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    Staff Attorney

    JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

    INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL POSTING

    STAFF ATTORNEY

    FARMWORKER PROJECT

    July 21, 2021

    START DATE FALL 2021

    Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. is hiring a full-time bilingual (Spanish and English) staff attorney to work with the Farmworker Project. The attorney will join other Farmworker Project staff to provide representation to agricultural worker clients in civil matters, with a focus on worker rights. The Farmworker Project attorneys frequently litigate cases in federal court and represent clients in administrative agency matters. We seek both developing (0+ years) and more experienced candidates. All interested applicants who meet the qualifications are encouraged to apply.

    Preferred home office location is Legal Action’s Madison office, but we may also consider candidates who wish to be based in any of Legal Action’s other five offices (Milwaukee, Racine, Green Bay, Oshkosh or La Crosse). Telecommuting arrangements within the state of Wisconsin may be considered. Applicants should specify their location preference in their cover letter.

    LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN Legal Action is a civil legal aid firm that provides free legal services to low income people who would be otherwise denied access to legal justice. Legal Action is one of Wisconsin’s largest law firms, with six offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Oshkosh, La Crosse, and Racine. Legal Action represents clients in five core practice areas: public benefits, housing, family, barriers to employment, and consumer law. Some of our special projects focus on representing farmworkers, veterans, elders, victims of crime, and victims of human trafficking. Our staff have a commitment to legal aid work and providing high-quality and aggressive representation to change our clients’ lives and impact the law for everyone.

    Legal Action believes that equal justice under law can only be achieved through the collaboration of a diverse staff. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and people with life experiences or educational backgrounds that add to the firm’s diversity and our capacity to provide high-quality legal aid.

    FARMWORKER PROJECT The Farmworker Project is Legal Action of Wisconsin’s statewide initiative to ensure that migrant, seasonal, and year-round agricultural workers receive the wages they have earned, live and work in a safe environment, are recruited lawfully and fairly, and have access to public benefit programs. Potential clients include: a migrant worker who travels to Wisconsin from another state to work in food processing, a seasonal worker who does corn detasseling in July and August, or a year-round worker who milks cows at a Wisconsin dairy farm. Farmworker Project staff currently consists of a non-attorney project manager, two attorneys, and a paralegal scheduled to begin in September of 2021. Summer staff and interns are also an integral part of our team.

    Farmworkers face historical and structural barriers that make it difficult for them to access legal and community services. Additionally, these barriers lead to unique legal problems that agricultural workers must confront, including:

    • Failure to be paid minimum wage for their work or not being paid at all, among other worker rights issues.

    • Recruitment abuses and unexpected changes in the employment contract.

    • Substandard health and safety conditions in workplace and employer-provided housing.

    • Confusion about immigration status, immigration laws, and governmental procedures.

    • Denial of equal access to public benefits, services, and accommodations.

    Alongside legal representation, the Farmworker Project conducts extensive outreach to agricultural workers throughout Wisconsin. Outreach is the primary way that the Farmworker Project gets in contact with agricultural workers. Outreach may take place at farmworker housing, in community education presentations, through social media and radio, and includes the development of outreach materials like flyers and videos.

    OFFICE

    Preferred home office location is Legal Action of Wisconsin’s Madison Office (744 Williamson Street, Suite 200, Madison, WI 53703). We may also consider candidates who wish to be based in any of Legal Action of Wisconsin’s other five offices (Milwaukee, Racine, Green Bay, Oshkosh or La Crosse). Telecommuting arrangements within the state of Wisconsin may be considered. Applicants should specify their location preference in their cover letter.

    Currently, many of Legal Action’s operations and services continue to be delivered remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When safe to do so, a new hire will be required to work from a physical Legal Action office but may also request telecommuting and flexible scheduling. A new hire may receive some training in a physical office which will require some in-office time. We require face masks and social distancing in all Legal Action offices.

    KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

    • Farmworker Project attorneys are responsible to provide high quality, zealous representation of agricultural worker clients in individual service cases, and in high-impact litigation cases on systemic issues affecting farmworkers. Areas of focus are employment law, particularly enforcement of rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, and other state and federal laws providing specific protections for agricultural workers.

    • Additionally, a Farmworker Project staff attorney will represent agricultural workers in Administrative Law matters, in areas such as employment law, public benefit eligibility, worker’s compensation, and immigration law.

    • Farmworker Project staff attorneys respond to initial intakes, and where necessary, make appropriate referrals to other agencies.

    • Experienced Farmworker attorneys may mentor other Farmworker attorneys, interns, volunteers or other advocates.

    • Staff attorneys must stay current with the areas of law that pertain to the agricultural worker community as the law changes and develops.

    • Staff attorneys are expected to share responsibility for the development and maintenance of good working relationships with community groups, as well as with state and local bar associations.

    • Staff attorneys will be called upon to provide training and other assistance to members of Legal Action's Volunteer Lawyer Project.

    • Staff attorneys are responsible for serving on at least one of our Priority Committees: Housing; Employment; Consumer; Public Benefits; and Family.

