The Watsonville Law Center (WLC) is legal aid serving Santa Cruz and Monterey counties on California’s beautiful Central Coast. We are seeking an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow to take a leadership role in criminal record change (record clearance / expungement). This project includes direct legal services, outreach and education, and multi-disciplinary collaboration with diverse partner agencies.
Location: Primarily Watsonville, California, with occasional regional travel required.
This Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps fellowship is one year, renewable for a second year.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
• Become the expert. We will support you with access to mentors, advising attorneys, and training. You must be eager to develop substantive and procedural expertise in criminal record change, court fees and fines, and related employment and consumer law.
• Work the case. Provide legal services including representation to help people and achieve results. Your caseload will be primarily advice and brief appearances, with time reserved for impact and systems-change work.
• Build your craft. Master professional practice skills and case management in an active, process-driven office.
• Evangelize. Share your love of access to justice. We provide you training and opportunity, and you will provide workshops, outreach, and engage the community in your vision.
• Innovate and Lead. We will provide opportunities to collaborate with diverse professionals and partner agencies, network with other reentry advocates, and build impactful, innovative legal services.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Professional Skills: tell us your experience relevant to interviewing and counseling clients, professional writing, and producing quality casework. Prior experience with direct client services, law school clinics, or legal aid is preferred.
• Record Change Experience: training will be provided, but we prefer some prior experience in record change work.
• Communication skills: ability to communicate with diverse clients and other professionals is required, and prior experience with multi-agency collaboration is helpful. Spanish fluency is preferred but not required.
• Experience with diverse communities: experience in rural, low-income, immigrant, and diverse communities is helpful.
• Presentation skills: you must be able to provide effective presentations to clients and other professionals. Prior public speaking, workshop facilitation, and related experience is helpful.
Additional Information:
Please see http://equaljusticeworks.org/post-grad/americorps-legal-fellowships/eolc...
AmeriCorps’ Rules for Eligibility
Fellows must meet the following AmeriCorps eligibility requirements:
• Fellows must have graduated from an Equal Justice Works member law school (all but a few law schools) and have taken the California Bar Exam.
• Fellows cannot have served more than three prior terms with other AmeriCorps programs, including the Equal Justice Works Summer Corps or Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps JD programs.
• Fellows must be U.S. Citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents.
• Fellows must pass criminal history background checks, which include the National Sex Offender Public Registry, a state background check in the state of service and state of application for service, and an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history check. Note that a criminal history is generally not a bar to serving as an AmeriCorps member. Every case is evaluated individually.
Compensation:
Compensation is $43,500/year. The Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellow’s compensation consists of the following:
1. Living allowance of $25,060
2. $18,440 in supplemental benefits for housing and other allowable costs (please see Equal Justice Works website for details)
Other Benefits:
Medical benefits
$5,755 AmeriCorps Legal Education Award upon successful completion of service (please see Equal Justice Works website for details)
Participation in Equal Justice Works training opportunities, as applicable
Substantive training and professional development
WLC values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer.
• Professional Skills: tell us your experience relevant to interviewing and counseling clients, professional writing, and producing quality casework. Prior experience with direct client services, law school clinics, or legal aid is preferred.
• Record Change Experience: training will be provided, but we prefer some prior experience in record change work.
• Communication skills: ability to communicate with diverse clients and other professionals is required, and prior experience with multi-agency collaboration is helpful. Spanish fluency is preferred but not required.
• Experience with diverse communities: experience in rural, low-income, immigrant, and diverse communities is helpful.
• Presentation skills: you must be able to provide effective presentations to clients and other professionals. Prior public speaking, workshop facilitation, and related experience is helpful.
We are reviewing applications immediately until position is filled.
Please send a cover letter, resume, and list of three professional references to:
[email protected]
Please include “EOLC Fellow” in the email subject.
WLC values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer.