Staff Attorney, Family Law

D.C. Bar; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center seeks a Staff Attorney, Family Law to provide legal guidance and active representation through the Family Law Assistance Network (FLAN) in the Domestic Relations Branch of DC Superior Court.

You will help place qualifying litigants with pro bono attorneys for full representation and mentor volunteers in family law cases. You will plan and lead attorney and non-attorney trainings, conduct community outreach, and develop family law materials, while supporting DC Bar

Qualifications

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Active member of the District of Columbia Bar in good standing.
• Extensive experience handling family law matters in DC (custody, child support, parentage, domestic violence, etc.).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 and Legal Server.
• Commitment to diversity and inclusive environment.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Detail oriented and deadline driven; able to multi-task.

Responsibilities

• Provides same-day legal services through FLAN to qualifying parents or caregivers with cases in DC Superior Court (remote and in-person).
• Provides legal information, advice, brief services, limited scope representation, and full representation in family law matters.
• Updates and drafts materials for self-represented litigants and manages records of requests.
• Mentors volunteers, law students, and paralegals; conducts trainings and outreach.
• Develops and compiles training and resource materials.
• Refers appropriate matters to Pro Bono Center’s Advocacy & Justice Clinic and other providers.
• Mentors pro bono attorneys on substantive legal issues.
• Identifies emerging issues and designs new programs and projects.
• Represents the Pro Bono Center with court, agencies, and providers.
• Collaborates with other Pro Bono Center clinics and partners on family law matters.
• Provides community outreach and Know Your Rights trainings.
• Drafts forms, pleadings, reports, notices, and other documents.
• Assists in grant reporting and applications as needed.
• Improves the case management system and supports clinics.

Skills

Oral and written communication

Detail oriented

Interpersonal skills

Customer service

Multi-tasking

Education

J.D. from ABA-accredited law school

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Legal Server

Job description

The Staff Attorney, Family Law provides legal advice and representation to qualifying litigants as part of the Family Law Assistance Network (FLAN) in the Domestic Relations Branch of DC Superior Court. The Staff Attorney, Family Law helps place qualifying litigants with pro bono attorneys for full representation and serves as a mentor to volunteers in family law cases. The Staff Attorney, Family Law plans and leads attorney and non-attorney trainings, conducts community outreach, and develops family law materials. The Staff Attorney, Family Law will assist DC Bar Pro Bono Clinics as needed.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provides same-day legal services through the Family Law Assistance Network (FLAN) to qualifying parents or third-party caregivers with cases in the Domestic Relations Branch of DC Superior Court (both remote and in-person).
• Provides legal information, legal advice, brief services, limited scope representation, and full representation to qualifying litigants in family law matters.
• Updates and drafts new materials for self-represented litigants and responds to and maintains records of requests for materials or information.
• Provides substantive guidance, mentoring, training, and outreach to volunteer attorneys, law students, and paralegals.
• Develops, selects, and compiles training and other resource materials.
• Refers appropriate matters to the Pro Bono Center’s Advocacy & Justice Clinic as well as other area legal services providers.
• Through the Pro Bono Center’s Advocacy & Justice, provides mentoring and feedback on substantive legal issues to pro bono attorneys.
• Identifies emerging issues, develops recommendations, and designs and implements new programs and projects.
• Represents the Pro Bono Center with the court, administrative agencies, other legal services providers, and community-based organizations.
• Collaborates with other Pro Bono Center clinics and projects involving family law matters and partners with other legal services providers.
• Provides community outreach, legal education, and/or “Know Your Rights” trainings to prospective clients and community members.
• Drafts forms, pleadings, reports, correspondence, notices, and other documents.
• Assists in preparing reports for internal reporting and grant reporting.
• Assists in grant applications as needed.
• Facilitates improvements in the Pro Bono Center’s case management system.
• Supports other Pro Bono Center clinics as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school.
• An active member of the District of Columbia Bar and in good standing.
• Active practice experience in D.C., including extensive experience handling family law (custody, child support, parentage, domestic violence, name change, adoption, divorce, etc.) cases.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 and Legal Server.
• Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working environment.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Must be detail oriented and deadline driven. Able to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills. Must work well in a team environment and be able to interact, including in-person, with Bar members, volunteers, vendors, the public and Pro Bono Center and Bar employees.
• Must work well under pressure, possess excellent organizational abilities, and able to manage several priorities in a day.
• Must be adaptable, creative, and self-motivated.
• Ability to handle and maintain the confidentiality of highly sensitive information.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience handling a variety of poverty law matters (housing, public benefits, consumer, and/or other civil legal issues).
• Experience with a legal services organization that provides legal services to indigent individuals.
• Experience working with volunteers.
• Proficiency in Spanish.

This position is currently a hybrid position, with days worked in the office and days worked remotely. The hybrid status of this position may change at any time subject to the Pro Bono Center’s discretion.

This is not an attempt to list all essential functions of this position. Job duties may change over time based on Pro Bono Center needs.

The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law.

The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center is committed to providing qualified individuals with reasonable accommodations to perform the essential functions of their jobs, pursuant to applicable law. If you require reasonable accommodation as part of the application process, please contact Human Resources.

As part of the accommodation process, we will conduct an individualized interactive process and may ask you for additional information. Any final hiring decisions or start dates may be delayed while the accommodation review process is ongoing if the individual cannot begin work without the requested accommodation.