Staff Attorney
The Portland Regional Office of Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) is seeking full-time staff attorney. The position is a generalist civil litigator with a strong emphasis on family law but will also handle general poverty law cases including but not limited to housing, consumer rights and employment discrimination. This position will be eligible for a partial remote work option.
Background
LASO is a non-profit organization that represents low-income clients in civil cases. LASO’s eight regional offices serve the general low-income population throughout the state and two specialized statewide programs focused on services to farmworkers and on issues impacting Native Americans. LASO is an effective, high-quality legal services program that is committed to advocacy strategies having the broadest possible impact on client community problems.
The Portland Regional Office of LASO serves a poverty population of more than 220,000. The office serves Multnomah, Clackamas, Hood River, Sherman and Wasco counties, a diverse service area requiring the ability to work effectively with individuals from different cultures and backgrounds. The Portland Office has adopted a race equity agenda to guide its work with clients as well as its internal operations. The office has a strong commitment to building an inclusive, diverse workplace.
Responsibilities
The staff attorney will be responsible for conducting trauma-informed intake interviews and maintaining a family law-focused caseload, including protection orders, custody and divorce matters. The staff attorney will also handle a range of poverty law cases such as housing, employment discrimination, consumer rights, health and public benefits. This attorney is also expected to work closely with community-based organizations as a liaison to LASO for organizations that that serve Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and immigrant communities to receive referrals, identify legal issues important to low-income clients, conduct regular trainings and attend outreach events. In addition to serving individual clients, this attorney is expected to spend substantial time identifying and advancing cases and projects designed to achieve broad impact on significant problems in the client community.
Salary/ Benefits
Compensation is based on a 35-hour work week. $61K - $100K annually depending on experience. Additional compensation for bilingual ability. Full benefits package including individual and family health, vision and dental insurance coverage; 6% employer retirement contribution; generous paid holidays, vacation and sick leave; and paid moving expenses.
Closing Date
Review of resumes to begin May 27, 2022.
We celebrate diversity
LASO is committed to being an organization that reflects the communities we serve and is diverse in race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, or sensory, mental and physical abilities, work background, experience and education. We believe that the outcome of such diversity is our greatest strength and a matter of basic human fairness. It is to this end that we strongly encourage applications from people of color and people from any other underrepresented and historically marginalized group to apply for this position.
Proven interest in and commitment to advocacy for the legal rights of low-income Oregonians. Family law experience and/or experience providing trauma-informed services to DV/SA survivors a plus. Enthusiasm, creativity, good judgment, initiative, and willingness to work collaboratively. Demonstrated understanding and commitment to anti-bias principles, cultural competency and addressing systemic racism and other forms of oppression. LASO has a hiring preference for candidates who are bilingual in Spanish and/or another language and are members of the Oregon State Bar.
Send resume and letter of interest to:
projobs@lasoregon.org
As a part of your letter of interest, please address the following: LASO PRO is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for our staff and clients. Please address how your personal background and experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural responsiveness and diversity.