Supervisory Attorney (Public Benefits: Medical-Legal Partnerships Project)

For over 50 years, Legal Aid Chicago has provided free civil legal assistance to people living in poverty in metropolitan Chicago. Each year our attorneys, volunteers, and staff help resolve civil legal problems, including domestic violence, consumer fraud, and unfair evictions. Legal Aid Chicago was founded on the philosophy that all individuals are entitled to quality civil legal representation, regardless of their income. We work to ensure that poverty is not an impediment to justice by dismantling the legal barriers that perpetuate inequality. Legal Aid Chicago staff live our mission through our core values of equity, excellence, inclusion, kindness, and respect.

Position: Legal Aid Chicago seeks a full-time supervising attorney in our Public Benefits Practice Group managing Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLPs). Legal Aid Chicago maintains three primary MLPs with the following partners: Erie Family Health Centers and Loyola University School of Law, Cook County Health, and the University of Chicago Medical Center, which focuses on patients who have experienced gun violence. The MLPs provide individual legal representation, provider education on health harming legal needs, and engage in broad-based advocacy across the wide array of legal issues that Legal Aid Chicago covers. This position reports to the Director of the Public Benefits Practice Group. 

Responsibilities: 

• Maintain a caseload of individual cases representing clients before the Social Security Administration, Illinois Department of Human Services and in state and federal courts
• Act as a subject matter expert within the Public Benefits Practice Group concerning health harming legal issues affecting our patient/client population
• Supervise attorneys and other staff in the Public Benefits Practice Group who handle a full caseload in the above areas of law, including editing their written work, providing guidance on case strategy, co-counseling complex cases, conducting regular case reviews, providing training in substantive areas of law as well as litigation skills, completing performance evaluations, and overseeing professional development
• Maintain knowledge in other areas of law handled by Legal Aid Chicago to ensure that clients’ legal needs are identified and met in those areas
• Participate in complex litigation or advocacy to address systemic issues
• Engage in community outreach, and support legal training and provider education for our health partners
• Manage referral relationships with our health care partners and provide data reports as required
• Maintain case files and accurate timekeeping in electronic case management system and ensure supervised staff do as well;
• Work with External Relations to administer grants that support the work of the MLPs and Public Benefits Practice Group
• Work collaboratively with Legal Aid Chicago supervisors, staff, students and volunteers to provide comprehensive legal services
• Collaborate on projects that could involve outreach to community groups, developing new strategies for serving our clients, or address systemic issues through litigation, negotiation or advocacy
• Participate in other activities related to poverty law including publication, permissible legislative and administrative advocacy, media relations, and fundraising
• Other duties as assigned

Salary: Commensurate with experience. Legal Aid Chicago offers a comprehensive benefits package, including low-cost employer-paid health plan options, employer-provided group life and long-term disability insurance, fitness center access, generous paid time off, and much more.