Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. (Legal Action) is hiring a full-time staff attorney in Milwaukee for its Community Law Project, also known as the Community Redevelopment Legal Assistance Project. The project is funded by a special grant from the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation and staffed by five attorneys: two in Milwaukee, one in Racine, one in Madison, and one in Green Bay. Attorneys in the project use a community lawyering service delivery model to stabilize and redevelop targeted neighborhoods. In Milwaukee, these neighborhoods are Sherman Park, Harambee/Riverwest, and Near West Side. The position is available immediately.
LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN, INC
Legal Action is a large, vibrant non-profit law firm funded by the federal Legal Services Corporation, the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, and other sources. Legal Action provides free legal aid services to about 9,000 – 12,000 low-income persons annually in the southern 39 counties of Wisconsin with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Oshkosh, Green Bay, and La Crosse. In addition, LAW operates a statewide farmworker project, and several other state-wide projects serving crime victims, including victims of sex and labor trafficking. LAW attorneys have expertise in a range of substantive areas, but the majority of our work, is in the areas of housing, public benefits, removing barriers to employment, consumer law, and family law. Staff attorneys are expected to maintain a direct service caseload on behalf of individual and group clients, as well as to engage in law reform litigation and other impact work. Attorneys are expected to specialize in specific areas of poverty law.
Legal Action of Wisconsin believes that equal justice under law can only be achieved through the collaboration of a diverse staff. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and people with life experiences or educational backgrounds that add to the firm’s diversity and our capacity to provide high-quality legal aid.
OFFICE LOCATION
The Milwaukee Area Office staff is located at 633 West Wisconsin Avenue and is comprised of 41 attorneys, 19 paralegals, and 18 other administrative, professional and technical staff. A small satellite office exists down the street at Milwaukee Area Technical College ("MATC").
LAW has prioritized staff and client safety throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. LAW provides telecommuting options, flexible schedules, and remote access to certain job responsibilities.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
A community lawyering service delivery model requires that the attorney create strong, long-lasting partnerships with the community organizations and residents in the target neighborhoods. It also requires an ongoing assessment of the needs of the community and a willingness to adjust the services provided when they no longer align with community needs.
Duties and responsibilities will likely include:
• Providing legal representation to address unstable and unhealthy rental housing conditions, lack of affordable housing, keeping wealth in the neighborhoods with estate planning, foreclosures, and evictions
• Providing legal representation, advice and education to community-based organizations (CBOs) in seeking injunctive relief and litigating other claims to force repairs of properties blighting the neighborhood and to challenge destructive behaviors by non-resident property owners
• In conjunction with municipal government enforcement strategies, providing civil litigation on behalf of CBOs and tenants by bad actor landlords
• Identifying current and potential federal, state, and local laws, policies, and practices that affect neighborhood and community stabilization; informing and advising community members and community groups about their effects and potential remedies; developing plans to address them; and assisting those community members and CBOs in implementing that plan
• Providing representation to CBOs, associations, neighbors, property owners, etc. to assist with legal incorporation (IRS and the State)
• Advising, educating, and providing representation to community groups to increase desirable development and to protect against unwanted development
• Providing representation to resident homeowners, family members, and older homeowners who have title issues and other problems in transferring their homes
• Addressing the range of other civil legal problems that individual clients (both tenants and homeowners) face that lead to economic, housing, and neighborhood instability, and that prevent them from being long-term community residents.
• Staff attorneys will be assigned additional duties, including participation and training in race equity alignment and anti-racism; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and effects of trauma and trauma-informed care.
Other responsibilities include:
• Provide rigorous and high-quality representation in all direct service cases using Legal Action’s attorney performance standards.
• Work effectively with clients from a wide range of backgrounds
• Participate in at least one of Legal Action’s firm-wide Priority Committees
• Supervise and assign work to interns and/or paralegals
• Provide training and other assistance to volunteers who participate in Legal Action's Volunteer Lawyer Project
• Perform intake duties and, where necessary, make appropriate referrals to other community agencies
• Other duties as may be assigned from time to time
COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY
At Legal Action of Wisconsin, health and safety is a top priority. We require all new, unrepresented employees and interns, law clerks, volunteers, and contractors from employment agencies or consulting firms to have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations and booster and to provide medical proof from Wisconsin’s Immunization Registry or from a medical provider of their fully vaccinated status as a condition of employment with Legal Action of Wisconsin within 28 days of their first day of employment. Individuals may request a medical or religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Exemption requests must be completed and approved on or before the first day of employment.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
This position involves sedentary work, including sitting and/or standing at a desk while working at a computer for an extended period. This position also exerts up to 10 pounds of force on a regular basis to lift, carry, push, or otherwise move objects. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and/or laptop keyboard and use a telephone. Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision requirements due to computer work. The position may drive a motor vehicle while seated for extended periods of time daily. Occasional reaching, bending, kneeling and stooping involved to retrieve various items and materials are required. This position works in an environmentally-controlled office environment with moderate noise from phones, printers, and light office traffic. This position requires the ability to travel throughout the Milwaukee service territory to meet with clients and to attend court hearings.
