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Housing Staff Attorney

Description: 

San Francisco Housing Practice Team focus on preserving housing for tenants who are low-income in San Francisco. As part of the San Francisco's Tenant Right to Counsel Initiative, the team provides full-scope legal representation to tenants in unlawful detainer proceedings.  To that end, we engage in civil legal representation, social work, community collaborations, and systemic advocacy, in partnership with the young people we serve.

Position: BayLegal seeks an attorney with a strong commitment to public interest and social justice to join our Housing Law practice group in San Francisco.   This position is based in our San Francisco office and involves traveling throughout the county and potentially the Bay Area as necessary to best serve our low-income clients. See COVID-19 Temporary Remote work below.

As a Housing Staff Attorney, you will have the opportunity to:

  • Learn and advocate for 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 injustice;
  • Provide full-scope legal representation to low-income tenants in unlawful detainer proceedings, including propounding and responding to discovery, conducting depositions, pre/post-trial motions, trials, and appeals;
  • Represent tenants in administrative proceedings before the San Francisco Housing Authority and other agencies;
  • Advocate for tenants on issues of fair housing, substandard conditions, and VAWA;
  • Identify systemic problems that affect our clients’ housing rights and address these challenges through affirmative litigation and policy work;
  • Staff Off-Site Legal Clinics to conduct intakes, provide legal advice, assess for further services;
  • Collaborate with the local and national tenant advocacy community;
  • Provide workshops and technical assistance to community partners and our client community on housing law, tenants' rights, and a broad range of civil legal issues;
  • Develop relationships and engage in collaboration with a range of public and private community partners, including governmental agencies, courts, and community-based organizations, to ensure integrative services and address systemic barriers facing BayLegal's client community;
  • Work with BayLegal's development, grants and contracts, and communications team to promote BayLegal's mission and resource development; and
  • Engage in other tasks and projects that further BayLegal's mission and operations as a non-profit.
Requirements: 
  • Membership in good standing in the California State Bar;
  • Bilingual ability in Spanish or Cantonese preferred;
  • Humility in working with colleagues and clients across the spectrum of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigrant status, religious identity, physical and mental disabilities, and/or limited English proficiency;
  • Strong personal work ethic and ability to organize time, manage diverse activities, and meet critical deadlines with minimal supervision;
  • Excellent writing, editing, and proof-reading skills, with ability to be detail-oriented;
  • Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work collaboratively with a dynamic team;
  • Curious and self-directed with an ability to anticipate what needs to be done; and
  • Ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects while maintaining a firm grasp of individual project details.

Temporary COVID-19 remote work: Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, all BayLegal employees are currently working remotely. While BayLegal has implemented detailed health and safety protocols to minimize risk of exposure and has an evolving plan for reopening our local offices, we anticipate remaining primarily remote at least throughout the rest of 2020. All employees are expected to be able to primarily work remotely until BayLegal determines it is safe to reopen offices. All employees are issued BayLegal computers and provided appropriate supplies.  BayLegal has implemented and continues to explore additional technologies to make working remotely as efficient and connected as possible.  All employees receive a flat-rate monthly amount to reimburse for work-related use of personal IT equipment, including internet, and home. Due to the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on personal lives, BayLegal is open to providing flexibility regarding work schedules and part-time or full-time employment to the extent feasible for the position.

To Apply: 

BayLegal thrives on our diversity and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a culturally diverse workplace and strongly encourage women, persons of color, LGBTQ individuals, veterans, persons with disabilities, and persons from other underrepresented groups to apply.  Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please send (1) cover letter including response to question below (no page limit), (2) resume, (3) references, and (4) writing sample to: Human Resources Department, e-mail to jobs@baylegal.org. Please reference “Housing Attorney – San Francisco” in the subject of your email.

As part of your cover letter, please address the following:

BayLegal's clients are low- and very low-income members of our communities. They include people of color, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, seniors, people with lived experiences of homelessness, veterans, people with disabilities, and people from other underrepresented groups. BayLegal is committed to enhancing the provision of our services to all clients, increasing positive client outcomes, and creating an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued. BayLegal promotes and supports policies that enable us to work effectively in cross-cultural situations with our clients, coworkers, and the community.

How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to: (1) serve our diverse client base effectively, (2) work effectively with colleagues from different backgrounds than your own, (3) acknowledge the systemic barriers that our clients face, and (4) contribute to our efforts to fight for racial justice? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, provide examples, and apply various aspects of your life and personal experiences. 

 

Information

Submission Deadline: 
November 13, 2020
Organization Information: 
Bay Area Legal Aid
1800 Market Street 3 Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States
Phone: (510) 250-5225