Staff Attorney
Oregon Law Center (OLC) seeks a full-time staff attorney to provide civil legal services to low-income clients. The position is based in Salem and primarily serves clients in Marion, Polk, Linn and Benton counties. Salem, Oregon’s historic state capital, is located in the beautiful Willamette Valley, 40 miles from Portland and 60 miles from the Pacific Coast and the Cascade Mountains.
ABOUT US: OLC is a legal services program committed to achieving justice for the low-income communities of Oregon by providing a full range of the highest quality civil legal services. OLC operates eleven offices around the state. It has a litigation support unit, legislative advocacy unit, and statewide farmworker program.
OLC’s Salem Regional Office comprises two attorneys and a paralegal and works in partnership with OLC’s Portland Regional Office. We set priorities according to client need; current priorities are housing, employment, administrative, health, education, consumer, tax, and civil rights. We seek to make a real difference in clients’ lives and to help eliminate the barriers that cause poverty or reduce our clients’ ability to escape poverty.
RESPONSIBILITIES: The staff attorney will handle impact litigation and individual cases, with a significant emphasis on impact work in state and federal courts. The attorney will conduct community education and outreach to clients and community-based groups, which includes irregular hours, frequent daytime travel and occasional overnight travel. There are also opportunities to promote the interests of low-income individuals in the development and implementation of laws, regulations, policies and practices that directly affect our clients.
OLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a healthy work environment for a diverse staff. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and communities to apply.
- Demonstrated proficiency in spoken and written Spanish.
- Demonstrated commitment to justice for low-income communities.
- A high degree of initiative and ability to independently manage a caseload.
- Strong interpersonal communication skills, sense of humor, flexible and curious attitude.
- Excellent written and verbal advocacy skills.
- Interest in thinking creatively about how to address our clients’ legal issues.
- Proficient use of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams), Adobe, Zoom, and cloud-based phone services.
PREFERENCES:
- Admission to Oregon Bar.
- Experience representing low-income clients, especially non-English-speaking communities.
- Experience with complex, impact litigation.
- Between two and ten years of legal experience.
SALARY/BENEFITS: The salary scale ranges from $61,500 to $98,250, and placement on the scale is determined by years of relevant experience as an attorney. Additional compensation for bilingual ability. Competitive benefits package includes individual and family health, vision and dental insurance coverage, employer retirement contribution, generous paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, paid moving expenses and bar study leave, among others.
Review of resumes to begin on October 31. Position open until filled. To apply, submit your resume, cover letter, a description of your Spanish proficiency, and list of three references to Marisa Samuelson, Managing Attorney, Portland and Salem Regional Offices, msamuelson@oregonlawcenter.org.
As part of your cover letter, please address the following:
OLC is committed to achieving justice for the low-income communities of Oregon. Our client communities include people of color, farmworkers, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, seniors, people with lived experiences of homelessness, veterans, people with disabilities, and people from other underrepresented groups. It is essential to our work to serve clients that we also work to create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued.
How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to: (1) serve our diverse client communities effectively, (2) work effectively with colleagues from backgrounds different than your own, (3) acknowledge the systemic barriers that our clients and some colleagues face, and (4) contribute to our efforts to achieve racial justice? Feel free to provide examples, and apply various aspects of your life and personal experiences, as you respond to this question.