Lakeshore Legal Aid - Senior Staff Attorney - Out Wayne (Dearborn)

Organization Overview:  

Lakeshore Legal Aid serves people living with low income, older adults, and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in a holistic manner to address clients’ legal issues and improve our communities. Lakeshore provides free, direct legal representation in southeast Michigan and the thumb and client intake, advice, and brief legal services throughout Michigan via our attorney-staffed hotline. Our practice areas include housing, family, consumer, elder, education, and public benefits law.    

Position Overview:  

Senior Staff Attorneys will provide comprehensive civil legal services to eligible clients in civil cases in accordance with Lakeshore Legal Aid eligibility guidelines, case priorities, Advocacy Manual, all administrative policies, and the Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct. As compared to Staff Attorneys, Senior Staff Attorneys are expected to maintain a higher caseload of more complex cases including Federal cases. Senior Staff Attorneys are expected to lead projects, complex litigation, and facilitate the learning and development of other staff through proactive mentoring, co-counseling, and support. Senior Staff Attorneys are expected to exemplify the Lakeshore Legal Aid values of treating clients, co-workers, and all others with dignity and respect.  

Qualifications

• 5 years minimum of litigation-specific experience
• Experience litigating in multiple courts across multiple jurisdictions
• Admitted to practice in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan or the ability to obtain admission to practice in Federal Court immediately after start date.
• Ability to lead and motivate
• Demonstrated interest in the area of poverty law and working with low-income individuals. Able to be empathetic and understand the diverse clients of the poverty community.
• Ability to deal effectively with all people under difficult circumstances.
• Demonstrable skills in litigation, advocacy, interviewing, and drafting legal documents.
• Understand and comply with the Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct.
• Dependable transportation for travel to intake sites, hearings, meetings and trainings.
• Experience or aptitude working with appropriate office technology, including telephone systems, copiers, word processing, report generation software, internet research, client database, etc.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and organize multiple tasks.
• Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing

General Task Areas

• Demonstrates advanced proficiency in providing timely civil legal services to low-income and senior clients and client groups through representation in trial courts, appellate courts and other forums, through litigation, advice, negotiation, drafting and review of legal documents, referrals and administrative advocacy.
• Demonstrate litigation expertise to handle complex litigation or other projects.
• Identify and develop strategies to address systemic problems confronting client communities.
• Engage in complex litigation, multiple party litigation, administrative law hearings and community lawyering including the capacity to maintain a higher caseload including complex cases in various venues
• Handle state and federal appeals, including identifying appealable issues and drafting appellate briefs.
• Proactively mentor and train other staff in advanced litigation skills, providing guidance on strategy, writing, litigation skills and legal research.
• Ability to facilitate the development of other attorneys regarding client management.
• Participate in office-defined or program-defined impact projects.
• Make high-level decisions on case strategy, settlement approaches
• Serve as the primary point of contact for high-stakes or sensitive clients or partners.
• Update the legal team on new laws or significant case rulings.
• Serve on internal Lakeshore committees or workgroups, influencing organizational priorities.
• Communicate and establish contacts with the court, community agencies, local and state bar associations, and local client groups as appropriate. Serve as a resource to such groups when appropriate.
• Participate in groups, taskforces, or associations whose activities substantially affect Lakeshore Legal Aid’s work and the legal rights of low-income persons.
• Perform other work-related duties as assigned by their director, the CEO, or a CEO designee.  

Compensation and Benefits:

• Starting salary ranges from $79,669 and is commensurate with qualifications
• Industry leading employer-sponsored healthcare package
• Generous paid time off
• Paid Holidays
• Hybrid Remote Work Schedule