Legal Aid Chicago encourages applicants with relevant volunteer and work experience, who have experiences with our client communities or individuals who identify as a person of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrant, or otherwise having backgrounds and experiences that are underrepresented in the legal profession to apply.
For over 50 years, Legal Aid Chicago has provided free civil legal assistance to people living in poverty in metropolitan Chicago. Each year our attorneys, volunteers, and staff help resolve civil legal problems, including domestic violence, consumer fraud, and unfair evictions. Legal Aid Chicago was founded on the philosophy that all individuals are entitled to quality civil legal representation, regardless of their income. We work to ensure that poverty is not an impediment to justice by dismantling the legal barriers that perpetuate inequality. Legal Aid Chicago staff live our mission through our core values of equity, excellence, inclusion, kindness, and respect.
Legal Aid Chicago’s Pro Bono & Community Partnerships Practice Group (PCG) supports and advances Legal Aid Chicago’s mission by recruiting volunteers and developing, managing, and improving pro bono focused projects. PCG also oversees Legal Aid Chicago’s community engagement work through building and maintaining relationships with a broad spectrum of community partners to benefit our clients and the community at large.
Legal Aid Chicago partners with volunteer attorneys and community organizations to offer free, walk-in community-based legal clinics through the city of Chicago, including locations in Woodlawn, Humboldt Park, North Lawndale, and Austin. PCG also hosts virtual legal clinics, which connect volunteer attorneys with people throughout Cook County remotely. The community legal clinics primarily offer community members legal advice to assist with their case, brief services such as pro se form drafting and referrals for extended legal representation.
Position: Legal Aid Chicago is seeking a full-time staff attorney to primarily work with our community legal clinics and virtual legal clinics.
Responsibilities include, without limitation:
-Attend and manage four community legal clinics in neighborhoods around Chicago, as well as virtual legal clinics. Community legal clinics operate during evening hours on weekdays
-Maintain, strengthen, and develop relationships with law firm and corporate partners to ensure smooth operations of the clinics and sufficient volunteer participation
-Have or gain competency in Legal Aid Chicago’s priority practice areas and provide legal advice, brief legal services, perform legal research, and litigate a limited number of cases as co-counsel to volunteer attorneys
-Collaborate on other volunteer projects within PCG and with Legal Aid Chicago’s other Practice and Work Groups, which could involve shared outreach or legal casework, or developing new strategies to serve our clients
-Track data related to pro bono work and assist on related reporting
-Design and deliver effective training to pro bono partners
-Maintain case files and timekeeping in electronic case management system
-Participate in other activities related to poverty law including publication, permissible legislative and administrative advocacy, media relations, and fundraising
-Assist with grant reporting, as appropriate and applicable
-Other duties as assigned.
Salary and Benefits:
This position is part of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, UAW Local 2320. The Collective Bargaining Agreement sets employment terms and compensation is determined by the CBA salary scale, based on paid experience.
The Staff Attorney position begins at $63,500 and increases for every relevant year of experience.
Legal Aid Chicago offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:
-Bilingual Staff Attorneys are eligible for an additional stipend
-Medical, dental, and vision insurance, effective the first day of employment
-Time Off: 15 vacation days and 13 sick days accrued within the first year of employment
-14 paid holidays, including one floating holiday
-Six weeks of Paid Parental Leave at 100% of the salary after six months of employment
-403(b) retirement plan with an employer contribution after one year of employment
-$50,000 Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance, at no cost
-Access to Employee Assistance Program resources, at no cost
-Chicago Bar Association Membership, at no cost
-Monthly internet reimbursement
-Legal Aid Chicago is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is an eligible employer for the federal public service loan forgiveness program
Applicants must have a J.D. degree and be licensed to practice law in Illinois or be licensed in another state and able to waive into the Illinois bar.
Experience in housing law, family law, consumer law, and public benefits is preferred.
Availability during evening hours on days when community clinics are held is required.
Applicants must have a valid Driver’s License and access to a vehicle or access to reliable transportation to travel to community legal clinics and other outreach events within Cook County.
Strong oral and written communication skills, highly developed organizational skills, and strong client counseling skills are necessary.
Experience coordinating volunteers and organizing and implementing trainings is preferred. Enthusiasm for working with volunteers and confidence in speaking to groups of professionals is necessary.
The successful applicant will be collegial and demonstrate a commitment to and experience with our client communities and/or people living in poverty, and applicants are encouraged to share that experience in their cover letter
The ideal candidate will have strong client counseling skills and be someone who genuinely enjoys interacting with clients
Legal Aid Chicago offers a hybrid work environment. Our offices, located in downtown Chicago at 120 S. LaSalle Street, is ADA accessible and has convenient access to public transportation and local expressways. This position will require travel to community locations, court and other outreach events.
Submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and the contact information of two primary professional references and one alternative professional reference. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position will remain open until filled. Apply at https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/2270232/Legal-A...
Legal Aid Chicago is firmly committed to creating a diverse workplace and is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and therefore does not discriminate on the basis of creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age religion, marital or parental status, alienage, disability, political affiliation or belief, military or military discharge status, or ex-offender status, or any other protected status.
If an accommodation is needed to complete this application, contact Human Resources at [email protected].