Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. is seeking a full-time staff attorney to work as the Volunteer Attorney Coordinator for our Victim Rights pro bono work. This position is based in Milwaukee but will work throughout Legal Action’s service area.
LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN, INC: Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. is a non-profit law firm funded by the federal Legal Services Corporation, the Victim of Crime Act (VOCA), and many other public and private sources. Legal Action provides civil legal aid to low-income persons in the southern 39 counties of Wisconsin. To serve its eligible client population, Legal Action maintains full-time offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Oshkosh, Green Bay, and La Crosse. In addition, Legal Action operates a statewide farmworker project, and collaborates with Wisconsin Judicare to operate the Elder Rights Project. Legal Action attorneys specialize in specific areas of poverty law, maintain a direct service caseload on behalf of individual clients, and engage in law reform litigation and other impact work.
We value a diverse staff and work environment. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA, people with disabilities, and people with life experiences or education that add to our diversity and our capacity to provide high-quality legal aid. We encourage applicants to include a statement about the ways that their unique background and personal, professional, and life experiences contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and our law firm’s mission along with their other application materials.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: This staff attorney will coordinate pro bono legal services for survivors of domestic violence and elder abuse. This attorney will work closely with Legal Action staff attorneys who focus their practice on these vulnerable populations under Legal Action’s VOCA funding. Primary responsibilities include:
• Project Coordination: Under the supervision of Legal Action’s Volunteer Lawyers Project Director, the attorney will coordinate all aspects and day-to-day operations of the volunteer attorneys who accept referrals from Legal Action’s VOCA programs. The attorney will work with Legal Action staff to streamline referral processes to pro bono attorneys.
• Intake: Occasionally conduct intake.
• Training: Produce training events and training materials for volunteer attorneys and supervise the updates of training materials as the law evolves.
• Volunteer Recruitment: Build and maintain a roster of volunteer lawyers state-wide.
• Case Supervision: Monitor and oversee the legal work of the volunteer attorneys to ensure quality control and compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, and grant requirements.
• Liaison: Serve as a liaison between the volunteer attorney and the Legal Action client as needed. Stay abreast of all aspects of individual case management and significant case developments. Support volunteer attorney and client needs, such as requests for litigation cost reimbursement and resolving client concerns.
• Bar relations: Actively maintain and participate in the statewide bar association and with local bar associations that support our pro bono recruitment.
• Administrative: Produce data for program decision-making and grant reporting.
• Client files: Maintain orderly files for clients who receive services from volunteer attorneys.
• Staff Supervision: Supervise clerks, interns, or paralegals as needed.
OTHER DUTIES: Other duties may be assigned from time to time.
QUALIFICATIONS:
• Admission to the Wisconsin Bar is required upon hire or at the earliest opportunity.
• Prior work in civil legal aid, with volunteers, producing training events, or other relevant experience is helpful.
• Applicants must be able to communicate both orally and in writing in a clear and concise manner and work harmoniously with others.
• Legal Action requires a personal commitment to legal services work and a high commitment to providing quality and aggressive representation to low-income persons.
• Attorneys must be knowledgeable in state and federal law and procedure. Attorneys must meet high standards of written and courtroom advocacy.
• We encourage persons who are bi-lingual in Spanish/English to apply.
• Successful applicants may be required to undergo a criminal background check if that is required by a funding source.
SALARY & BENEFITS:
Starting salary depends upon experience and qualifications, with a minimum starting salary of $45,727. The position offers a competitive starting salary. Legal Action provides 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. Legal Action 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, a generous sick leave benefit, and four weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees.
PROBATIONARY PERIOD: The position is subject to a probationary period of up to one year.
PERSONNEL POLICIES: The position is governed by the Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. Personnel Policies which 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, sitting at a desk on a computer for an extended period. Exerting 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. Drives a motor vehicle while seated for extended periods of time daily. Occasional reaching, bending, kneeling and stooping involved to retrieve various items and materials. This position works in an environmentally-controlled office environment with moderate noise from phones, printers and light office traffic in the Milwaukee Office.
HOW TO APPLY: Persons interested in applying for this position should submit the following in pdf format via email to
vlpattorneyhiring@LegalAction.org:
• Cover letter
• Resumé
• Three references
• Legal writing sample
• Law school transcript
• Statement about the ways your unique background, and personal, professional, and life experiences contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff and our law firm’s mission and this position (optional, but highly encouraged)
DEADLINE: The application deadline is Monday, December 16, 2019.
