Rural Staff Attorney

The Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm, the only of its kind in Georgia, with the mission to increase generational wealth, social justice, and community stability by securing and preserving property rights of low and moderate-income Georgians. In furthering this mission, the Center assists heirs property owners in remediating fractured title, increasing equity in their home or land, and transferring wealth to the next generation through technical assistance including title clearing, wills creation, estate planning, education, and facilitating access to government, private sector, and nonprofit land management/home improvement programs. The Center has offices in Atlanta, Athens, and Fitzgerald and is planning to open a new office in Valdosta. Staff work collaboratively throughout the state, with targeted outreach in Atlanta and Southwest Georgia.

The Rural Staff Attorney position is full-time and reports to the Center’s Legal Programs Director. Responsibilities include working on title clearing and estate planning matters for clients throughout Georgia; representing clients in matters before courts statewide; maintaining client case files and working with referral organizations; educating low- and moderate-income communities about heirs property remediation and prevention, property ownership and preservation, economic development, and government, private sector, and nonprofit land management/home improvement programs; working in partnership with stakeholders, nonprofits, governmental agencies, and municipalities in the communities served; and collaborating with the Center’s attorney and non-attorney staff and pro bono volunteers. The position will serve rural communities statewide but will focus primarily on Southwest Georgia. Travel as well as some evening and weekend work required.

Direct Legal Services (80%):
 Maintain an active caseload of heirs property title clearing and probate matters. Perform legal research and prepare memoranda, court pleadings, discovery, motions and briefs. Appear in state and federal courts for motions, trials, hearings, conferences and appeals.
 Conduct intake calls with potential clients, follow up for requested information, summarize facts of case, and present case to staff for consideration.
 Assist families with family tree research. Lead family meetings to discuss heirs property issues
and facilitate agreements regarding property goals. Negotiate resolutions with opposing parties, attorneys and guardian ad litems.
 Prepare estate plans, including wills, advanced directives for healthcare and financial powers of attorney.
 Organize and maintain files and records of a confidential, complex, or otherwise sensitive nature. Maintain client files and information in case management database. Develop and implement organizational and case systems to achieve effective workloads and case flow.
 Keep the Legal Programs Director fully informed on client cases and all important external factors influencing them.
 Establish sound working relationships with Center attorney and non-attorney staff.
Communications, Outreach and Education (20%):
 Coordinate outreach, education and technical assistance and develop educational materials for property owners, nonprofits and municipalities about heirs property issues.
 Coordinate Heirs Property Prevention and Wills Clinics, including pro bono volunteers, with support of Center attorney and non-attorney staff.
 Collaborate with project partners and staff to develop outreach and education programming and materials. Establish sound working relationships and cooperative arrangements with community organizations.

For more information and application instructions, please visit our website at https://www.gaheirsproperty.org/careers/.