Staff Attorney - Systemic Impact

Job Title: Systemic/Impact Staff Attorney

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Reports To: Practice Group Director

Supervises: Paralegals and Legal Secretaries as required

Pay Range: $78,000 - $115,000 Depending on Experience

Interested in honing your litigation skills while navigating complex and nuanced legal issues that impact thousands of folks in Riverside and San Bernardino counties? Do you have a passion for activating and educating potential community leaders so that they may navigate bureaucracy and make impactful change in their communities? Wonderful! Join ICLS’ systemic impact litigation team and truly make a difference that benefits thousands of folks residing in our communities.

Advocating for Justice on behalf of ICLS clients is done in the community and the approach is multi-faceted. As an attorney, you will work with other experienced attorneys on the Systemic Practice Group (and truly all of ICLS attorneys) to discuss case trends, negotiations, litigation strategy, and have the opportunity for mentorship. Additionally, you will work with incredible paralegals throughout ICLS that carry their own caseload and advocate zealously on behalf of clients with administrative law issues such as public benefits. The community is rounded out by talented legal administrative support staff to help further your client management and case files, as well as preparation of simple legal pleadings.

You’ll also get the opportunity to expand your legal network by working collaboratively with Pro Bono volunteers, participating in local bar association events (for which ICLS will pay), working with and learning about the amazing civil legal aid community – local, statewide, and national.

Qualities:

• Willingness to learn from and work with others.
• Patience with clients and self.
• Easy to talk to and approachable for both staff, clients, and the community ICLS serves.
• An openness to communicate both challenges and an intentional practice to express gratitude to their colleagues.
• Determination to get the best outcome for clients.
• Curiosity and desire to learn about client’s experiences that led to legal issues including systemic injustices that have historically disadvantaged persons of color and folks with low income.
• Passion and dedication to access justice via civil legal aid.
• Hard-working but appreciates a work-life balance; has boundaries and respects others’ boundaries.
• Has a healthy and sustainable practice to manage stress and vicarious trauma or is willing to learn practices that may be helpful in these regards.
• Community Centered; Inquisitive.
• Passion for learning and personal/professional growth.
• Interested in mentorship for self and mentoring others as experience is gained.

Skills:

• Active listening skills.
• Trauma-informed interviewing skills.
• Legal writing and research skills.
• Courtroom/trial experience (will be gained at ICLS for those with limited experience).
• Analytical skills.
• Willingness to learn and be mentored.
• Bilingual.
• Negotiation.

Job Related Expectations:

• Represent and negotiate on the client’s behalf at a variety of civil and administrative legal proceedings, including unlawful detainers, consumer debt, public benefits, health law, and others as impactful litigation is identified by your practice group.
• Research complex and nuanced legal issues that impact multiple folks in the Riverside and San Bernardino counties service area.
• Become familiar with and follow Legal Services Corporation regulations and other funder requirements as appropriate.
• Familiarize yourself with state law regarding civil and administrative legal procedures, including dates motions and other moving documents are due and scheduling hearing dates.
• Draft pleadings and other documents including writs of mandate, complaints, briefs, motions, and memorandum.
• Attend and lead litigation meetings with program advocates, community partners, and other co-counsel as assigned.
• Act as co-counsel on complex litigation cases with program advocates, provide mentorship and training to attorneys in complex litigation skills.
• Attend community meetings, such as city council meetings to ensure compliance with various state and local ordinances that impact our clientele, such as housing element compliance, and community organization meetings for purposes of understanding issues in the community.
• Identify underserved communities in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and make meaningful connections with the communities to provide community legal education, so that they may better navigate bureaucracy and advocate on their own behalf with their local city and county governments.
• Participate in litigation meetings with other practice groups to help identify impactful case trends, lend expertise to litigation strategy, and identify opportunities to co-counsel with attorneys to expand their litigation skill set.
• Work with outside co-counsel as lead attorney for ICLS on complex litigation.
• Maintain files in good order and updated with all pleadings, correspondence, and client documents for ease of access by any other staff member.
• File or develop for filing at least 4 affirmative cases, 3 motions and conduct 5 hearings or trials or mediations or arbitrations. Developing for filing includes but is not limited to: drafting complaints/writs/motions, sending demand letters, engaging in settlement negotiations with opposing counsel/party, and appeal analysis. NOTE: A lower volume of cases would be expected for more complex and time-consuming legal representation.
• In addition to affirmative filings or development for potential filing of cases, your case load should include at least 10 extended services cases, and at least 10 counsel and advice and brief service cases.

The recognition of our common humanity is the first step in fostering a diverse environment. The sum of our unique differences is greater than our individual parts. Our unique stories and experiences allow us to better solve the challenges that our community faces. Staff approach professional relationships with humility across the spectrum of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigrant status, religious identity, physical and mental disabilities, and/or limited English proficiency with a willingness to consider unique perspectives. Inland Counties Legal Services provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.