Staff Attorney (Clean Slate Initiatives - CalCRG Project)

NLSLA provides free assistance to more than 150,000 individuals and families a year through innovative projects that expand access to justice and address the most critical needs of people living in poverty throughout Los Angeles.  We are a community of people who see the law as a powerful tool to fight for individual rights and social change. Our work aims to unravel entrenched disparities that have resulted from longstanding injustice, systemic racism, and institutionalized inequality.  

 

As such, we know that a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences enhance our vision. This value is embodied within the diversity of our community offerings and among the colleagues that help enliven our culture. Cultivating an inclusive work environment that values a range of talent and ideas is a top priority for us. We enthusiastically encourage candidates of all backgrounds and abilities to apply. Reasonable accommodations may be made. 

 

ABOUT THIS POSITION: 

NLSLA is seeking a Staff Attorney for its Clean Slate Initiatives (CSI) team. The CSI team consists of a passionate group of advocates working to disrupt systemic racism and generational trauma through removing legal barriers presented by the presence of a criminal record. The Attorney will be assigned to the CalCRG Project, a state-funded program that supports families that have been impacted by the War on Drugs, which led to significant and generational familial disruption, contributed to mass incarceration, and bolstered the school-to-prison pipeline. Services under this project are designed to combat the ripple effects of the War on Drugs through the provision of direct legal services and community education. The Attorney will be trained in and expected to maintain expertise on a range of legal issues affecting system-impacted individuals, including expungement, arrest sealing, professional licensing barriers, early termination of supervision, and fair chance housing and employment denials. Ability to work collaboratively in a team setting, perform client interviews with patience & sensitivity, and manage an active caseload is required. 

In this role, you would report to the Associate Supervising Attorney of the CSI team and a career path may result in future opportunities as a Senior Attorney. This position is exempt and temporary (one year), with opportunity for continued employment contingent on grant funding. 

 

THIS POSITION MAY BE RIGHT FOR YOU IF:  

 

• YOU CHAMPION SOCIAL JUSTICE and channel your legal expertise to champion the rights and needs of underserved and vulnerable communities. 

• YOU COMMUNICATE WITH EMPATHY, conveying complex legal concepts with empathy and clarity to clients who may have limited legal knowledge or language barriers. 

• YOU ARE DEPENDABLE and thoroughly handle your responsibilities with a high level of precision and a noticeable commitment to productivity and meeting deadlines. 

• YOU ARE A COMPASSIONATE PROBLEM SOLVER with an insatiable drive to help clients resolve issues. 

• YOU ARE A SELF STARTER that needs minimal direction to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment. 

 

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO DO IN THIS ROLE: 

 

• Play an active role in implementing legal services through the CalCRG Project;  

• Provide direct client services in the legal practice areas outlined above;  

• Represent clients in post-conviction proceedings through LA Superior Court; 

• Provide substantive legal support/oversight to the CalCRG Project Paralegal;  

• Participate in reporting efforts to track data and outcomes; 

• Conduct community workshops on a range of legal issues (comfort with or willingness to improve public speaking skills is desired); 

• Maintain an active caseload. Advocacy may include informal, administrative, litigation and/or policy work in a variety of substantive legal issues that impact the reentry population.