at Legal Aid Chicago (Formerly LAF) in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Job Description
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.
Legal Aid Chicago offers a hybrid work environment. Our office, located in downtown Chicago, is ADA accessible and has convenient access to public transportation and local expressways. This position will require travel to court, meetings, and other outreach events in the greater Chicago area.
The Children & Families Practice Group advocates for students whose right to an education is threatened, represents survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in protective order and domestic relations cases against their abusers, and defends parents against unwarranted intrusions by the State into their right to parent.
Position: Legal Aid Chicago has an opening for a full-time supervisory attorney in the Children & Families Practice Group with an immediate start date. This attorney will work primarily on the family defense team, which works to protect families from unwarranted intrusion by the state child welfare system. This includes representing parents and caregivers in:
- DCFS investigations and related legal services to prevent an indicated finding and/or the filing of a petition in juvenile court;
- DCFS administrative hearings seeking to expunge wrongful indicated findings of abuse/neglect;
- Service appeals in which our client has a legal right to appeal a placement or service decision with DCFS; and
- Juvenile court cases involving systemic issues of particular concern to Legal Aid Chicago's client population including poverty-based allegations of neglect, domestic violence, the State's provision of reasonable efforts to assist in reunification, and the fundamental right to due process.
Responsibilities include:
- Maintain a reduced individual caseload of family defense cases and provide full and effective legal representation to parents and caregivers. This position may also involve providing representation in protective orders, allocation of parental responsibilities, divorce, and education law cases, particularly when addressing those co-occurring legal issues can strengthen the family defense advocacy
- Supervise attorneys 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, and completing performance evaluations
- Manage grant reports and grant compliance, as needed
- Maintain accurate time records and ensure supervised staff do as well
- Maintain knowledge in other areas of law handled by Legal Aid Chicago such as housing, immigration, public benefits, and consumer law, to ensure that clients’ legal needs are identified and met in those areas
- Participate in complex litigation or advocacy to address systemic issues
- Work collaboratively with Legal Aid Chicago supervisors, staff, students and volunteers to provide comprehensive legal services
- Collaborate on projects that could involve outreach to community groups, developing new strategies for serving our clients, or address systemic issues through litigation, negotiation or advocacy
- Participate in training agencies, advocates, clients, or community groups about legal services and rights impacting low-income persons
- Participate in other activities related to poverty law including publication, permissible legislative and administrative advocacy, media relations, and fundraising
- Other duties as assigned by the Director
Salary and Benefits:
The budgeted salary range for this position is $89,704 - $99,704, which reflects an applicant with a law school graduation date between 2020 and 2010.
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
