at Legal Aid Chicago (Formerly LAF) in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Job Description
Legal Aid Chicago encourages applicants with relevant volunteer and work experience, who have experiences with our client communities or individuals who identify as a person of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrant, or otherwise having backgrounds and experiences that are underrepresented in the legal profession to apply.
For over 50 years, Legal Aid Chicago has provided free civil legal assistance to people living in poverty in metropolitan Chicago. Each year our attorneys, volunteers, and staff help resolve civil legal problems, including domestic violence, consumer fraud, and unfair evictions. Legal Aid Chicago was founded on the philosophy that all individuals are entitled to quality civil legal representation, regardless of their income. We work to ensure that poverty is not an impediment to justice by dismantling the legal barriers that perpetuate inequality. Legal Aid Chicago staff live our mission through our core values of equity, excellence, inclusion, kindness, and respect.
Legal Aid Chicago offers a hybrid work environment. Our office, located in downtown Chicago at 120 S. LaSalle Street, is ADA accessible and has convenient access to public transportation and local expressways. This position may require travel to court or other outreach events.
Position: Legal Aid Chicago seeks a full-time attorney to work as a Supervisory Attorney in our Consumer Practice Group (CPG). CPG provides individual legal representation, community education, and strategic advocacy in the areas of homeownership preservation, bankruptcy, consumer fraud, predatory lending, debt collection, and utilities.
Responsibilities:
- Maintain a caseload of individual cases in the areas CPG handles, and represent clients in state and federal court, including bankruptcy court (with an emphasis on novel and/or co-counseled cases)
- Supervise attorneys and other staff in CPG who handle a full caseload in the above areas of law, including editing their written work, providing guidance on case strategy, co-counseling complex cases, conducting regular case reviews, providing training in substantive areas of law as well as litigation skills, completing performance evaluations, and overseeing professional development
- Maintain knowledge in other areas of law handled by Legal Aid Chicago to ensure that clients’ legal needs are identified and met in those areas
- Participate in complex litigation or advocacy to address systemic issues
- Engage in community outreach and participate in training to agencies, advocates, clients, or community groups about legal services and rights impacting low income persons
- Represent Legal Aid Chicago on relevant community task forces, committees, or other government or non-profit bodies connected with our work
- Work collaboratively with Legal Aid Chicago supervisors, staff, students and volunteers to provide comprehensive legal services
- Maintain case files and accurate time records in electronic case management system and ensure supervised staff do as well
- Participate in other activities related to poverty law including publication, permissible legislative and administrative advocacy, media relations, and fundraising
- Assist in reporting and administering applicable grants
- Other duties as assigned
Salary and Benefits:
The Supervisory Attorney position begins at $84,500.
Legal Aid Chicago offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:
- Bilingual Supervisory Attorneys are eligible for an additional stipend
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance, effective the first day of employment
- Time Off: 21 vacation days and 18 sick days accrued within the first year of employment
- 19 paid holidays, including four floating holidays
- Twelve weeks of Paid Parental Leave at 100% of the salary after six months of employment
- 401(a) retirement plan with an employer contribution after 3 months of employment
- $100,000 Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance, at no cost
- Access to Employee Assistance Program resources, at no cost
- Chicago Bar Association Membership, at no cost
- Reimbursement of annual ARDC registration fees
- Monthly internet reimbursement
- Legal Aid Chicago is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is an eligible employer for the federal public service loan forgiveness program
