Staff Attorney - Employment Barriers

Staff Attorney – Employment Barriers 

Milwaukee Office

Full-time

September 23, 2026

Introduction: Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. (LAW) is seeking applications for a Staff Attorney in its Milwaukee office. The role supports work with Employment Barriers matters and assists clients in resolving legal issues that prevent them from obtaining, retaining, or advancing in employment.  Cases will focus on driver's license recovery and include removing other legal barriers to employment such as addressing outstanding municipal citations and warrants, expungement applications, and pardon petitions.

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 many other sources and supporters. Legal Action provides free civil legal aid to low-income persons in Wisconsin with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Oshkosh, Green Bay, La Crosse, and Wausau. Legal Action attorneys and paralegals have expertise in a range of substantive areas, but most of our direct representation is in the areas of housing, public benefits, removing barriers to employment, consumer law, and family law.

Mission Statement: Legal Action’s mission is to deliver exceptional civil legal services and structural change advocacy, free of cost, to those most in need. Our core values (equity, advocacy, client-centered, integrity and community) guide our work and actions. Please see our website for a description of the core values and vision that guides our work.

Office Location: This position will be based in Legal Action’s Milwaukee office and will require travel to local municipal courts and occasionally other travel.  

Governance: This position is governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Legal Action and United Legal Workers (ULW), as well as Legal Action’s personnel policies.

Position Description:. The Staff Attorney will clients in recovering their driver’s license and addressing other legal issues that may interfere with educational completion, occupational licensing, professional advancement, and long-term economic stability.

Key Responsibilities:

Provide direct representation to clients in cases involving driver's license recovery, municipal citations and warrants, expungement, pardon petitions, occupational licensing issues, and other legal barriers to employment. 

Participate in complex or high-impact barriers-to-employment cases as appropriate.

Stay abreast of developments in laws, regulations, and policies affecting employment opportunities and economic mobility for low-income individuals. 

Coordinate and support expungement, pardon, driver's license recovery, and other barriers-to-employment clinics. 

Work collaboratively with community partners, educational institutions, workforce development organizations, and other stakeholders. 

Educate community partners and provide training to attorneys and other professionals. 

Attend and participate in the Employment Law Priority Committee. 

Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

Admission to the Wisconsin State Bar

Demonstrated ability to speak and write clearly, persuasively, and concisely

Self-motivated, diligent, and able to meet strict deadlines while under pressure

Commitment to serving low-income clients and communities by improving access to justice

Cultural competence and respect for differences in race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstance

Ability to motivate and work harmoniously with others

Ability to occasionally travel throughout Legal Action’s service area to meet with clients and to attend court hearings 

Ability to occasionally staff clinics and outreach events on weekends and evenings

Preferred Qualifications:

Valid driver’s license.

Familiarity with courtroom procedure in state and municipal courts

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.)

Cultural affinity with the client community.

Salary/Compensation: Legal Action’s salaries are not negotiable: Our salary scales are based solely on years of experience with each step on the scale equivalent to one full year of experience. We strongly encourage applicants to include details in their resume about the duties they performed and the months they worked at each employer and in each position so that we can accurately calculate experience and salary. If we make an offer to an applicant, we depend on the resume that the applicant submitted, and we do not allow for revisions after submission. The salary steps for this position range from: 

Step 0:  $55,000 (Tier 1 only); Tier 2 ineligible  

Step 5:  $68,500 (Tier 1); $73,263 (Tier 2)

Step 10:  $83,500 (Tier 1); $89,388 (Tier 2)

Step 20:  $102,000 (Tier 1); $109,275 (Tier 2)

Step 30:  $112,000 (Tier 1); $120,025 (Tier 2)

Step 36:  $118,720 (Tier 1); $127,227 (Tier 2) 

Fringe Benefits: All Legal Action employees receive a full package of fringe benefits. It currently includes: employer-paid health and dental insurance for employee, spouse, and family with a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), employer-paid life and long-term disability insurance; employee-paid income protection benefits; a profit-sharing plan; generous sick leave accrual; and at least four weeks of vacation leave and four personal holidays per year. (Legal Action policies require employees with a spouse to contribute $200/month to the health insurance premium if the spouse has other health insurance available to them.)

Spanish or Hmong Language Frequency Premium: Legal Action’s Salary Administration Plan includes additional pay of either $2,400 annually or $4,800 annually to those employees who are fluent in Spanish or Hmong.

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: This position will report to Jill Kastner, Supervising Attorney for Milwaukee’s Employment Barriers Unit.

Probationary Period: The position is subject to a probationary period of six months. If the position is filled by an internal transfer of an attorney who has already completed their probationary period, there is no additional probationary period. 

How to Apply/Deadline for Applications:

Applicants must submit the following application materials via Legal Action of Wisconsin’s online applicant portal by accessing the following link:

https://secure2.entertimeonline.com/ta/7988.careers?ApplyToJob=889340933...

Cover letter emphasizing your qualifications for the position

Resume

Names and contact information for three professional references

To ensure consideration for this position, please submit application materials as soon as

possible. The position will be open until it is filled. We encourage applicants to apply by

October 9, 2026.