Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. (Legal Action) is seeking a full-time or part-time Staff Attorney to work in the Oshkosh Office. The position is available immediately. The attorney will provide representation to low-income persons, primarily focusing in the area of family law or housing law and may also provide representation in removing barriers to employment, public benefits, and consumer law. Full-time positions are preferable, but applicants for part-time employment will be considered. Remote work may also be an option for the right candidate.
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 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.
OFFICE LOCATION
The Oshkosh Office is located at 300 Ohio Street, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54902. The Oshkosh office has nine attorneys (including the open position), three paralegals, and the technology and communications manager. The office provides direct services to low-income clients in ten counties, including: Adams, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Washington, Waushara, and Winnebago counties.
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.
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. 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 on particular matters and issues. This Oshkosh area office staff attorney will serve on and actively participate in both the Family and Housing committees.
• The staff attorney may be assigned additional duties from time to time.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Juris Doctorate Degree
• Admission to the Wisconsin Bar is required either upon hire or no more than six months from the date of hire.
• Ideal candidate will have 1 to 3 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.
• 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 and Green Bay office areas is preferred.
• 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.
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. Drives a motor vehicle while seated for extended periods of time. 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.
SALARY
The salary for this position is determined by Legal Action’s attorney salary scale, as set forth in the firm’s salary administration plan. The current salary scale remains in effect through May 31, 2022. New salary rates will go into effect on June 1, 2022. The position may receive an annual increase as provided under the new salary structure.
For example, under Legal Action’s current attorney salary scale, an attorney with zero (0) to one (1) years of experience practicing law would earn a starting salary of $45,727 for a 100% full-time position. An attorney with five (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 until June 1, 2022 when the new salary rates go into effect.
FRINGE BENEFITS
Legal Action a generous fringe benefit package, including employer-paid health and dental 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 401K retirement plan, a profit-sharing plan; and four weeks of vacation leave, four days of personal leave per year and 12 days of sick leave per year. New employees receive a pro-rated allotment of annual (vacation), personal and sick leave upon hire. The firm also provides four (4) weeks of paid parental leave to eligible employees.
SUPERVISION
The position is subject to a probationary period of up to one year. This position reports to the Managing Attorney of the Oshkosh & Green Bay offices.
This 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 must submit the following materials via Legal Action of Wisconsin’s online applicant portal by using this link:
https://secure.entertimeonline.com/ta/7988.careers?ApplyToJob=386058052
• A cover letter summarizing qualification and interest in the position;
• Resumé;
• A recent legal writing sample;
• The names and contact information for three professional references;
• Law school transcript which is required for applicants who graduated in 2018 or later;
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.
Jacquelyn Jaworski, Managing Attorney for the Oshkosh and Green Bay offices is the hiring manager for this position.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
The position will be open until filled. To ensure early consideration, please submit application materials no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 18, 2021.
