Staff Attorneys - Family Law - Racine & Oshkosh Offices

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Organization information
Organization name: 
Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.
Street address: 
633 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 2000
City: 
Milwaukee
State: 
Wisconsin
ZIP: 
53203
Job type: 
Legal - Civil
Position Description: 

STAFF ATTORNEY – FAMILY LAW
2 positions:
One in Legal Action’s Racine Office
and
One in Legal Action’s Oshkosh Office

Date Posted: June 9, 2022
Open until filled but with a minimum of 10 days posting

SUMMARY: Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. (Legal Action) is seeking two staff attorneys: One full-time Staff Attorney working at its Racine Office and one full-time Staff Attorney working in its Oshkosh Office. The positions are available immediately, but this posting will be open for a minimum of 10 days after May 31, 2022. The attorneys will provide representation to low-income persons who have been the victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The attorneys will primarily focus in family law. The attorneys may also provide representation in housing law, removing barriers to employment, public benefits, and consumer law.

LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN, INC: Legal Action is a 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 13,500 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, Legal Action operates a statewide farmworker project. Legal Action attorneys have expertise in a range of substantive areas, but most direct representation is in the areas of housing, public benefits, removing barriers to employment, consumer law, and family law. Legal Action attorneys specialize in specific areas of legal aid work and provide high-quality and aggressive representation and maintain a direct service caseload on behalf of individual clients and engage in law reform litigation and other impact work.

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 people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, women, 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 LOCATIONS
RACINE AREA OFFICE: The Racine Office is located at 245 Main Street, Suite 202, Racine, WI 53403. The Racine Office currently consists of eight attorneys and three paralegals. The office provides direct services to low-income clients in Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth counties.

OSHKOSH AREA OFFICE: The Oshkosh Office is located at 300 Ohio Street, Oshkosh, WI, 54902. The Oshkosh Office currently consists of nine attorneys and three paralegals. The office provides direct services to low-income clients in Adams, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Washington, Waushara, and Winnebago Counties.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Legal Action Staff Attorneys (Tier 1 and Tier 2) are responsible for providing quality and aggressive representation of clients in individual service cases and to undertake impact work (that which has impact on groups of low-income persons or the systems that have the most effect on the low-income community), and for performing all duties associated with such representation.
• Stay current with the areas of law that pertain to the low-income community as they change and develop, particularly in their area of specialization.
• Share responsibility for the development and maintenance of good working relationships with community groups and with state and local bar associations and others.
• When called upon, provide training and other assistance to volunteers who participate in Legal Action's Volunteer Lawyer Project.
• Perform intake duties when necessary and, where necessary, make appropriate referrals to other community agencies.
• Serve on at least one of Legal Action’s Priority Committees: Housing; Employment; Consumer; Public Benefits; and Family. These priority committees are comprised of Legal Action attorneys practicing in those areas of law. They meet quarterly to discuss trends in the law and practicing in that area of law and to strategize the firm’s work on particular matters and issues. These staff attorney priority committee assignments are likely to be in family law.
• Participate in the firm’s efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusiveness and to undertake racial justice legal work.
• Additional duties from time to time.

SALARY: Our Racine, Oshkosh, Green Bay, Milwaukee, and La Crosse offices have two salary tiers available for Staff Attorneys. (Attorneys in our Madison office are represented by ULW and a collective bargaining agreement.)

The Tier 1 Staff Attorney salary ladder is as follows:

Step 0: $50,000
Step 1: $52,500 Step 11: $81,000 Step 21: $98,000
Step 2 $55,000 Step 12: $83,500 Step 22: $99,000
Step 3: $57,500 Step 13: $85,500 Step 23: $100,000
Step 4: $60,500 Step 14: $87,500 Step 24: $101,000
Step 5: $63,500 Step 15: $89,500 Step 25: $102,000
Step 6: $66,500 Step 16: $91,000 Step 26: $103,000
Step 7: $69,500 Step 17: $92,500 Step 27: $104,000
Step 8: $72,500 Step 18: $94,000 Step 28: $105,000
Step 9: $75,500 Step 19: $95,500 Step 29: $106,000
Step 10: $78,500 Step 20: $97,000 Step 30: $107,000

Generally, Tier 1 Staff Attorneys advance a step on the Tier 1 salary ladder on their anniversary date.

The Tier 2 Staff Attorney salary ladder is as follows:

Requires at least
3 years of Step 11: $87,075 Step 21: $105,350
experience Step 12: $89,763 Step 22: $106,425
Step 3: $61,813 Step 13: $91,913 Step 23: $107,500
Step 4: $65,038 Step 14: $94,063 Step 24: $108,575
Step 5: $68,263 Step 15: $96,213 Step 25: $109,650
Step 6: $71,488 Step 16: $97,825 Step 26: $110,725
Step 7: $74,713 Step 17: $99,438 Step 27: $111,800
Step 8: $77,938 Step 18: $101,050 Step 28: $112,875
Step 9: $81,163 Step 19: $102,663 Step 29: $113,950
Step 10: $84,388 Step 20: $104,275 Step 30: $115,025

Generally, Tier 2 Staff Attorneys advance a step on the Tier 2 salary ladder on their anniversary date.

TIER 1 AND TIER 2 STAFF ATTORNEY DESCRIPTION & SCOPE OF AUTHORITY:
All staff attorneys are required to utilize and follow Legal Action’s attorney performance standards in performing their duties.