Legal Action employees are required to wear a mask that always complies with CDC recommendations when in a Legal Action office or when representing Legal Action in a professional capacity.
SALARY
As set forth in Legal Action’s Salary Administration Plan, from hire until 5/31/22, a Milwaukee office staff attorney with 0 – 1 years of relevant work experience would earn a salary of $45,727. A Milwaukee office staff attorney with 5 years of relevant work experience would earn a salary of $52,347 from hire until 5/31/22. A Milwaukee office staff attorney with 10 years of relevant work experience would earn a salary of $58,967 from hire until 5/31/22. Salaries are not negotiable will follow this scale.
Legal Action’s Salary Administration Plan also increases salaries for staff attorneys and creates Tier 1 Staff Attorney and Tier 2 Staff Attorney salary ladders, beginning on 6/1/22. After 6/1/22, a Tier 1 staff attorney with 0 – 1 years of relevant work experience in the Milwaukee office will earn a salary $50,000. A Tier 1 staff attorney with 4 - 5 years of relevant work experience in the Oshkosh office will earn a salary of $60,500. A Tier 1 staff attorney with 9 – 10 years of relevant work experience will earn a salary of $75,500. (Tier 1 and Tier 2 duties and qualifications are not yet determined.) Legal Action’s salary plan provides for annual step increases as long as the attorney is meeting performance expectations. Salaries are not negotiable and will follow this scale.
SPANISH OR HMONG LANGUAGE FLUENCY PREMIUM: In addition, Legal Action’s Salary Administration Plan includes additional pay for those employees who are fluent in Spanish or Hmong and utilize their language skills in performing their work. Legal Action is currently developing the structure for the language differential pay.
FRINGE BENEFITS
LAW offers a generous fringe benefits package, including employer-paid health and dental insurance for employees and eligible dependents. (Some employees are required to contribute to the health insurance premium for their spouse, if the spouse has group health insurance provided by their employer. LAW also provides life and long-term disability insurance, a profit-sharing retirement plan, salary deferral options for retirement planning, low-cost employee paid vision coverage, four weeks of vacation per year, four days of personal leave per year, generous sick leave accrual, and four weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees.
GOVERNANCE AND SUPERVISION
This position is subject to a probationary period of up to one year. This position is governed by LAW’s personnel policies, which are subject to unilateral change by the LAW Board of Directors. As with any LAW position, there is no guaranteed period of employment and employment is “at will,” subject to termination at any time.
This position will be supervised by Attorney Molly Gena, Managing Attorney of the Milwaukee Office.
Required Qualifications:
• Commitment to serving low-income clients, the Milwaukee community, and to improving access to justice is required.
• Admission to the Wisconsin Bar, by diploma privilege or by passage of the first available bar exam is required.
• Superior research and analytical skills are required.
• Demonstrated ability to speak and write clearly and persuasively is required.
• Enthusiasm for representing clients in court as well as through motions and other written work is required.
• Self-motivated, diligent, and able to meet strict deadlines while under pressure is required.
• Ability to travel throughout Legal Action’s service area to meet with clients and to attend court hearings in person when once again safe to do so is required.
• Cultural competence and respect for differences in race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstances is required.
• Ability to work harmoniously with others is required.
Desired Qualifications:
• Prior legal aid or other relevant experience is desired.
• Some experience with federal or state courtroom procedure is desired.
• Fluency in a language other than English and cultural affinity for the client community that speaks that language is desired.
Applicants must submit the following application materials via Legal Action of Wisconsin’s online applicant portal: https://secure.entertimeonline.com/ta/7988.careers?ApplyToJob=453127682
• Cover letter summarizing qualifications and interest in the position;
• Resumé;
• Recent legal writing sample;
• Names and contact information for three professional references
• Law school transcript, for applicants who graduated 2019 or later.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
This position will be open until filled. We will review applicants on a rolling basis. To ensure early consideration, please submit application materials no later than midnight Wednesday, May 18, 2022.
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