LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN, INC.
Since 1968, Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc., has provided civil legal aid to those who would otherwise be denied justice. Whether it’s securing FoodShare for a family in need, obtaining a domestic abuse restraining order for a mother, preventing homelessness, or disputing predatory loans, Legal Action delivers high quality, personalized representation to every client, emphasizing the legal work that can create systemic change. Legal Action fights tirelessly in the southern 39 counties of Wisconsin to ensure equal access to justice regardless of income or age. In addition, Legal Action operates a statewide farmworkers project. With funding from the federal Legal Services Corporation, the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, and various other grants, this non-profit law firm represents low-income and elderly individuals at no cost. Attorneys in Legal Action’s six offices focus their work on housing, public benefits, family law, consumer issues, and removing barriers to employment.
ELDER RIGHTS PROJECT
Legal Action now seeks a full-time staff attorney for its Elder Rights Project (ERP) in the Milwaukee office. ERP’s mission is to solve the civil legal issues that arise from incidents of financial, physical, and emotional abuse against clients sixty years old and older. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, ERP strives to secure and stabilize the lives of vulnerable elder victims of abuse. ERP focuses on removing abusers from homes, recovering stolen assets and money, protecting elders’ income and benefits, fighting unlawful discrimination against elder victims, and combatting unconscionable or predatory loans and agreements. ERP works as a team of attorneys in every Legal Action office and is funded by a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant.
POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES
• Provide quality and aggressive client representation in direct service cases and perform all duties associated with such representation
• Litigate high-impact cases on a range of civil legal issues in trial and appellate courts in state and federal courts
• Serve clients from a wide range of backgrounds and with different abilities
• Investigate and develop new cases with potential plaintiffs and defendants
• Develop expertise in areas that affect elders specifically, such as
Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, guardianship and protective placement
• Develop expertise in areas that affect victims of abuse specifically, such as
eviction, restraining orders, divorce, identity theft, consumer fraud, and civil theft
• Coordinate with benefit specialists and social workers to ensure stability and safety in clients’ lives
• Engage in public speaking to educate community partners and train attorneys, other professionals
• Travel throughout Wisconsin (mostly Milwaukee and Waukesha counties) and sometimes outside Wisconsin, for training, litigation, conferences, speaking engagements, and client development. This includes travel to visit with clients at their homes since some elderly clients may be unable to travel.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and agency partners to resolve obstacles and/or conflicts
• Perform intake duties
• Train and supervise paralegal staff, as needed
• Perform other duties which may be assigned from time to time
• J.D. degree or expected May 2018
• Admission to the Wisconsin Bar, by diploma privilege or by passage of the first available bar exam
• Familiarity with poverty law, public benefits law, domestic violence, and housing
• Prior legal aid or other relevant experience is preferred
• Familiarity with courtroom procedure, both federal and state
• Superior skills in case analysis, research, and writing
• Demonstrated ability to speak clearly and persuasively
• Enthusiasm for arguing motions and representing at trial
• Self-motivated, diligent, and able to meet strict deadlines while under pressure
• Commitment to serving the elderly, the poor, and the communities of Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties
• Cultural competence and respect for differences in race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance
• Ability to speak another language and cultural affinity for the client community that speaks that language (preferred)
Send a cover letter, resume, recent legal writing sample, three references, and a law school transcript to [email protected]. In the cover letter, applicants must specify the Legal Action office location and the title of the position for which they are applying. Use PDF for all documents. Applicants who cannot submit application materials via email, please call Nicole Zimmer, ERP project director, at 414-278-7777 to make other arrangements.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To assure early consideration, please submit materials as soon as possible and no later than 5 p.m. on March 2, 2018.