    • On occasion, approximately 1 time per month during the summer months, a Farmworker Project staff attorney may be required to travel to conduct outreach to clients and community partners. For attorneys without prior experience representing farmworkers, additional outreach may be required during the training period. In addition to outreach, occasional evening and weekend work may be required. All outreach visits will follow strict COVID-19 protocols.

    • Staff attorneys may be assigned additional duties from occasionally, as the needs of agricultural worker clients vary.

    QUALIFICATIONS

    • Juris Doctorate Degree;

    • Be licensed to practice law in Wisconsin, be licensed in a state with which Wisconsin could grant reciprocal admission or be willing to take the next available Wisconsin bar exam, in that order of preference;

    • Demonstrated commitment to social, economic, and racial justice, especially in the areas of worker and/or immigrant rights;

    • Passionate about civil legal aid work and providing high quality, zealous representation to agricultural worker clients in both individual service and impact work;

    • Strong language skills (oral and written) in Spanish. Candidates selected for an interview should expect a portion of the interview to be conducted in Spanish;

    • Ability to express oneself clearly in both oral and written communication, and willingness to continue to develop these skills;

    • Ability to manage and prioritize many pressing matters happening in various locations;

    • Strong engagement and interest in developing creative and new ideas to solve problems, achieve goals, and collaborate;

    • Available to work flexible hours that will occasionally include evenings and weekends. Out of state or overnight travel for outreach or training is rare but may occur 1-2 times per year;

    • Possess and maintain a valid driver’s license during employment (car not required).

    The following qualifications are valued:

    • Prior experience in farmworker law, employment law, immigration law, or other civil legal aid experience.

    • Familiarity with courtroom procedure (federal and state) and administrative law hearings.

    • Strong technology skills and willingness to further develop skills in technology such as: internet, email, web-based activities, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Adobe, Social Media Apps, Google Apps, texting applications, and phone data preservation.

    • Prior knowledge and understanding of the complexity of farmworker experiences, the unique barriers to accessing justice, and the intricacies and multiple dimensions to providing legal aid and representation to farmworker communities.

    • Affinity with farmworker communities.

    Training will be provided. Upon hire, training needs will be assessed, and a plan will be developed to ensure that training is provided to the new hire. The Farmworker Project team conducts weekly Project case reviews. Additionally, Farmworker Project staff participates in regular national farmworker law training calls, multi-state case reviews, and co-counsel cases with other legal aid programs.

    PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

    This position involves sedentary work, remaining stationary and operating a computer for an extended period; frequently moving objects such as files and office equipment, weighing up to 10 pounds. Communicate with clients in English and Spanish via telephone. Transmit written information using a computer and a cellular phone. Occasionally drives a motor vehicle while remaining stationary for extended periods of time. Occasionally positions self near floor or low shelf positions to retrieve various items and materials.

    During occasional outreach and field visits, will need to transverse uneven ground and ascend and descending stairs to provide information to workers or interview potential clients. The work environment can vary from a controlled office environment with moderate noise from phones, printers and light office traffic to an outdoors environment in an agricultural or farm setting.

    SALARY

    Starting salary depends upon experience and qualifications and is determined by Legal Action’s attorney salary scale. (In our Madison office, the salary is determined by the United Legal Workers’ collective bargaining agreement.) Currently, under our attorney salary scale, an attorney with 0-1 years of experience would receive an annual salary of $45,727 for a 100% full-time position. An attorney with 5 years of experience practicing law would earn a salary of $52,347. An attorney with 10 years of experience would earn a salary of $58,967. Salaries are not negotiable and will follow this scale. In addition, the position generally receives an annual step increase, subject to approval of the Board of Directors. Legal Action offers opportunities for advancement and attorneys with supervisory responsibilities receive a management stipend.

    FRINGE BENEFITS

    Legal Action provides a generous fringe benefits package, including fully 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, fifteen days of vacation per year, four days of personal leave, a generous sick leave benefit, and four weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees.

    GOVERNANCE

    The position is subject to a probationary period of twelve months. There is no guaranteed period of employment and employment is at will, subject to termination at any time.

    If located in Madison office, the position is governed by the terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreement between Legal Action and the United Legal Workers. Legal Action’s personnel policies govern where no provision is covered by the collective bargaining agreement. The personnel policies are subject to unilateral change by the Legal Action Board of Directors.

    If located in another Legal Action office, the position is governed by Legal Action’s personnel policies which are subject to unilateral change by the Board of Directors.

    This position is supervised by Mariah Hennen, Farmworker Project Program Manager and Attorney Erica Sweitzer-Beckman, Farmworker Project Legal Director.

    HOW 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=386020165

    • Cover letter that summarizes interest, qualifications, skills, and experiences. Letter should specify which office location applicant would prefer;

    • Resumé;

    • A legal writing sample;

    • Law school transcript (only required for applicants who graduated 2018 or later)

    • Provide the names and reliable contact information for three professional references (current Legal Action staff members are not required to include 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.

    Mariah Hennen, Farmworker Project Program Manager, will be the hiring manager for this position.

    DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

    This position will be open until filled, with an anticipated start date in the Fall 2021. Legal Action will begin review of application materials on Wednesday, September 8, 2021. Interviews will be conducted virtually.

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

    Location = Madison
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