Legal Action of Wisconsin (Legal Action) is hiring a full-time staff attorney for our Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP). VLP supplements the legal services provided by Legal Action staff attorneys, paralegals, and support staff by recruiting, training, and supporting lawyers who provide pro bono legal services through VLP. This staff attorney will primarily focus on coordinating and supervising the VLP’s Bankruptcy Clinics and on managing referrals that Legal Action makes to our volunteer attorneys. The attorney will also support the firm’s pro bono initiatives in the areas of poverty law that most affect Legal Action clients such as housing, family, public benefits, consumer, and barriers to employment. The position is available immediately. This staff attorney will work in our Milwaukee office.
LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN
Legal Action is a large, vibrant non-profit law firm funded by the federal Legal Services Corporation, the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, and other sources. Legal Action provides free legal aid services to about 13,500 low-income persons annually in the southern 39 counties of Wisconsin with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Oshkosh, Green Bay, and La Crosse. In addition, Legal Action operates a statewide farmworker project, and other statewide projects serving crime victims, including victims of sex and labor trafficking. Legal Action attorneys have expertise in a range of substantive areas, but our work is in the areas of housing, public benefits, removing barriers to employment, consumer law, and family law. Staff attorneys maintain a direct service caseload on behalf of individual and group clients and engage in law reform litigation and other impact work. As often as possible, attorneys specialize in specific areas of poverty law.
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.
OFFICE LOCATION
The Milwaukee Office is located at 633 West Wisconsin Avenue and is comprised of 43 attorneys, 15 paralegals, and 18 other administrative, professional, and technical staff. A small satellite office exists down the street at Milwaukee Area Technical College ("MATC").
Legal Action provides telecommuting options, flexible schedules, and remote access for certain jobs and job duties.
SUPERVISION
The Volunteer Lawyers Project Director supervises this position.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Legal Action is seeking a full-time attorney to work closely with Legal Action’s VLP Director, the VLP team, to coordinate firm-wide pro bono initiatives. Responsibilities will include:
• Recruiting, scheduling, and coordinating volunteer attorneys to represent clients and staff pro bono clinics. This attorney will focus on supervising the Bankruptcy Clinics and will provide additional support for pro bono referrals, the Eviction Defense Project, and the Student Legal Aid Project.
• Providing case management for clients, including referring clients to volunteer attorneys, and providing necessary support on cases.
• Overseeing the day-to-day operations of the project, including the regularly scheduled pro bono clinics.
• Developing training materials and plan and implement training of pro bono attorneys, including on-demand video trainings and other digital materials.
• Performing all duties associated with such representation as defined by our attorney performance standards and participating in regular project reviews with a supervisor.
• Staying current with the areas of law that pertain to the low-income community as they change and develop, particularly in consumer and bankruptcy law.
• Sharing responsibility for and contributing to the development and maintenance of good working relationships with community groups, state, and local administrative agencies, and with state and local bar associations and others.
• Supervising interns or paralegals in addition to other duties that we may assign from time to time.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required Qualifications:
• J.D. and admission to the Wisconsin Bar, by diploma privilege or by passage of the first available bar exam.
• Enthusiasm for civil legal aid and equal justice and for service to our clients and commitment to providing the highest quality legal services.
• Ability to understand our clients’ situation and problem-solve to find realistic solutions to civil legal problems.
• Self-motivation, diligence, and ability to manage a large and robust caseload and to meet strict deadlines while under pressure.
• Demonstrated ability to speak and write clearly and persuasively.
• Willingness to receive direction and supervision and to implement feedback.
• Ability to prioritize and organize resources while maintaining quality and attention to detail.
• Ability to work harmoniously and cooperatively with others.
• Cultural competence and respect for differences in race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstances.
• Ability to travel throughout Legal Action’s service area to facilitate pro bono clinics in person when required.
• Comfort with using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Teams, etc.) and an electronic database.
Desired Qualifications:
• Prior work within civil legal services, with volunteers, producing training events, or other relevant experience is desired.
• Fluency in a language other than English and cultural affinity for the client community that speaks that language is desired.
COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENT
At Legal Action, health and safety is a top priority. As a condition of employment, all new employees and interns, law clerks, volunteers, and contractors from employment agencies or consulting firms must be fully vaccinated, including boosters. New employees must provide medical proof of vaccinations and boosters within 28 days of their first day of employment. New employees may request a medical or religious exemption from this requirement. New employees must complete an exemption request and Legal Action must approve the exemption before the employee may begin work.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Enter information into a computer accurately. Answer numerous emails, phone calls, and other electronic and electronic communications throughout the day. Occasionally move objects, usually about 10 – 20 pounds. Retrieve documents from printers and copiers and similar office equipment and file or distribute to others as needed.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
This role is mostly sedentary, with most of the duties performed on a computer, phone, table, or reception desk. Desk and workspaces will accommodate a wheelchair or other assistive devices. This position may require occasional short-distance or long-distance travel.
SALARY
The salary for the position is determined by the candidate’s amount of years of relevant experience in practicing law and on the candidate’s placement on our attorney tier salary ladders. Legal Action has two salary ladders for attorneys (Tier 1 and Tier 2.) For example, a Tier 1 attorney with 0 years of relevant experience would earn an annual salary of $55,000. A Tier 1 attorney with 5 years of relevant experience would earn an annual salary of $68,500. Salaries are not negotiable. Attorneys may become eligible for the Tier 2 salary ladder after 3 years of relevant work experience and by meeting other criteria.
SPANISH OR HMONG LANGUAGE FLUENCY PREMIUM
Legal Action has an additional salary differential of either $2,400 or $4,800 annually (dependent on duties) for employees who are fluent in Spanish or Hmong and who utilize their language skills in performing their work.
FRINGE BENEFITS
Legal Action offers a generous fringe benefits package for employees including health and dental insurance for employees and eligible dependents without requiring a contribution by the employee for the premium. (We require some employees 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 holiday leave per year, generous sick leave accrual, and four weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees.
GOVERNANCE AND SUPERVISION
Legal Action’s Personnel Policies governs this position. The Personnel Policies are subject to unilateral change by the firm’s Board of Directors. All positions at Legal Action are “at will;” there is no guaranteed period of employment. This position is subject to a probationary period of up to six months. This position is supervised by Maggie Niebler-Brown, Attorney Coordinator of the Volunteer Lawyers Project.
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants must submit the following application materials via Legal Action of Wisconsin’s online applicant portal https://secure.entertimeonline.com/ta/7988.careers?ApplyToJob=486679936 We require the following materials:
• Cover letter summarizing qualifications and interest in the position.
• Resumé.
• Recent legal writing sample.
• Names and contact information for three professional references.
• Law school transcript for applicants who graduated 2019 or later.
Maggie Niebler-Brown is the hiring manager for this position. Applicants should direct questions to Maggie at mnb@legalaction.org .
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
This position will be open until filled. We will review applicants on a rolling basis. To ensure early consideration, please submit application materials no later than Friday, October 7, 2022.
Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
