Poverty Law Attorney

Pisgah Legal Services; Asheville (NC); Hybrid; USD 65,690 - 118,243; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

401k retirement plan

Paid parental leave

Paid bereavement leave

13.5 Company Holidays

22 Paid Leave Days

Sabbatical leave

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Pisgah Legal Services seeks a full-time North Carolina licensed attorney to handle general poverty law cases, primarily housing (eviction defense) and domestic violence prevention, for low-income clients in Western North Carolina.

The attorney will represent clients in landlord/tenant, family law, and public benefits matters, work in rural locations, and collaborate with staff and volunteers to achieve meaningful, lasting outcomes. Commitment to justice and community service is essential.

Qualifications

• N.C. licensed attorney.
• Commitment to serving low-income people.
• Sensitivity to socio-economic and cultural differences.
• Excellent writing and verbal communication.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with teams.
• Ability to work with low-income clients and diverse communities.

Responsibilities

• Represent and advise clients in judicial and administrative hearings in landlord/tenant, domestic violence and family law, consumer, public benefits, and other poverty law areas as needed.
• Work in and travel to rural locations and attend hearings.
• Conduct client interviews with trauma-informed approach; advise and represent clients in various courts and proceedings.
• Document all work and communications in Legal Server case management.
• Organize and conduct outreach and educational activities.
• Develop and maintain community relationships with other non-profit agencies and officials.
• Travel within the service area and to meetings or conferences as required.
• Adhere to program priorities and standards of practice; uphold professional ethics.
• Keep abreast of developments in the law and disseminate information to staff and clients.
• Work with volunteers, including volunteer attorneys, on a regular basis.
• Assist in fundraising and outreach in coordination with PLS Development.

Skills

Writing

Verbal communication

Interpersonal skills

Teamwork

Cultural sensitivity

Spanish language

Driver's license

Education

NC licensed attorney

Job description

Salary: $65,690.00 - $118,243.00 Annually

Hybrid remote work schedule: 3 days in office/field and 2 days remote

Base office in Hendersonville

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt

Pisgah Legal Services (PLS) is a community-based non-profit legal aid agency governed by a local Board of Directors. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina (WNC), Pisgah Legal Services provides free civil legal assistance to low-income people in WNC. The organization currently has offices in Asheville, Brevard, Burnsville, Cashiers, Hendersonville, Highlands, Marshall, Morganton, Newland, and Rutherfordton. With over 120 dedicated staff, including more than 30 attorneys plus program staff, and an active group of 200 volunteer attorneys, the program provides free services to nearly 28,000 people per year to meet their basic needs, primarily in the poverty law areas of housing, public benefits, domestic violence prevention, health care, immigration, and consumer law.

PLS is seeking a full-time N.C. licensed attorney to handle general poverty law cases primarily in the areas of housing law, including eviction defense, and domestic violence prevention, including domestic and family law cases. Legal aid experience preferred. Passion for promoting justice and overcoming barriers facing low-income people, being a creative and zealous attorney and a team-player and demonstrated commitment to achieving lasting results for clients and low-income communities are all important. The Poverty Law attorney position advocates for clients in our service region with a variety of legal issues, balancing cases that focus on landlord/tenant law, domestic violence law and other poverty law areas as needed.

Responsibilities

• Commitment to PLS’ mission, values and
• Represent and advise clients in judicial and administrative hearings in landlord/tenant, domestic violence and family law, consumer, public benefits, community economic development, and other poverty law areas as needed.
• Work in and travel to rural locations and attend
• Conduct client interviews with trauma-informed approach; advise and represent clients in Small Claims, District, Superior courts, and administrative proceedings as (This may include representation, preparation for self-representation, obtaining continuances for assessment, and referring cases to other attorneys.)
• Document all work and communications in Legal Server case management
• Organize and conduct outreach and educational
• Establish branch office(s) within service
• Develop and maintain community relationships including other non-profit agencies, government officials, government employees, community leaders and others.
• Travel within our service area and also to meetings or conferences in other parts of
• Adhere to program priorities and case handling policies, procedures, and standards of practice, as well as the highest professional and ethical standards.
• Keep abreast of developments in the law and disseminate information to staff, volunteer attorneys and the public.
• Work with volunteers, including volunteer attorneys, on a regular
• Assist in fundraising and outreach in coordination with PLS Development

Qualifications

• N.C. licensed attorney
• Demonstrated commitment to serving low-income people and
• Demonstrated skills at socio-economic and cultural sensitivity and ability to assist upset or ill
• Excellent writing and verbal communication
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with teams and
• Ability to work with low-income clients and communities within a multi-ethnic/ multi-cultural
• Ability to effectively collaborate with coworkers and clients face to face and in meeting
• Fluency in Spanish would be an
• Possess valid driver’s

Salary/ Benefits

Salary ranges from $65,690 – $118,243depending on experience. Additional bilingual language skills that are applicable to this role may qualify for up to an additional $3k upon completing a language assessment test.

Our salary scale is predetermined based on the years of relative professional work experience that qualify for this position to ensure equity in pay. Pisgah Legal Services is a Living Wage Certified Employer.

Employees are eligible for medical, dental, vision and life insurance coverage the 1 st of the month following the start date. Pisgah Legal Services (PLS) pays 100% of the Employee and 50% of the Dependent Cost for Aetna Medical and Dental coverage. PLS pays 50% of the Employee Coverage Cost for Aetna Vision coverage. PLS pays 100% of Long-Term & Short-Term Disability Coverage, Life Insurance Coverage of 5x base salary + an additional $15,000 Life & AD&D Coverage. 401k Retirement Plan after 6 months of employment. Additional Fringe Benefits includes Pet Insurance, Paid Parental Leave, Paid Bereavement Leave, 13.5 Company Holidays, 22 Paid Leave Days, Paid Sabbatical Leave for eligible staff, Employee Assistance Program for entire household and a great working environment with work life balance!

PLS invites all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your unique background and/or experiences might contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and legal services practice.

Pisgah Legal Services is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are encouraged to discuss ADA accommodations with our Human Resources department.