Veterans Rights' Staff Attorney
For more than 50 years the Legal Aid Chicago (formerly LAF) has provided people living in poverty in metropolitan Chicago with comprehensive free legal services to resolve non-criminal issues. Each year, Legal Aid Chicago’s more than 80 full-time attorneys and staff help resolve civil legal problems, including public benefits issues, domestic violence, consumer fraud, and unfair evictions. Our work impacts over 30,000 people each year. Position Legal Aid Chicago seeks a full-time attorney to work in the Veterans’ Rights Project within our Public Benefits Practice Group. The Veterans’ Rights Project provides individual legal representation and engages in broad-based advocacy in the areas of public benefits from the Illinois Department of Human Services, Social Security Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs. The Veterans Rights Project not only assists veterans and their families in obtaining benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and discharge upgrades from the military branches but also directly provides and coordinates other civil legal services (Children and Family, Consumer, Housing and Immigration and Workers Rights) for veterans and their families.
Responsibilities include, without limitation • Maintain a caseload of individual cases representing clients before the Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, Illinois Department of Human Services and in state and federal courts; • Co-counsel cases as part of staff development and be responsible for training staff and overseeing their professional development; • Engage in advocacy designed to have a lasting, measureable effect on our client community; • Help organize and operate our intake system and veterans’ clinic. • Engage in community outreach addressing issues affecting veterans and their families; • Maintain case files and timekeeping in electronic case management system; • Work with Veterans Rights Project Supervisory Attorney to report on outcomes and meet the requirements of funders;
Qualifications Applicants must be licensed to practice law in the state of Illinois or prepared to sit for the next bar exam. Experience working directly with veterans, people with disabilities, people who have experienced trauma, and people with limited income highly desired. Applicants must be highly collegial and willing to work in an interdisciplinary manner with all Legal Aid Chicago staff. Driver’s license required.
To Apply Send a cover letter, resume, and the contact information for two professional references to resume@legalaidchicago.org. Please type “Veterans Rights Project Staff Attorney: PB Practice Group” in the email subject line.
This position will remain open until filled.
Legal Aid Chicago is firmly committed to creating a diverse workplace and is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and therefore does not discriminate on the basis of creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age religion, marital or parental status, alienage, disability, political affiliation or belief, military or military discharge status, or ex-offender status. Applicants who have experiences with our client communities are encouraged to apply.