Staff Attorney - Farmworkers Rights Division

Georgia Legal Services Program Inc; Atlanta (GA); Remote; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Flexible Spending Account

Employer-paid life insurance

Disability plan

15 accrued vacation days

Job summary

Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP) seeks a Staff Attorney for the Farmworker Rights Division to provide free legal representation to Georgia's farmworkers in wage disputes, discrimination, and immigrant rights. The role emphasizes working with Spanish-speaking clients and community education.

The position is remote within Georgia, requiring a Georgia Bar license, Juris Doctorate, and commitment to social justice.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate or equivalent degree and bar admission in Georgia.
• Demonstrated commitment to social, economic, and racial justice, especially in worker/immigrant rights.
• Strong legal writing and oral advocacy skills.
• Fluent Spanish and ability to conduct portions of the interview in Spanish.

Responsibilities

• Provide free legal representation to Georgia farmworkers on employment-related issues.
• Manage a substantial active caseload of advocacy and litigation.
• Communicate effectively with clients and staff; engage in public speaking, partnership development, and community education events.
• Analyze, write, and present legal concepts clearly and concisely.
• Collaborate as part of a professional team to advance farmworker rights.

Skills

Client advocacy

Spanish language skills

Legal writing

Oral advocacy

Public speaking

Education

Juris Doctorate

Tools

LegalServer

SharePoint

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Description

Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP), a statewide nonprofit law firm, seeks a Staff Attorney to work in the Farmworkers Rights Division.

About Georgia Legal Services Program

Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP) is a statewide, nonprofit public interest law firm in Georgia that offers free civil legal services to low-income individuals, fostering equal access to justice and opportunities out of poverty. GLSP is founded on the belief that everyone deserves high-quality legal services regardless of income, age, race, or other demographic factors.

GLSP runs 10 regional offices that serve Georgians with low incomes living outside metro Atlanta in 154 of the state’s 159 counties. GLSP employs approximately 182 full-time staff members. We provide free legal aid across a wide range of civil issues, including family law, housing, access to public benefits, eviction prevention, farmworkers' rights, and educational access.

JOB SUMMARY

The Farmworker Rights Division provides free legal representation to Georgia's farmworkers with employment-related issues. Typical cases involve employers failing to pay workers' wages; discriminating on the basis of sex, race, or national origin; subjecting workers to human trafficking conditions; and breaking recruitment contracts. Clients include primarily guest workers from Mexico and Central America, in addition to U.S. migrant farmworkers.

In Fall 2021, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Georgia, indicted 24 defendants on federal conspiracy charges, related to the forced labor of hundreds H-2A workers in Georgia and Florida. See Blue Onion [SC1] The operation, which was referred to by the U.S. Attorney's Office as the biggest labor trafficking sting operation in U.S. history, exposed to the public what our office already knew: the exploitation and abuse of guest farmworkers in Georgia is widespread. Since Blue Onion, our work has received favorable attention from media, policy makers, and the general public. Join us in this important and exciting work!

This is a remote position within the state of Georgia.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

• Graduate of an accredited law school and current member of the Georgia Bar.
• The ideal candidate must demonstrate strong people skills and the ability to effectively manage the needs of both clients and staff.
• Demonstrated commitment to social, economic, and racial justice, especially in the areas of worker and/or immigrant rights.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate with different audiences through public speaking, writing, partnership development, and community education events.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to perform tasks necessary to maintain a substantial active caseload of advocacy and litigation.
• Ability to analyze, write, and present ideas and legal concepts clearly and concisely.
• Willingness and demonstrated ability to work as part of a team professionally and collaboratively.

Additional qualifications

• Excellent writing and oral advocacy skills.
• Experience serving a diverse client population and staff is desired.
• Valid driver's license and operable vehicle.
• Computer literacy, which includes familiarity with using email, Excel, Word, SharePoint, LegalServer, and other computer programs.
• Strong language skills (oral and written) in Spanish, including good oral presentation skills. Candidates selected for an interview should expect a portion of the interview to be conducted in Spanish.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Juris Doctorate Degree and licensed to practice law in Georgia, or willing and able to obtain a certification of fitness to practice law and become licensed in Georgia the next time the bar exam is offered.
• Demonstrated commitment to social, economic, and racial justice, especially in the areas of worker and/or immigrant rights.
• Strong legal research, writing, and oral advocacy skills.
• Strong language skills (oral and written) in Spanish, including good oral presentation skills. Candidates selected for an interview should expect a portion of the interview to be conducted in Spanish.
• Possess and maintain a valid driver's license during employment.

Benefits

• Non-bargaining, full-time/exempt, hybrid
• Salary range: $, dependent upon experience and qualifications.
• Probationary period: 6 months
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Option to enroll in a Flexible Spending Account
• Employer-paid life insurance and disability plan
• 15 accrued vacation days. Vacation days increase to 20 days after 3 years of employment
• 12 accrued sick days
• 13 paid holidays, including a birthday holiday
• 35-hour work week for all full-time employees. This is an exempt position, and exempt employees are expected to work the hours necessary to fulfill the responsibilities and requirements of their position.
• 403(b) retirement plan with 4% match
• Up to 10 weeks paid parental leave
• Organizational Wellness activities
• Professional development opportunities
• Additional compensation for employees who pass GLSP’s Spanish proficiency test

GLSP is an Affi­rmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of Georgia Legal Services Program not to discriminate against any applicant for employment because of race, color, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, medical condition, veteran status, political affiliation, national origin, disability, marital or other protected status.