SUMMARY: Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. (Legal Action) is seeking a staff attorney to perform legal work related to foreclosure prevention and defense in Southeastern Wisconsin. We expect this attorney to handle cases that involve foreclosures due to property tax and/or mortgage delinquencies and tangled title issues. They may also handle bankruptcies and other civil legal problems incidental to the foreclosure or homeownership. The attorney will work in close coordination with other non-legal agencies and services that are being provided under the Wisconsin Help for Homeowners program. The attorney may be based in either the Milwaukee or Racine office. Legal Action will consider requests for flex work (remote work, compressed scheduling, part-time work, or a combination). The applicant will work with the Hiring Manager and the Managing Attorney of their proposed office on any flex work requests.
AVAILABILITY OF POSITION: Immediate.
LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN: We are a large and vibrant non-profit law firm funded by the federal Legal Services Corporation, the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Victim of Crime Act funding, the Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund, and many other sources. Each year, we provide free legal aid to about 9,000 – 12,000 low-income persons in Wisconsin’s southern 39 counties with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Oshkosh, Green Bay, and La Crosse. In addition, the firm operates a statewide farmworker project and a legal aid to victims of human trafficking project. Most of our work is in the areas of housing, public benefits, removing barriers to employment, consumer, family law, and victim rights.
Legal Action believes that equal justice under the Legal Action can only be achieved through 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.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Legal Action staff attorneys are responsible for providing quality and aggressive representation of clients in individual service cases and to undertake impact litigation and/or other advocacy (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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Attorneys will be called upon to provide training and other assistance to volunteers who participate in Legal Action's Volunteer Lawyer Project.
5. Attorneys may perform some intake duties and, where necessary, make appropriate referrals to other community agencies.
6. All staff attorneys are responsible for serving on at least one of Legal Action’s Priority Committees: Housing; Employment; Consumer; Public Benefits; and Family. These priority committees are comprised of Legal Action staff 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.
7. Staff attorneys will be assigned additional duties, including participation and training in race equity alignment and anti-racism; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and effects of trauma and trauma-informed care.
QUALIFICATIONS:
1. Juris Doctorate degree is required.
2. Admission to the Wisconsin Bar at hire is required.
3. A personal commitment to civil legal aid and to providing quality and aggressive representation to low-income people is required.
4. Knowledge of state law and procedure is required.
5. Knowledge of federal law and procedure is desired.
6. Strong commitment to meeting quality standards of written and courtroom advocacy is required. Demonstrated ability to meeting quality standards of written and courtroom advocacy is desired.
7. Demonstrated ability to communicate both orally and in writing in a clear and concise manner is required.
8. Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with others is required.
9. Demonstrated ability to handle and prioritize many pressing matters in various locations is required.
10. Ability to travel throughout Legal Action’s service area to meet with clients and to attend court hearings is required.
11. Prior experience in civil legal aid or other relevant experience is desired.
12. Experience and knowledge of the court systems in the office’s service area is desired.
13. Written and oral fluency in Spanish or Hmong is highly desired.
COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY: At Legal Action of Wisconsin, health and safety is a top priority. We require all new, unrepresented employees and interns, law clerks, volunteers, and contractors from employment agencies or consulting firms to have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations and booster and to provide medical proof from Wisconsin’s Immunization Registry or from a medical provider of their fully vaccinated status as a condition of employment with Legal Action of Wisconsin within 28 days of their first day of employment. Individuals may request a medical or religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Exemption requests must be completed and approved on or before the first day of employment.
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.
GOVERNANCE: Legal Action’s personnel policies govern the staff attorney positions in the Racine, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, La Crosse, and Green Bay offices. All personnel policies and salaries and benefits (for unrepresented employees) are subject to change by Legal Action’s Board of Directors.
SALARY: The salary for the position is determined by the attorney candidate’s tier and number of years of relevant experience in practicing law, as set forth in LAW’s 2021-2022 Salary Administration Plan. The attorney salary is determined by LAW’s Board of Directors. For example, for unrepresented attorneys, 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. In addition, our 2021-2022 salary administration plan includes additional pay (up to $4800) for those employees who are fluent in Spanish or Hmong and utilize their language skills in performing their work. Salaries, management stipends, and language differentials are not negotiable.
FRINGE BENEFITS: Legal Action provides a generous fringe benefits package for this position, including employer-paid health and dental insurance for employees and eligible dependents with no premium contribution by the employee (Employees are required to contribute $200/month to the health insurance premium if the spouse has group health insurance available from the spouse’s employer and the employee elects to cover the spouse on the Legal Action health plan.) 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 annual leave per year, four days of personal leave, generous sick leave accrual, and four weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees.
PROBATIONARY PERIOD: New hires in these positions are subject to a probationary period of 12 months. Newly hired attorneys are eligible to accrue and use their leave and other benefits during their probationary period. Legal Action may extend this probationary period.
SUPERVISION: The supervisor for this position is Attorney Karen Roehl. The Managing Attorney of the office where the attorney is located will also provide some supervision.
REIMBURSEMENT FOR RELOCATION EXPENSES: Reimbursement for some relocation expenses may be available.
HOW TO APPLY: Applicants must submit the following application materials via Legal Action of Wisconsin’s online applicant portal. See www.legalaction.org/careers to access the online applicant portal.
1. Cover letter summarizing qualifications, interest in the position, and office preference.
2. Resume
3. Law school transcript (only required for applicants who graduated in 2019 or later)
4. Writing sample
5. Names and contact information for three professional references (for external applicants only.)
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 may not be able to consider it.
Karen Roehl, supervising attorney of the Wisconsin Help for Homeowners project, is the hiring manager for this position. A panel will interview applicants and make hiring recommendations. Interviews will likely be held remotely.
DUE DATE: We will review applicants on a rolling basis. To assure early consideration, please submit application materials before midnight on October 13, 2022.
Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
