Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellowships (VET)
POSITONS
2 Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellowships serving the veteran community throughout LSLA’s 76-county service area. Possible Texas office locations include, but are not limited to, Houston, Belton, Tyler, Conroe, or surrounding areas.
LONE STAR LEGAL AID
Over the past 67 years, Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) has provided free civil legal services to hundreds of thousands of low-income people, ranging from veterans to seniors on fixed incomes, from vulnerable children to defrauded consumers, from persons with disabilities to crime victims. LSLA is the fourth largest legal aid organization in the U.S. We operate 13 regional offices, and LSLA is the area’s only full-service civil legal aid provider. Practice areas include housing, divorce and custody, sexual assault, health care, identity theft, human trafficking, disability claims, employment, income maintenance, federal tax matters, public benefits, consumer law, estate planning/probate, civil rights, and veteran benefits.
Texas has the second largest veteran population in the United States, with the most concentrated area of veterans within LSLA’s service area. LSLA has served veterans and their families for decades. We operate a successful Military and Veterans Unit, largely staffed with veterans and veteran family members. The MVU’s outreach and direct legal services have helped thousands of veterans stabilize and transition back into civilian life. We holistically serve the legal needs of veterans, while focusing on veteran benefits.
SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES
The Fellows will engage in the following activities to help veterans and their families: • Community education and outreach related to LSLA services and veteran benefits • Legal assistance from legal advice and counsel up to and including court representation o Potential areas of help include, but are not limited to, veteran benefits; obtaining military duty records; applying or appealing veteran benefit decisions through the Veteran Administration; disability claims; expunctions and non-disclosures; landlord and mortgage difficulties, including evictions, lease terminations, and foreclosures; income maintenance; consumer and medical debt; family law issues; and wills and estates • Traveling legal clinics • Help recruit volunteer attorneys to assist veterans and their families and/or conduct outreach • Build relationships with targeted community leaders, groups, and organizations to strengthen MVU services for veterans • Work collaboratively with other LSLA staff across substantive units • Participate in project evaluation and funder reporting
QUALIFICATIONS
• Must be a graduate of an Equal Justice Works member law school and either admitted or pursuing admission to the State Bar of Texas • Experience with or demonstrated commitment to low-income and/or vulnerable populations, as well as equal access to justice • Excellent communication skills, including client interviewing and legal research and writing • Strong case evaluation, discovery, negotiation, and court skills • Ability to work well under pressure • Preference will be given to applicants with military service. • Preference will be given to applicants with bilingual ability in Spanish or Vietnamese. • Reliable transportation and an ability to travel to affected counties • Requires completion of NSOPR, state and FBI criminal background checks • Compliance with all CNCS Federal Regulations, Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps grant requirements, and Legal Services Corporation regulations • Preference will be given to applicants that are VA-accredited or are eligible for accreditation.
TERMS OF SERVICE
• 11-12 months • The fellows must complete 1,700 hours of service in a 12-month period. • The fellows should not expect future employment at the end of the grant term.
COMPENSATION PER FELLOW
• Living allowance of $24,200 • Up to $25,800 in supplemental benefits for housing, student loans, utilities, groceries, professional dues, relocation expenses, and other allowable expenses, depending on the Fellow’s exact living expenses, but no less than $12,000. Fellow will be required to submit proof of bills in order to obtain reimbursement. • AmeriCorps-provided childcare assistance, student loan forbearance and interest accrual payment for eligible loans upon successful completion of service • $5,730 AmeriCorps Segal Education Award upon completion of service • Fringe benefits package comparable to other LSLA staff, including health and dental insurance, paid sick leave, paid vacation days, and parking stipend
Please send a letter of interest (including where you saw the position announcement), résumé, a legal writing sample, and a list of three professional references to HumanResources@lonestarlegal.org. Include “EJWA-V” in subject of email. No phone calls, please.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Open until filled.
This fellowship is open to all persons, without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or religion.
LSLA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.