Housing Attorney – Contra Costa

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Job location
1025 Macdonald Ave
Richmond, CA 94801
United States
Organization information
Organization name: 
Bay Area legal Aid
Street address: 
1735 Telegraph Ave
City: 
Oakland
State: 
California
ZIP: 
94612
Job type: 
Legal - Defender
Position Description: 

Bay Area Legal Aid
Housing Attorney – Contra Costa

Organization: Bay Area Legal Aid (BayLegal) ensures fairness in the civil justice system for the most vulnerable members of our community. From Silicon Valley to Napa Valley, we help clients protect their livelihoods, their health, and their families. Our clients include the working poor, families with children, foster youth, seniors, immigrants, veterans, and persons with disabilities. Through our regional county offices, our mobile advocacy clinics, and our nationally-recognized Legal Advice Line, BayLegal prevents domestic violence and sexual assault, increases economic stability, protects consumers, expands access to healthcare, and prevents homelessness. For our clients, BayLegal makes the difference between staying in poverty and thriving toward a brighter future.

Position: We are seeking a Housing Attorney to join our dynamic Housing Law practice group, which focuses on the preservation of fair and affordable housing, and represents clients who are at risk of displacement —one of the most critical issues facing low-income families in Contra Costa County. This position is based in our Richmond office and requires travel to all parts of the county to best serve our low-income clients throughout.

Responsibilities:
• Represent low-income tenants in administrative hearings and eviction proceedings at every stage, including trials and appeals
• Advocate for the housing rights of underserved communities, including veterans, individuals impacted by the criminal justice system, the chronically homeless, disabled individuals and survivors of trafficking and interpersonal violence
• Develop relationships, provide workshops and technical assistance to range of partners in community and government on fair housing and tenant's rights issues
• Devise systemic impact litigation strategies to protect tenant's rights and improve living conditions for families in Contra Costa

Compensation and Benefits: Compensation is based on a competitive public interest salary scale. Generous benefits package includes medical, dental, and life insurance; long-term disability; paid holiday, vacation, and sick leave; law school loan repayment; bilingual stipends; and 401k retirement plan.

Requirements: 

Desired Qualifications:
• Candidates that have recently passed the CA Bar, or awaiting bar results are welcome to apply
• Familiarity with housing and racial justice principles and understanding of how gentrification and displacement impact low-income communities of color
• Fluency in Spanish and English
• Familiarity with the diverse communities and geography of Contra Costa County
• Strong personal work ethic and ability to organize time, manage diverse activities, and meet critical deadlines with minimal supervision
• Excellent writing, editing, and proof-reading skills, with the ability to be detail-oriented
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work collaboratively with a dynamic team
• Ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects while maintaining a firm grasp of individual project details
• A valid California driver’s license

To apply: 

Applications: Bay Area Legal Aid thrives on our diversity and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a culturally diverse workplace and strongly encourage women, persons of color, LGBTQ individuals, veterans, persons with disabilities, and persons from other underrepresented groups to apply. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue on a rolling basis, but applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Please send a cover letter, resume, writing sample, diversity statement (described below) and list of references to: Human Resources Department, e-mail to [email protected] be sure to refer to the posting "Housing Attorney—Contra Costa" in the title of your email.

In a separate page from your cover letter, please address the following:

BayLegal’s clients are low- and very low-income members of our communities. They include the working poor, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. To ensure our organization is best serving these populations, BayLegal strives to promote an evolving set of behaviors and attitudes amongst our staff, as well as policies that enable us to work effectively in all cross-cultural situations, with clients, with our coworkers, and with the community. We see this as a commitment to enhance the provision of our services to all clients; to raise the level of positive client outcomes; and to create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued.

How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural humility and diversity amongst our staff? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences.

[Please note that your response to the prompt above will not be read by your interviewing hiring committee. To reduce potential bias, your name will be removed and your response to this prompt will be read and reviewed separately from the rest of your application. Feedback on your response will then be provided to the interviewing hiring committee for this position. Therefore, if there is any specific information that you would like the interviewing hiring committee to be aware of, please make sure to include that information in your cover letter, even if there is some duplication.]

Notes: 
Equal Opportunity Employer