Tier 1 Staff Attorneys: Tier 1 Staff Attorneys may be relatively new to providing legal services to low-income clients. They are closely supervised and practice law under close control and structure but still work in close collaboration and with collegiality with other staff attorneys and other staff members. They closely adhere to Legal Action’s guidelines, rules, policies, and procedures and have little or no authority to deviate from them without supervisor’s approval.

Tier 2 Staff Attorneys have:
1. At least 3 years of post-J.D. experience that includes work relevant to the skills required for staff attorneys and;
2. Skills and abilities to:
a. consistently perform most Tier 1 Staff Attorney duties with minimal assistance or direction, a high level of efficiency and/or independent initiative, and less immediate, regular supervision than a Tier 1 Staff Attorney;
b. consistently carry a caseload of substantial size and complexity suitable to an experienced attorney;
c. consistently adhere to Legal Action administrative and programmatic procedures such as, but not limited to contemporaneous timekeeping and accurate completion of administrative and client service forms; and
3. Demonstrated initiative and ability to undertake the additional duties that the Tier 2 Staff Attorney level requires such as, but not limited to mentoring, training, and otherwise supporting Tier 1 staff attorneys and others. (Tier 2 Staff Attorneys do not have the authority to discipline others and are not confidential management positions.)
Legal Action’s organizational structure does allow for additional career advancement opportunities, such as: Attorney Managers; Managing Attorneys; Project Managers; Supervising Attorneys; and Priority Coordinators. Legal Action posts these opportunities as they become available.

FRINGE BENEFITS: Legal Action attorneys receive a full fringe benefit package which currently includes employer-paid health and dental insurance for employee, spouse, and family, and life and long-term disability insurance; a retirement plan contribution; generous sick leave accrual; and four weeks of vacation leave and four days of personal leave per year. (Legal Action employees with a spouse may be required to contribute $200/month to the health insurance premium if the spouse has other health insurance available.)

FLEX WORK: Legal Action supports flexible work arrangements that meet the goals of the organization and the employee. All employees are eligible to request flexible work, including flextime, compressed work week, and remote work.

SUPERVISION: The Racine Office Staff Attorney will report to Robert Held Vander Wyst, Managing Attorney. The Oshkosh Office Staff Attorney will report to Katie Alft, Managing Attorney.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD: The position is subject to a probationary period of up to one year.

GOVERNANCE: The position is governed by the Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. Personnel Policies. These are subject to unilateral change by the Legal Action Board of Directors. As with any Legal Action position, there is no guaranteed period of employment and employment is at will, subject to termination at any time.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: This position involves sedentary work, working in a stationary position for an extended period, operating a computer, and using a telephone. Specific vision abilities required for this job include close vision of a computer screen. This position may require driving a motor vehicle while seated for short trips and/or extensive travel. This position requires occasional reaching, bending, kneeling, and stooping to retrieve assorted items and materials and the need to exert up to 10 pounds of force to lift, carry, push, or otherwise move objects.

Requirements: 

Required – The following qualifications are required at hire:
• Juris doctorate degree.
• Admission to the Wisconsin Bar upon hire.
• A commitment to civil legal aid and to providing quality and aggressive representation to low-income people and crime victims.
• Knowledge of state and federal law and procedure.
• A high standard of written and courtroom advocacy.
• Ability to communicate both orally and in writing in a clear and concise manner
• Ability to work harmoniously with others.
• Ability to handle and prioritize many pressing matters in various locations.
• Ability and willingness to travel throughout Legal Action’s service area to meet with clients and to attend court hearings.
• A deep understanding of the needs of low-income litigants.
• A commitment to participate in Legal Action’s efforts to become a diverse, equitable, and inclusive law firm and to purposefully practice race equity alignment legal work.

Desired – The following qualifications are desired/preferred at hire:
• Prior legal experience in civil legal aid or other relevant experience in the client community or in other programs that serve low-income people.
• Experience and knowledge of the court systems in Legal Action’s overall service area or in other counties served by the Racine and/or Oshkosh office area.
• One to three years of legal experience.
• Ability to communicate with persons in the client community who speak a language other than English as their principal language (e.g., Spanish or Hmong), and cultural affinity with the client community.

To apply: 

Applicants must submit the following application materials via Legal Action of Wisconsin’s online applicant portal by using this link: https://secure.entertimeonline.com/ta/7988.careers?ApplyToJob=453153793
- Cover letter emphasizing your qualifications for the position
- Resume
- Law school transcript (only required for applicants who graduated in 2018 or later)
- Writing sample
- Names and contact information for three professional references

Please submit and upload all the documents required. If the required documents are not submitted on or before the deadline, your application will be considered incomplete and we will not be able to consider you for this position.

Robert Held Vander Wyst, Racine Office Managing Attorney, and Katie Alft, Oshkosh Office Managing Attorney, are the hiring managers for this position.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: The position will be open until filled but with a minimum of 10 days posting.

Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

Notes: 
Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
Salary range: 
Depending on experience, salary ranges from $50,000 to $107,000 for a Tier 1 attorney and from $61,813 to $115,025 for a Tier 2 attorney. (Tier 2 attorneys have at least 3 years of relevant post-J.D. experience and are assigned advanced work.)