SSI Attorney -Limited duration

Bay Area Legal Aid (BayLegal) is a non-profit law firm. Our staff provide free civil legal services to individuals and families living in poverty throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our community-based service model includes a wide range of access points, including legal hotlines, six physical offices, and community-based advocacy clinics and intake points. We practice in multiple inter-related legal substantive areas to prevent and stop homelessness, increase economic stability, protect low-income consumers, expand access to healthcare, and enhance safety for survivors of interpersonal violence. Our clients include the working poor, families with children, foster youth, seniors, immigrants, veterans, individuals impacted by the criminal and juvenile legal systems, and persons with disabilities. The core of our community-based practice is working alongside our individual clients to protect their legal rights, resolve immediate crises and remove legal barriers to long-term stability and escaping poverty. BayLegal is also uniquely positioned to identify patterns of illegal practices and engage in opportunities to protect the legal rights of low-income communities and increase efficiency and effectiveness of public services through broader advocacy and impact litigation.     

BayLegal's Alameda County SSI Practice Team seeks an attorney with a strong commitment to the public interest and social justice advocacy. This position provides the opportunity to address a range of issues facing low-income individuals, with a focus on Social Security disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI). This position is based in our Alameda County office and may require travel throughout the county as necessary to best serve our clients. As a member of BayLegal’s regional practice, there may be travel within BayLegal’s broader service area for purposes of meeting with clients and as necessary for training and advocacy. This position will end on June 30, 2027. 

Key Responsibilities:  

• Advocate for the diverse legal needs of undeserved and vulnerable communities in Alameda County and the broader Bay Area to reduce homelessness, enhance stability, and address social justice.
• Maintain an active caseload and provide direct legal services to clients, with a focus on representing clients in obtaining Social Security disability benefits, SSI, and/or CAPI and accessing other county, state, and federal benefit programs, as needed.
• Represent individuals in all stages of administrative hearings related to their public benefits claims, from initial applications through federal court.
• Identify related legal issues and barriers and help coordinate services with BayLegal colleagues who specialize in those substantive areas and with community partners.
• Identify and engage in broader advocacy strategies to remove barriers to public benefits for client populations, including particularly vulnerable groups such as immigrants and refugees, survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, people experiencing homelessness, and people with disabilities.
• Provide workshops and technical assistance to community partners and client community on public benefits and a broad range of civil legal issues.
• Engage with, build and foster broad public-private partnerships, including with governmental agencies, courts, community-based organizations, and pro bono partners to ensure integrated services, client outreach and address systemic barriers facing BayLegal's client community.
• Track and document client and project services and funding deliverables in compliance with BayLegal policies and funding requirements and help promote BayLegal's mission and resource development.
• Engage in other tasks and projects that further the interest of fostering BayLegal's mission and operations as a non-profit. 

Required Qualifications:   

• Member of CA Bar in good standing or admitted to practice in another state and eligible to practice in California for 3 years under the California State Bar rules for the Registered Legal Services Attorney Program preferred.
• Commitment to complying with all California Rules of Professional Conduct, BayLegal funding requirements, and firm standards, policies, and practices.
• Humility in working with colleagues, clients, and individuals of all identities, experiences, and perspectives.
• Experience or demonstrated commitment to public interest law and social justice advocacy.
• Experience providing direct legal services to low-income clients preferred but not required.
• Experience representing clients with government benefits programs, especially Social Security disability/SSI benefits preferred but not required.
• Current proficiency, and ability to improve proficiency, in technological equipment, hardware and software necessary to perform duties of the position.
• Willing to be on-site at BayLegal’s office at least three days per week and as needed to support the needs of clients and for periodic team meetings and training.
• Experience and skills maintaining organization of time, managing diverse activities, and meeting critical deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proof-reading skills, with the ability to be detail oriented. 
• Strong oral advocacy skills; thoughtful and attentive to client communication.
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work collaboratively with a dynamic team.
• Curious and self-directed with the ability to anticipate what needs to be done.
• Ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects while maintaining a firm grasp of individual project details.
• Sense of humor and proactive problem-solver. 

Hybrid Work Option: BayLegal is committed to the health and safety of our staff, clients, and community.  BayLegal employees are expected to work on-site and in-person at a designated BayLegal office or community-based advocacy site at least three (3) days per week and may work remotely from home on a part-time basis.  BayLegal employees are expected to reside in California and at a distance allowing them to commute to their physical BayLegal base location during the standard work week.   

Compensation and Benefits: We offer a diverse, family-friendly environment and compensation based on competitive public interest salaries, along with a generous benefits package.   

BayLegal's benefits package includes 100% employer covered medical, dental, and life insurance for employees and up to 60% for dependents; BayLegal student debt reimbursement program; long term disability insurance; employee assistance program; wage differentials for multi-lingual employees whose non-English language skills are regularly used in the provision of work tasks and pass a request test of fluency and/or proficiency; dependent childcare employer contribution program; employer paid CA Bar license and/or social work license fees; and 401k retirement plan with BayLegal contribution following first year. BayLegal has a generous paid leave policy which includes 15 holidays each year; vacation (starting at 13 days and increasing with additional years of employment), 3 floating holidays each year (days chosen by employee); sick leave; and parental leave.  

This is a union position (Bay Area Legal Aid Workers, “BALAW”), and the 2026 salary range is $75,057- $112,584 (advocates waiting to pass the bar) or $83,948-$138,127 (barred attorney); placement depends on years of experience, and the salary scale can be found here: BayLegal union positions salary scale for 2022-2026.  

Work Environment and Physical Activity:  

Work Environment: This position is primarily sedentary. When in the office, the applicant can expect to be working at a desk in a temperature-controlled office, in a modular space or individual office. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Regular in-person appearance in court and some travel is required.   

Physical Activity:  BayLegal provides this list for transparency of the physical activity that may be required for this position. BayLegal is committed to being a workplace that supports applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants and employees may request reasonable accommodation, and BayLegal will engage in an interactive process. 

Physical activity while performing duties of the job include occasionally being required to sit for prolonged periods; be ambulatory; travel; use hands to type; feel objects, operate tools and/or controls; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear. An employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. 
Applications: BayLegal is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Recruitment, placement and promotions are conducted without regard to an individual's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability status, veteran status or sexual orientation, or any other classification protected by Federal, State, and local laws & ordinances.
We will consider qualified candidates with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act, Federal and local laws. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if BayLegal is is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding your conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the Civil Right's Department Fair Chance Act  webpage.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.