Staff Attorney – Intake and Brief Services Unit (two positions)
Location: Any Legal Action office (Green Bay, Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, La Crosse, or Oshkosh) or Remote (work from home)
Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. (LAW or Legal Action) is hiring two (2) full-time staff attorneys in the Intake and Brief Services Unit. These attorney positions support the entire firm. They may be based in any of our six existing Legal Action offices or may work remotely from home. (Telecommunications equipment will be provided for remote work.)
Applicants should state whether they prefer to work remotely from their home or from a LAW office. If a LAW office is preferred, applicants should state their office preference.
The Staff Attorney – Intake and Brief Services Unit will serve as a first point of contact for people who seek legal services from LAW. Initially, this attorney will focus on responding to and routing calls that come to our firmwide new caller/intake line and will conduct intakes for certain legal problems that have arisen because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The attorney will also respond to requests for services that are submitted online.
LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN, INC.
With six offices and 128 staff members, LAW is the state's largest civil legal aid firm and the state’s largest public interest law firm. LAW is a non-profit law firm serving low-income people in 39 counties of southern Wisconsin. Legal Action also serves farmworkers statewide. Each year, the firm provides legal aid in about 10,000 – 12,000 cases. Our primary practice areas are: housing, family, consumer, barriers to employment (restoring or obtaining drivers licenses and occupational licenses and improving inaccurate or misleading criminal background, arrest, or other records), and public benefits. LAW receives funding from numerous sources and donations.
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.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Suitable training will be provided, but the attorney is expected to demonstrate a sense of reasoning and resources that are necessary to perform these duties and responsibilities:
• Assist applicants in applying for legal services from LAW. Requests for services will be received over the phone and online.
• Screen applicants for potential conflicts of interest.
• Apply LAW’s grant eligibility criteria to the applicant and determine financial eligibility.
• Apply LAW’s case acceptance criteria to route applications to the appropriate practice groups to review for extended representation.
• Gather relevant case documents as needed, including by text, email, screen sharing.
• Utilize LAW’s case management system and all its required components.
• Provide information, referral, advice and/or brief service to clients whose applications are not accepted for review for extended representation.
• Close cases when appropriate.
• Contribute to the development of commonly used forms and informational handouts to assist applicants.
• Provide support and supervision to Intake and Assessment Paralegal staff.
• All Legal Action staff attorneys are responsible for providing high-quality and aggressive legal services, including 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 legal services and representation as outlined in the firm’s attorney performance standards.
• Stay current with new developments in the areas of law that pertain to the low-income community.
• Share responsibility for the development and maintenance of good working relationships with community groups and with state and local bar associations and others.
• Provide training and other assistance to volunteers who participate in Legal Action's Volunteer Lawyer Project.
• Serve 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.
• Participate in all firmwide and unit wide staff meetings and trainings. Some meetings and trainings will be held in-person and some will be held remotely. When meetings, trainings, and other events are held in-person, the attorney must attend in-person rather than remotely.
• Other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Prior experience in civil legal aid or other relevant experience is preferred.
• Experience and knowledge of the court systems in Legal Action’s service area is preferred.
• Legal Action requires a personal commitment to civil legal aid and to providing quality and aggressive representation to low-income people.
• Attorneys must be knowledgeable in state and federal law and procedure.
• Attorneys must meet high standards of written and oral advocacy.
• Admission to the Wisconsin Bar or arrangement to take the Bar exam is required upon hire. (Legal Action provides paid study time for Bar exam preparation.)
• Ideal candidate will have 1 to 5 years of legal experience.
• 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.
• Proven ability to communicate both orally and in writing in a clear, concise, and effective manner.
• Ability to work harmoniously and cooperatively with clients, colleagues, and others.
• Experience or willingness to learn to work with empathy with vulnerable persons, individuals who are experiencing poverty, and persons experiencing trauma.
• Proven ability to handle and prioritize many pressing matters in various locations is needed.
• Ability to work with a database (electronic case management system) and Office 365 and other Microsoft products.
• Ability to travel occasionally throughout Legal Action’s service area and out of staff is required.
• If working at home, high speed Internet access 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, AND OTHER INFORMATION
The minimum base salary for an entry level staff attorney (0 - 1 year of experience) candidate is $45,727; $52,347 for a candidate with five years of legal experience; and $58,967 for a candidate with 10 years of legal experience. In addition, each year, Legal Action’s Board of Directors determines the amount of salary increase for non-represented attorneys. Though not guaranteed, for many years, the Legal Action Board has provided an annual $2,000 step increase for attorneys.
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; four weeks of vacation leave per year; four days of personal leave per year; and paid parental leave for eligible employees. 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.
This position may be represented for collective bargaining by ULW. If the staff attorney works from LAW’s Madison office or if the staff attorney works at home and their home is in the Madison office service area, this position is governed by the terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreement between LAW and ULW. Legal Action of Wisconsin’s personnel policies will govern where no provision is covered by the collective bargaining agreement.
If the attorney works from LAW’s Green Bay, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, and Racine offices, or if the attorney works from home and their home is located in the service area of one of these four LAW offices, the position is governed by LAW’s personnel policies. All personnel policies and salaries and benefits are subject to change by Legal Action’s Board of Directors.
This position reports to the Client Screening and Intake Manager, with back-up support from the Director of Legal Services, and to the Managing Attorney of the physical office if the attorney is working in one of LAW’s physical offices.
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 occasionally. Occasional reaching, bending, kneeling and stooping involved to retrieve various items and materials. If working at a LAW office, the attorney will work in an environmentally-controlled office with moderate noise from phones, printers and light office traffic.
HOW TO APPLY
Persons interested in applying for this position should submit the following items in PDF to Attorney Jenelle Dame, Client Screening and Intake Manager, at
intakehiring@legalaction.org:
• Cover letter summarizing qualifications and interest in the position
• Resumé
• Law school transcript (external applicants only)
• Writing sample
• Names and contact information for three references (external applicants only)
• 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.
Please indicate
“Staff Attorney – Intake and Brief Services Unit” in the subject line.
The Director of Legal Services and the Client Screening and Intake Manager are the hiring managers for these positions.
DEADLINE TO APPLY: June 3, 2020 at 5 p.m.
Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
