Staff Attorney
The Legal Aid Society of Columbus (LASC) is looking for an individual with a demonstrated commitment to making a difference in the lives of indigent people and their communities for an attorney position in our Columbus office. Our attorneys are encouraged and supported in being creative, effective advocates in federal, state, and local judicial, administrative, and legislative forums. Additional information about LASC is available at: www.columbuslegalaid.org.
In addition to aggressive direct client representation in the areas of family, housing, consumer, benefits, health, utility law and tax, attorneys at LASC and our sister program Southeastern Ohio Legal Services have:
- Established the right to counsel for indigents in Ohio’s juvenile custody proceedings and are pursuing the right for parents defending against involuntary adoptions.
- Established due process rights for low income individuals in their dealings with utilities, rights of tenants not to be evicted extrajudicially by landlords shutting off their utilities, women not to be denied utility service due to ex-spouses’ unpaid bills, and tenants’ rights to service in their own name.
- Organized law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, medical providers and shelters into domestic violence councils and successfully pursued federal litigation to ensure effective enforcement of Ohio’s domestic violence laws.
- Repeatedly and successfully worked with local and state administrative agencies to identify and correct systemic issues for low-income individuals including increased income eligibility for subsidized child care, expanded eligibility for Medicaid and access to benefits for persons with disabilities. Successfully worked with other organizations to help prisoners re-entering the community including accessing benefits, expunging records and obtaining employment.
- In recent years, successfully concluded important federal cases under the Fair Housing Act and the Medicaid Act, protected hundreds of families from losing their homes to foreclosure, and overturned numerous draconian decisions by public benefits and child support agencies.
Applicant must be admitted to the Ohio Bar or eligible to take the next bar exam.
Reply with resume, writing sample, and references to: Kathleen C. McGarvey, Deputy Director, at kmgarvey@columbuslegalaid.org.