Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE), a non-profit regional law firm that provides high-quality legal assistance to low-income people and groups in western Ohio, seeks a resourceful, culturally competent, hardworking Senior Attorney for its Toledo office.
The Senior Attorney will work with ABLE's Housing and Community Economic Development and Meaningful and Appropriate Education Practice Groups. The Senior Attorney will expand ABLE’s community economic development capacity in the Toledo area and provide legal representation to children and parents in education cases.
ABLE engages in community lawyering to ensure that our legal work not only aligns with community needs, but that it supports initiatives from and is led by the impacted community. The Senior Attorney will listen to, be part of and empower Toledo residents, cooperative and social enterprise incubators, and neighborhoods; advocate and provide support for community development and entrepreneurship, offering transactional legal services and legal technical assistance to low-income and minority small business owners; stabilize property values, increase economic resources, and improve the quality of life in low-income communities; and provide other legal assistance to meet basic needs of housing and financial security.
The Senior Attorney will also advocate for appropriate and meaningful educational opportunities for children in poverty. Past work has focused on discipline practices and disrupting the school to prison pipeline, particularly for youth of color who are disproportionately impacted by these policies; appropriate and inclusive services for children with disabilities; and language access and English Learner education. The Senior Attorney will be expected to work closely with community and parent groups, handle administrative complaints and litigation, and engage in policy advocacy.
The Senior Attorney position is a leadership position within the firm, and the individual will handle major advocacy responsibilities. The Senior Attorney is expected to exercise firm wide leadership in one or more areas that implement firm needs and priorities and are consistent with the firm’s strategic plan, and to contribute constructively to the firm’s decision-making process. They must also have the capacity and inclination to supervise and mentor other attorneys, both in conjunction with their major advocacy responsibilities and independently of those responsibilities.
The salary range for this position starts at $74,123 and offers comprehensive fringe benefits, including loan repayment assistance. Hybrid work is likely, with court hearings, meetings with community partners, and client-based work requiring in-person work.
The Senior Attorney must have excellent interpersonal skills and be experienced in working in collaborative environments. Membership in Ohio Bar or ability to be admitted by motion or temporary certification is required. The ideal candidate will have at least 5 years of legal experience, familiarity with community lawyering, understand the range of legal options to advocate for people living in a disenfranchised community, and possess excellent legal and communication skills. ABLE aims for our staff to reflect the client communities we serve, and seeks advocates with the ability to relate well with, respect, connect and develop rapport with minority clients and community groups. Legal experience in business law, civil rights or poverty law in general is helpful.
Please visit https://www.ablelaw.org/careers-with-able/ to submit your application. Position will remain open until filled.