Self-Help Attorney

National Legal Aid & Defender Association; Stockton (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The Superior Court of California, County of San Joaquin is hiring a Self Help Attorney. This full journey-level attorney role offers competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for telecommuting.

You will provide legal and procedural assistance to self-represented litigants, supervise Self-Help staff, and review documents they generate. Qualifications include a JD, active State Bar membership, and knowledge of family law and related court procedures.

Qualifications

• JD required from an accredited law school.
• Experience providing legal self-help services is highly desirable.
• Active membership in the State Bar of California.
• Possession of, or ability to obtain, a CA Driver's License or alternate transportation.
• Knowledge of family law, mediation techniques, and related legal processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal and procedural assistance to self-represented litigants in various matters.
• Guide and direct the Court’s non-lawyer Self-Help staff and review documents they prepare.
• Differentiate between Self-Help Attorney and Family Law Facilitator roles in terms of responsibilities.

Skills

Supervision

Legal research

Legal analysis

Communication

Literacy in English

Education

Juris Doctorate

Tools

Family law software

Job description

Position Description

The Superior Court of California, County of San Joaquin is now accepting applications for Self Help Attorney. This is an outstanding opportunity with the Court. The Court offers a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and consideration for telecommuting.

Position Description

The Superior Court of California, County of San Joaquin is now accepting applications for Self Help Attorney. This is an outstanding opportunity with the Court. The Court offers a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and consideration for telecommuting. This is the full journey-level professional attorney classification in the Self-Help and Family Law Facilitator Services. Attorneys in this class provide legal and procedural assistance to self-represented litigants in a variety of legal matters, provide legal guidance and direction to the Court’s non-lawyer Self-Help staff and provide work review of documents and forms they generate. Self-Help Attorney is distinguished from the Family Law Facilitator in that the latter is responsible for the overall planning, development, administration of self-help services.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

• Equivalent to possession of a Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited school of law.
• Knowledge in the area of work to be performed and experience providing legal self-help services through either a Court-based Self-Help Center or nonprofit legal aid organization are highly desirable.

Licenses And Certifications

• Active membership in the State Bar of California
• Possession of, or ability to obtain a valid California Class C Driver’s License and a satisfactory driving record, or the ability to utilize an alternate method of transportation when needed to perform job related functions is required. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to a disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Knowledge Of

• Principles and practices of employee supervision, including work panning, assignment, review and evaluation, and the training of staff in work procedures.
• Family law, including mediation techniques and approaches, and/or provisions of domestic violence, probate, landlord/tenant or consumer law. Legal processes, and Rules of Court.
• Litigant assistance programs, including legal aid and legal assistance services.
• Family law and other legal software programs.
• Principles, practices, methods, and materials of legal research and analysis.
• Legal terms, procedures, forms, and documents.
• Principles and practices of sound business and legal communication, data collection, and report preparation.
• Modern office practices, methods, and computer equipment and applications related to the work.
• English usage, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and punctuation.

Ability To

• Assist in developing and implementing goals, objectives, practices, policies, procedures, and work standards.
• Supervise, select, train, motivate, and evaluate the work of staff.
• Establish and maintain staff and work schedules to meet assignment coverage needs.
• Work with people of diverse socio-economic backgrounds.
• Use tact and diplomacy when dealing with sensitive, complex, and/or confidential issues, situations, and/or difficult individuals.
• Analyze problems and legal issues and identify solutions.
• Apply legal principles to case facts and make sound decisions.
• Research and analyze a variety of legal documents.
• Organize and prioritize a variety of projects and multiple tasks in an effective and timely manner, organize own work, set priorities, and meet critical time deadlines.
• Use English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone, and in writing.
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.