STAFF ATTORNEY – HOMEOWNERSHIP & CONSUMER RIGHTS UNIT TANGLED TITLE

Community Legal Services, Inc. of Philadelphia (CLS) 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 ten legal units covering a wide range of civil legal services.

CLS is seeking a staff attorney to work as a part of the Homeownership and Consumer Rights Unit (HCRU) with a focus on tangled title cases to help preserve and grow homeownership among low-income Philadelphians. This attorney would represent clients facing a variety of tangled title legal issues, including those arising out of mortgage foreclosure and tax foreclosure. Representation includes all the elements of litigation including client interviewing, investigation, discovery, identifying and preparing witnesses and exhibits, drafting pleadings and briefs, and representing clients in administrative and court hearings and at trial. This attorney would, among other things, perform the following duties:

• Draft, execute, and record deeds to obtain record ownership of clients’ homes
• Raise estates of client’s deceased family members to resolve homeownership title issues
• File quiet title actions to resolve issues with clients’ record ownership of their home
• Represent heirs facing mortgage or tax foreclosure after the death of their family members
• Represent clients with estate planning, including wills and powers of attorney
• Provide supervision and support to paralegals, social workers, and interns, as appropriate
• Engage in systemic advocacy, including policy, administrative and legislative advocacy and racial justice initiatives, as well as organizing and teaching community and professional education sessions on a variety of issues regarding tangled titles, intergenerational wealth and the racial wealth gap, homeownership and the preservation of affordable housing, and other substantive areas of housing law and policy

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high volume work environment
• Demonstrated ability to handle direct service cases and impact cases of a complex nature
• Ability to work cooperatively with staff at all levels of the organization
• Ability to meet deadlines and perform multiple tasks while maintaining attention to detail
• Strong team player attitude
• Commitment to high quality, compassionate representation for clients
• Excellent people skills and the ability to maintain positive relations with a diverse population
• Demonstrated commitment to racial and economic justice

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Previous work experience preferred
• Bilingual preferred

To Apply: CLS will accept applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled, but priority will be given to applicants who submit their application by Tuesday, January 25, 2022 for consideration for first round interviews. You can submit your application on CLS’s website online at: https://clsphiladelphia.applytojob.com/apply/pXfN9NxHtu/STAFF-ATTORNEY-H...

What to Include in your application: Please include a cover letter, resume, three professional references (past or current supervisors preferred) and one brief writing sample (10 pages or less). CLS 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.

This is a full-time position covered by the collective bargaining agreement between 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. CLS offers a very generous and comprehensive benefits package.

Community Legal Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. CLS, Inc. does not discriminate in the selection of employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity, genetics, age, national origin, disability, or veteran status. In addition to federal law requirements, CLS complies with all applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall and transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.