship for self and mentoring others as experience is gained;

Skills:

• Active listening skills
• Trauma-informed interviewing skills
• Legal writing and research skills
• Courtroom/trial experience (will be gained at ICLS for those with limited experience)
• Analytical skills
• Effectively manage time and case load
• Bilingual (desired, but required)
• Negotiation

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Represent tenants in unlawful detainer (eviction) lawsuits
• Represent tenants in litigation and administrative proceedings to improve living conditions
• Participate in community outreach events and legal workshops/clinics
• Provide legal advice and full scope representation in court to tenants facing eviction.
• Conduct intake interviews with new clients
• Provide in-office “backup” on a rotating basis, responding to client emergencies and agency inquiries
• Ability to be flexible to adapt and act quickly when urgent matters as required
• Access to reliable transportation
• Ability to travel to community events in ICLS's service area
• Ability to participate in events outside of regular work hours

Qualifications:

• Admission to the State Bar of California, in good standing;
• Years of Experience:
  • 0-3 years of experience

The recognition of our common humanity is the first step in fostering a diverse environment. The sum of our unique differences is greater than our individual parts. Our unique stories and experiences allow us to better solve the challenges that our community faces. Staff approach professional relationships with humility across the spectrum of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigrant status, religious identity, physical and mental disabilities, and/or limited English proficiency with a willingness to consider unique perspectives. Inland Counties Legal Services provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.