Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. (Legal Action) is seeking to fill two full-time staff attorney positions to work at its Oshkosh office. These positions are available immediately. These attorneys will provide representation to low-income persons. Each attorney will primarily focus on two of the following areas of law: family, housing, public benefits, and removing barriers to employment. Please see our website for information about our work in all of these areas of law:
www.legalaction.org/content/index.cfm?cm_id=3.
Equal justice under law can only be achieved through the collaboration of a diverse staff. When we utilize our differences, we effect positive change for the communities we serve. We are committed to equitable inclusion across gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ability, sex, religion, economic circumstances, ethnicity, national origin, and culture. We are striving to transcend the construct of race and be an anti-racist law firm. We encourage staff to bring their whole selves to work each day and pledge to celebrate every aspect of who they are.
LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN, INC.
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 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 statewide farmworker and elder abuse civil legal aid projects. Legal Action attorneys have expertise in a range of substantive areas, but the majority of our direct representation is in the areas of housing, income maintenance, 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.
OSHKOSH AREA OFFICE
The Oshkosh office is located at 300 Ohio St., Oshkosh, WI 54902. The Oshkosh office currently consists of 10 attorneys, three paralegals, and a technology and communications manager. 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 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.
• Attorneys must 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.
• Attorneys are expected to share responsibility for the development and maintenance of good working relationships with community groups and with state and local bar associations and others.
• Attorneys will be called upon to provide training and other assistance to volunteers who participate in Legal Action's Volunteer Lawyer Project.
• All attorneys perform intake duties and, where necessary, make appropriate referrals to other community agencies.
• All staff attorneys are responsible for serving on at least one of our Priority Committees: Housing; Employment; Consumer; Public Benefits; and Family law. 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. This Oshkosh area office staff attorney will serve on and actively participate in both the Family and Housing committees.
OTHER DUTIES
The staff attorneys may be assigned additional duties from time to time.
QUALIFICATIONS
Prior experience in civil legal aid or other relevant experience is preferred. Experience and knowledge of the court systems in Legal Action’s overall service area or in other counties served by our Oshkosh office area is preferred. Admission to the Wisconsin Bar is required upon hire. Ideal candidate will have 1 to 3 years of legal experience. Legal Action has an affirmative action plan for the hiring of members of minority groups and women. While academic training and performance and the nature and extent of prior legal experience are considered, we will also consider the applicant's knowledge and understanding of the legal problems and needs of low-income persons and commitment to providing civil legal aid, prior legal work in the client community or in other programs to aid the poor, 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.
Legal Action requires a personal commitment to civil legal aid and to providing quality and aggressive representation work to low-income people. Attorneys must be knowledgeable in state and federal law and procedure. Attorneys must meet high standards of written and courtroom advocacy.
Applicants must be able to communicate both orally and in writing in a clear and concise manner and work harmoniously with others.
Ability to handle and prioritize many pressing matters in various locations is needed. Ability to travel throughout Legal Action’s service area to meet with clients and to attend court hearings is required.
Legal Action values a diverse staff and work environment. LAW strongly encourages applications from women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA, people with disabilities, and people with life experiences or education that add to the firm’s diversity and our capacity to provide high-quality legal aid. LAW encourages 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 the firm’s staff and our law firm’s mission along with their other application materials.
SALARY & BENEFITS
Starting salary depends upon experience and qualifications, with a minimum starting salary of $45,727 for a 100% full-time position. Legal Action attorneys receive a full fringe benefit package which currently includes employer-paid health, dental, life, and long-term disability insurance; a retirement plan contribution; and four weeks of vacation leave and four days of personal leave per year. The position is subject to a probationary period of up to one year. 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.
PROBATIONARY PERIOD
The position is subject to a probationary period of up to one year.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
This position involves sedentary work, including 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 LAW office.
GOVERNANCE
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.
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants should submit the following:
• cover letter
• resumé
• writing sample
• names and contact information for three professional references (current LAW staff members are not required to include references)
• law school transcript (current LAW members are not required to include their law school transcript)
• Optional, but highly encouraged: 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
Email applications are required. Submit all five documents, in PDF, to
oshkoshhiring@legalaction.org.
DEADLINE
The position will be open until filled. We encourage applicants to apply before June 1, 2020.
