Community Legal Services, Inc. of Philadelphia is a non-profit public interest agency providing free civil legal services to low-income Philadelphia residents. As the largest provider of free civil legal services in the Philadelphia area, CLS is both locally and nationally renowned as a premier legal services provider dedicated to ensuring access to justice for all low-income individuals and communities. CLS has eight legal units covering a wide range of civil legal services.
CLS is seeking a staff attorney to work as a part of the HCRU’s Tax Team. This position would include policy advocacy, education and outreach, and litigation on behalf of individual taxpayers facing the loss of their home due to delinquent property taxes. The attorney would, among other things, perform the following work:
• Identifying issues and advocating for policy changes on behalf of low-income taxpayers facing tax foreclosure, past advocacy has included drafting amendments to local tax law, implementing changes to judicial procedures in the Court of Common Pleas, and meeting regularly with the Philadelphia Dept. of Revenue and other stakeholders.
• Acting as liaison and advising housing counselors assisting taxpayers.
• Developing and running training for housing counselors on property tax issues, including updating the CLS Property Tax Handbook.
• Periodically presenting at community education events on property tax issues.
• Potentially supervising paralegals assisting individual taxpayers.
• Representing and defending homeowners against whom the City of Philadelphia has filed a tax foreclosure petition.
This position would be located in the CLS’s North Philadelphia Law Center.
This is a full-time position covered by the collective bargaining agreement between Community Legal Services, Inc. (CLS) and the Philadelphia Legal Services Union N.O.L.S.W./Local 2320/UAW. The current minimum starting salary is governed by that agreement and is subject to change according to the provisions of the current collective bargaining agreement. Raises and benefits are also governed by that agreement.
We seek applicants with the following qualifications:
• Mortgage foreclosure, tax foreclosure, and homeownership experience preferred, but not required
• Ability to manage a significant caseload of individual clients
• Ability to empathetically and zealously represent older adults
• Excellent legal analysis skills
• Excellent work ethic, organization, and communication skills
• Excellent legal research and writing skills
• Excellent litigation skills and oral advocacy skills
• Experience and interest in policy work and others forms of systemic advocacy
• Possess sound professional and legal judgment
• Experience and ability to work with low-income and vulnerable diverse individuals
• Illustrate a high level commitment to racial justice advocacy
CLS will accept applications until Friday, October 18, 2019. You can submit your application on CLS’s website online at: https://clsphila.org/about-cls/available-positions/ OR https://clsphiladelphia.applytojob.com/apply/jGSKWCHhsV/Homeownership-Co...
What to include in your application: Please include a cover letter, resume, three professional references and one brief writing sample (10 pages or less). If you fail to submit the requested materials, your application will not be considered. Community Legal Services values a diverse work environment and strongly encourages women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ, people with disabilities, people who have experienced poverty or homelessness and people who have had prior contact with the juvenile, criminal, or child welfare systems to apply. CLS invites all applicants to include in their cover letter a statement about how your unique background and/or experiences might contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and legal services practice.
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