Staff Attorney (Domestic Violence Advocacy Project) 2 Positions
New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA) seeks 2 Domestic Violence Advocacy Project (DVAP) Staff Attorneys.
NHLA is a statewide organization and both DVAP Staff Attorneys will be responsible for handling work throughout New Hampshire. One Staff Attorney will have a Seacoast/Ossipee (Rockingham, Strafford, and Carroll Counties) focus. As NHLA does not have any office space available in our Portsmouth office, we are open to a combination of primarily remote work, an office space in our Manchester office, and a hybrid work arrangement. One Staff Attorney will have a Central/Southern New Hampshire (Belknap, Merrimack, and Hillsborough Counties) focus. We are open to a hybrid work arrangement with an office in either our Manchester office or our Concord office.
All applications received by 5:00 PM on October 14, 2022, will be considered.
The DVAP Staff Attorneys will provide holistic and trauma-informed representation to victims/survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking who have low income. Representation focuses civil protective orders and divorce and parenting matters, with occasional work on other civil legal needs experienced by victims and survivors. The DVAP Staff Attorneys will also be responsible community engagement and education, including building partnerships with police departments, courts, crisis centers, and culturally specific community groups.
NHLA has a remote work policy, and as noted above, will consider a mix of remote and on-site work for both Staff Attorneys. All NHLA staff members are provided with the necessary equipment (such as laptop computers) to work from their homes. Candidates should keep in mind that NHLA is a statewide organization and extensive travel throughout New Hampshire is a requirement of the position. Occasional travel out of state, for example to national conferences, is anticipated. Travel reimbursement including mileage is provided.
NHLA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a diverse staff that reflects the communities of low-income and older (age 60 plus) people NHLA works alongside, and we value equity and inclusion in our workplace. NHLA actively seeks applications from Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, people of diverse national origin, the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, older adults, veterans, people who have lived experience with poverty, and other people belonging to communities that have historically experienced injustice.
Duties:
- Advise and represent victim/survivor clients in civil protective order cases, divorce and parenting cases, and occasionally in other case types;
- Implement NHLA’s holistic, client-centered approach to civil legal aid, including providing trauma-informed representation (training is provided) and providing culturally-competent representation (training is provided);
- Engage with allied community organizations, including presenting community education programs;
- Participate as an active member of the staff member’s assigned office, including a mix of remote work and on-site work.
- Law degree and license to practice in New Hampshire, or eligibility for admission on motion.
- Ability to travel extensively within New Hampshire.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within a team.
- Commitment to and interest in expanding knowledge about domestic violence, poverty, and access to justice.
- Current technology skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe.
- Experience working alongside low-income clients and communities and/or experience working with victims/survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking a plus.
- Ability to speak Spanish or another language in addition to English a plus.
By Thursday, October 14th, please send your resume with a cover email summarizing your interest in the position and your qualifications to: officemanager@nhla.org. A separate cover letter is not required in addition to the cover email. We strongly encourage you to use this method of applying.
In your cover email, please tell us in which office(s) (Portsmouth, Concord, or Manchester) you would be willing to work. Please also feel welcome to tell us anything that will help us communicate respectfully with you, including your pronouns, the pronunciation of your name, any communication access needs or reasonable accommodations requested during the hiring process, or any other relevant information.
Application Process and Timeline:
NHLA will appoint a Hiring Committee including 2-3 NHLA staff members and the NHLA Human Resources Manager. NHLA occasionally asks people who are not NHLA staff members to serve on a Hiring Committee.
Applications are due by 5 PM on Thursday, October 14, 2022. See “How to Apply,” above. All applications received by that date will be considered.
Applications will be reviewed by the Hiring Committee by Thursday, October 20, 2022. If you have not heard from NHLA to schedule an interview by Friday, October 21, 2022, your application is no longer being considered. We do not notify candidates who were not selected for interviews due to the volume of applications we typically receive.
We expect the Hiring Committee to conduct first interviews with no more than 8 candidates for the 2 positions. We expect first interviews to be scheduled during the week of October 24th. Interviews are 45 minutes in duration and typically scheduled between 9 AM and 5 PM on weekdays. We can accommodate other scheduling preferences if necessary. Candidates selected for first interviews will receive a list of the interview questions at least 24 hours in advance. No other questions will be asked at the interview, but it is possible that not all questions will be asked if we run out of time. We will leave at least 10 minutes for candidate questions at the conclusion of the interview. For candidates who speak a language other than English, a portion of the interview may be conducted in that language, with interpretation provided for other participants as needed.
The Hiring Committee will recommend no more than 4 finalist candidates for the 2 positions to the Executive Director for second interviews. We expect second interviews to be scheduled during the week of October 31st. Second interviews are 30 minutes or shorter in duration and typically scheduled between 9 AM and 5 PM on weekdays. We can accommodate other scheduling preferences if necessary. The Executive Director may conduct the second interview alone or with 1 other NHLA staff member, who may be a member of the Hiring Committee. Questions are not provided in advance for second interviews. We will leave at least 10 minutes for candidate questions.
After the second interview, we will ask no more than 2 finalist candidates (1 for each position) to provide 3 references and a brief writing sample of no more than 10 pages. We will contact the 3 references as quickly as possible, asking all references the same questions. Candidates with disabilities who wish to request reasonable accommodations should they be offered the position are invited to request them, in writing, at this stage of the process.
Based on information gathered in the entire hiring process, we will make an offer to 1 candidate for each position with salary and benefits information. The offer is contingent on completion of a criminal record background check. Not all criminal records are disqualifying.
Once a candidate has accepted the position, we will notify all candidates who had a first interview (or a first and second interview) that they have not been selected.
Please note that NHLA does not expect to receive thank you notes from candidates selected for first or second interviews and does not place any weight in the hiring process on receiving (or not receiving) thank you notes.