Uptown People's Law Center

National Black Lawyers Top 100; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 61,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Uptown People’s Law Center (UPLC) in Chicago seeks a staff attorney to implement the Cook County Just Housing Amendment (JHA) and lead mass action preservation work for affordable housing. The role includes tenant advocacy, eviction defense, and outreach to tenants, social services, and housing providers.

The attorney will develop UPLC’s JHA program, assist in coalition-building, and represent tenants in related housing matters, including court appearances and trials when needed.

Qualifications

• J.D. and Illinois license to practice by date of application.
• 1–3 years experience (including clinic, internships, fellowships or clerkships) in addition to traditional practice.
• Strong verbal and written communication with diverse audiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with clients who have experienced trauma.
• Initiative, self-motivation, and ability to juggle multiple tasks.
• Community outreach and engagement, training experience a plus.
• Advocacy strategies and policy commentary preferred.
• Comfortable managing workload and high-intensity litigation.

Responsibilities

• Represent tenants in JHA-related disputes before the Cook County Human Rights Commission and Circuit Court, including investigations, settlements, filings, mediation and hearings.
• Provide training and outreach to tenants, community groups, social services, and housing providers on rights and obligations under the law.
• Lead advocacy efforts at local, state, and federal levels and coordinate with coalitions and government entities.
• Identify tenants at risk of losing affordable housing and advocate on their behalf.
• Provide direct legal services in eviction defense and related housing matters including illegal lockouts and landlord retaliation.

Skills

Strong verbal and writtencommunication

Interpersonal skills

Trauma-informed approach

Initiative and multitasking

Community outreach and engagement

Advocacy strategy development

Cross-cultural competencies

Education

J.D. and licensed to practice in Illinois by date of application

Job description

Summary

Uptown People’s Law Center (UPLC) is hiring a staff attorney to work primarily on implementing the Cook County Just Housing Amendment (JHA) and leading mass action affordable housing preservation work. Over the last several years, UPLC, in line with our dual areas of work supporting Illinois people in prison and protecting tenants’ rights, has been one of the leading agencies enforcing the Just Housing Amendment. With affordable housing in jeopardy in Uptown and surrounding neighborhoods, UPLC has partnered with community organizations and tenant unions to preserve affordable housing.

Secondary duties of this position include representing tenants in a variety of related cases, including traditional eviction defense, advocating for tenants experiencing substandard living conditions, and teaching both tenants and social services providers about tenants’ rights.

Responsibilities

This staff attorney will, under the supervision of the Housing Supervising Attorney, and with the assistance of other UPLC staff, continue to develop UPLC’s Just Housing Amendment Program and the Housing Preservation Program. As part of this effort, this staff attorney will:

• Represent tenants who are denied housing in violation of the JHA. This will include representation before the Cook County Human Rights Commission, as well as in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Representation includes, but is not limited to, investigations of claims of discrimination, settlement negotiations, filing of complaints, mediation, and hearings.
• Provide training and other outreach and educational efforts to tenants, community groups, social service agencies, and housing providers in order to raise broad as well as targeted grassroots awareness about the JHA and to advise both landlords and tenants of their rights and obligations under the law.
• Initiate and further general and targeted advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal level to advance fair housing rights. This will include coordination of a coalition of legal aid organizations dedicated to fair housing, developing partnerships and collaborations with other agencies, and working with the Cook County Department of Human Rights and Ethics, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other government entities to craft policy on housing access and protections.
• Work with community organizations, tenant unions, and other legal aid agencies to identify and advocate for groups of tenants who are at risk of losing their affordable housing.

This staff attorney will also provide direct legal services in tenant’s rights and other cases that come to UPLC. This includes:

• Appearing in state court for eviction proceedings, and preparing for jury trials with the drafting of and responding to discovery requests, arguing any appropriate dispositive motions, engaging in settlement negotiations, and other litigation-related tasks.
• Representing tenants in other housing legal matters, including illegal lockouts, landlord retaliation, illegal entries, material noncompliance on building conditions and repairs, and discriminatory actions by landlords.

Additionally, this staff attorney is expected to:

• Support the training of paralegals, legal interns, and outreach workers, including reviewing their work, as needed.
• Attend CLE classes and legal community meetings on relevant legal and social justice topics.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• J.D. and licensed to practice in Illinois by date of application.
• 1–3 years experience (this may include law school clinical experience, internships, fellowships, judicial clerkships or other similar experience, in addition to traditional legal practice)
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively with clients who have experienced trauma and/or crisis; especially attractive would be a candidate with experience working with people who are currently or were previously imprisoned.
• Ability to take initiative, self-motivate, and juggle multiple tasks
• Community outreach and engagement skills, presentation and communication skills, experience with conducting trainings are a plus.
• Ability to develop advocacy strategies and comment on policies is preferred.
• Comfortable managing an appropriate workload and sensitive client issues, as well as the high-intensity atmosphere of litigation.
• Cross-cultural competencies and self-awareness around issues of power, privilege, and difference.
• Experience handling eviction cases or general trial experience is preferred, but not required.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and experience providing direct legal services to low-income communities is preferred, but not required.

Travel Requirements

Occasional travel to area social service providers, typically but not exclusively in the Uptown neighborhood, and to the Chicago Daley Center courthouse in the Loop, is required. Most locations can be reached via Chicago public transit; however, access to a car is a plus.

Required Hours

Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00am to 5:00pm, and Friday 9:00 - 2:00. Flex time and limited remote work options are available. This is a full-time, exempt position. Non-traditional hours—weekends and evenings—may be required on occasion, including when preparing for trial, presenting trainings, and attending community meetings, which are often held in the evenings.

Organization Background

Uptown People’s Law Center (UPLC) is a Chicago-based legal nonprofit that works with communities impacted by the systemic oppression of the criminal legal system to restore human and civil rights to people in prison, and advance housing, disability, and economic justice that supports family stability and community reunification. UPLC advances racial, gender, and disability justice throughout our work and is committed to systems change advocacy through high impact litigation, legal support, policy reform, education and outreach, administrative advocacy, and strategic partnerships.

UPLC offers a collaborative and supportive work environment with a small staff of dedicated people who are passionate about their work. Staff are given meaningful responsibility alongside consistent guidance and opportunities to grow and contribute new ideas. The dress code is casual (except for court appearances and certain meetings/events) and we are conveniently located a short walk from the Wilson Red Line stop.

UPLC is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and to embed those principles in our office culture and legal practice. We value the range of perspectives and experiences our staff bring to the table and expect this position to contribute meaningfully to that ongoing work.

In addition, we as an office have extensive experience providing accommodations as necessary in order to establish equity in our working environment. If you are interested in discussing accommodations for this position or for the interview process, please feel free to include your query with your application. We do not require a disclosure of disability in order to extend an accommodation.

Salary depends on experience and starts at $68,000/year. UPLC provides individual health, dental and vision, plus a retirement contribution, generous paid vacation, holidays and sick time. UPLC has a staff union and is currently negotiating its first collective bargaining agreement.

UPLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and as an organization committed to diversity and the perspective of all voices, we strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ folks, people with disabilities, and/or former prisoners to apply. Staff members are chosen on the basis of ability without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, HIV status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, or prior record of arrest or conviction, in accordance with federal and state law.