Temporary Economic Justice Attorney

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.     

Position: BayLegal's San Francisco Economic Justice Practice team seeks an attorney with a strong commitment to the public interest. This position provides the opportunity to address a range of issues facing low-income individuals, with a focus on economic justice and access to public benefits. This position will be based in BayLegal's San Francisco County office. This is a temporary position lasting approximately 6 months. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Learn and assist with the diverse legal needs of underserved and vulnerable communities in San Francisco and the broader Bay Area to reduce homelessness, enhance stability, and address social justice.
• Represent clients in a range of public benefits matters, that may include: General Assistance, CalFresh, CalWorks, Supplemental Security income (SSI), Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPl), and Medi-Cal.
• Represent clients in all stages of administrative proceedings related to their public benefits.
• Assist clients with accessing other county, state, and federal benefit programs, as needed.
• Identify and employ impact advocacy strategies to remove  barriers to public benefits and employment 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.
• Assist public benefit recipients with legal issues that present a barrier to employment or self-sufficiency, like suspended driver's licenses, collateral consequences of a criminal conviction or unstable housing if needed.
• Develop relationships and engage in collaboration with a range of public and private  community partners, including governmental agencies, and community-based organizations to outreach clients ensure integrative services and address barriers facing BayLegal’s client community.
• Help provide public benefits and other substantive trainings to BayLegal staff and community partners.
• Work collaboratively with attorneys practicing in BayLegal’s other substantive areas.
• Engage in other tasks and projects that further BayLegal's mission. 

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.
• Commitment to complying with all California Rules of Professional Conduct, BayLegal funding requirements, and firm standards, policies, and practices.
• Experience with government benefits programs preferred.
• Commitment and desire to work with low-income individuals.
• Humility in working with colleagues and clients, and individuals of all identities, experiences, and perspectives.
• Current proficiency, and ability to improve proficiency, in technological equipment, hardware, and software necessary to perform duties of the position.
• Excellent, writing, editing, and proof-reading skills, with 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 an ability to take initiative. 

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 medical and dental benefits, paid holidays, and sick leave.  Compensation is based on experience and competitive public interest salaries. The estimated annual salary range is $83,948 - $138,127 placement in range determined primarily by years of related experience.  

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. 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. Employees may regularly 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.