Lakeshore Legal Aid - Community Advocate – Oakland County, MI

‌Organization Overview:

Lakeshore Legal Aid serves low-income people, seniors, 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:

Community Advocates work as a part of Lakeshore Legal Aid’s Systemic Advocacy Department and various litigation teams to provide tools and holistic support to individuals and families who are navigating legal issues in accordance with Lakeshore Legal Aid eligibility guidelines, case priorities, Advocacy Manual, and administrative policies. Community Advocates address barriers that limit client participation in their legal case, strengthen clients with increased goods, resources, and benefits connections, and identify systemic barriers that impact multiple clients and constituencies. Community Advocates treat clients, co-workers, and all others who interact with Lakeshore Legal Aid with dignity and respect.

General Task Areas:

  • Consult with individual lawyers or legal teams about active legal cases or potential legal cases.
  • Assess client needs.
  • Provide crisis intervention, emotional support, life skills planning and advocacy in a trauma informed, holistic, and client-centered manner.
  • Work with clients to build and implement a plan to access prioritized goods, services and/or benefits such as healthcare, childcare and/or food stamps.
  • Maintain awareness of and address clients’ non-legal needs in correlation with their pending or recent legal case.
  • Help clients adjust to changes and challenges in their lives, such as illness, divorce, or unemployment.
  • Advocate for clients with community partners/service providers/internally.
  • Perform other work-related duties as assigned by the supervising attorney, a director, CEO, or a CEO designee.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in social work or a related field is required. Master's degree in social work or related field (ex, Public Health) is strongly preferred.
  • 3 years’ experience in advocacy, case management or related position required.
  • Experience advocating with and on behalf of clients from the poverty community, seniors and survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, or human trafficking for increased access to goods, services, or benefits.
  • Experience providing empathetic, trauma-informed services to diverse clients of the poverty community, seniors and survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, or human trafficking.
  • Effective oral and written communication skills.
  • Exceptional critical thinking and problem-solving skills to determine the best plan for each client after assessing their needs.
  • Ability to engage effectively with people under difficult circumstances to provide trauma informed crisis intervention and address suicidality.

Salary

Starting annual salary for a Community Advocate ranges from $48,000 and is commensurate with qualifications and includes excellent benefits including medical, dental, vision, life insurance/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability, retirement plan, and paid time off.

To apply, submit your cover letter and resume at our website www.lakeshorelegalaid.org

** Do not delay. Applications accepted until 5 pm, March 22, 2024, or until the position is filled. **

LLA values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer.

Date Posted