Temporary Attorney - Housing

East Bay Community Law Center Berkeley, CA $68000.00 to $90000.00 per year
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(9-MONTH TERM, ANTICIPATED START DATE 09/01/2023 OR SOONER)

The Organization
East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is a non-profit legal services organization, the community-based clinical program for U.C. Berkeley Law School, and one of the Bay Area’s largest and most effective systems disrupters.  With a dual service and teaching mission, EBCLC is a racial justice organization committed to building a culturally diverse workplace, centered on equity. With about 80 staff, 150 law students a year, and a nearly $9 million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal services in Alameda County, providing multimodal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 4,000 clients annually and engaging in legislative and policy advocacy at the state and local level.
The Housing Practice Temporary Attorney represents low-income tenants in eviction lawsuits, advocates for tenants encountering a broad range of housing-related legal problems, and contributes to the creation of more just and humane housing policies for Alameda County tenants. This position requires an excellent advocate with strong writing and organizational skills who has the ability to work well in a fast-paced, high-volume litigation setting, has experience providing direct legal services to low-income people, and is committed to mentoring the next generation of legal advocates. 

Primary Responsibilities
If the candidate is not a member of the California State Bar yet, all responsibilities will be performed under the supervision of a licensed attorney, pending approval by the State Bar of provisional licensing without bar passage.
Represent low-income tenants in unlawful detainer (eviction) cases, subsidized housing hearings, rent board hearings, and other civil proceedings.  Ensure that all advocacy is done in a zealous and client-centered manner.  Full scope representation includes, but isn’t limited to:
Preparing responsive pleadings, discovery, and motions;
Advocating for tenants and negotiating on their behalf with landlords and landlords’ attorneys in unlawful detainer actions; and representing tenants at court hearings, settlement conferences, and jury trials.
Conduct outreach and provide pro per assistance to tenants at self-help and community sites. 
Work with staff attorneys to teach, train, and supervise law students, including substantive law and skills training, individual and group case reviews, day-to-day monitoring of individual work, mentoring, and student recruitment.
Work collaboratively with other staff at EBCLC to provide holistic, wrap-around services. 
Assist in the facilitation of housing projects including collaborative partnerships, rental assistance applications, courthouse clinic, social media campaigns, local policy advocacy, and our weekly tenants’ rights workshop.   
Complete all administrative tasks, such as those related to legal advocacy, housing projects, grant management and reporting.
Participate in ongoing professional development to improve client services and student supervision.
Additional tasks as assigned by Supervisor. 
Minimum Qualifications
J.D. is required and plans to take the California bar exam in the Summer of 2023 or member of the California State Bar in good standing.
Share EBCLC’s mission and vision of racial and social justice.
Ability to manage a demanding case load; excellent time management, and priority-setting.  Excellent organizational skills; ability to be detail-oriented, multi-task, set priorities, and work both independently, and in close coordination with other staff. 
Ability to work under pressure and with people in crisis, including people with mental disabilities, in an empathetic and professional manner. 
Demonstrated commitment to racial justice, social justice, and tenant’s rights. 
Excellent written and oral advocacy skills. 
Ability to learn on the job and work successfully in a high-volume, dynamic environment. 
Ability to travel to visit clients, attend court and engage with the community in-person in Alameda County, as needed to perform the responsibilities of this position. 
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a diverse range of groups, including people of color, people experiencing homelessness, people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, immigrants, non-English speakers, people with mental disabilities, people experiencing domestic violence, service providers, government employees, community partners, elected officials, and law school faculty.   
Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin language fluency is highly preferred. 

Compensation 
Starting salary for this exempt position is $68,000-$90,000 based on law school graduation date, as dictated by the EBCLC salary scale. This is a temporary position, with the possibility of becoming a permanent position.
Benefits include fully paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision) for employees and their dependents, life and disability insurance, and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, and holidays); EBCLC also offers flexible spending accounts for qualified health, dependent care, and commute expenditures; and retirement options.  
EBCLC Staff are represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California IFPTE Local 20. Temporary attorneys are not eligible for union membership. 
Workplace Expectations

Due to COVID-19, EBCLC employees are often working remotely several days a week. Staff may work in the office if they wish to do so, subject to certain capacity limits and other safety protocols. Please note that the attorney may need to attend in-person court proceedings, staff in-person clinics, and/or engage in in-person fieldwork to support our clients. EBCLC will provide the necessary equipment to fulfill the job responsibilities of working from home.  
Currently, there is an eviction moratorium in place in Alameda County, and an option to appear remotely for court appearances. However, when the moratorium lifts on April 29, 2023, staff will be required to attend far more in-person services. 

Working at EBCLC
EBCLC is strongly committed to advancing justice through education and advocacy, and the need to transform legal services and legal education. Please take time to review EBCLC’s mission, vision, programs, and website, and ensure that your cover letter reflects how your background, experience, and expertise have prepared you to be successful in performing the responsibilities of the position. 
Additionally, EBCLC is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. 

To achieve this goal, EBCLC works actively to improve our office climate, systems and structures, communications, and community engagement to create an inclusive and respectful workplace where differences are acknowledged and valued.  In your cover letter, please address how your personal background and experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural responsiveness and diversity amongst our staff. 

We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. EBCLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior contact with the criminal legal system, or any other basis prohibited by law. As a unionized workplace, EBCLC prioritizes maintaining a safe space for staff so that every employee feels supported and able to fully engage in our work. 

Application Process
Interested applicants should submit a complete application by visiting https://eastbaycommunitylawcenter.easyapply.co/. 
A complete application must include a cover, resume, short writing sample, and names/contact information for two professional references. Please include a detailed cover letter indicating why you are interested in and qualified for this position, including your alignment to EBCLC’s mission. Please submit your complete application as one single PDF file by uploading it under “Upload Your Resume.†If you need technical assistance to submit your application, please message us or email jobs@ebclc.org. 

Timeline
EBCLC will review applications on a rolling basis.  In light of the end of the eviction moratorium on April 29, 2023, priority review will be given to applications received by April 14, 2023.  It is our hope to contact applicants in April 2023 to begin scheduling interviews.  















East Bay Community Law Center is an EEO employer - M/F/Vets/Disabled
 
 
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