Staff Attorney (Eviction Defense)

Join the housing preservation/eviction defense team at Legal Assistance the Elderly (LAE)! We provide a vital service, aggressively representing tenants who are seniors or have disabilities and are threatened with losing their homes. Sixty percent of LAE’s clients face housing threats including evictions, terminations of subsidies, unlawful rent increases, denials of necessary modifications, extra-judicial evictions and harassment. LAE is part of San Francisco’s Tenant Right to Counsel collaboration, providing free, full-scope representation to tenants facing Unlawful Detainer actions. This collaboration comprises the largest part of our housing work. You will work with a very experienced team representing clients throughout their case, beginning with pre-trial motions, through discovery and at trial.

AGENCY DESCRIPTIONFor over 45 years, LAE has provided free legal advice and representation to San Francisco’s seniors and adults with disabilities. Our mission is to protect and advance the right of San Francisco’s seniors and adults with disabilities to be housed, healthy, financially stable, and safe. Our primary practice areas are Eviction Defense/Housing Preservation, Income Support, Health Law, Financial and Physical Elder Abuse Prevention, Debt Collection Defense, Foreclosure Prevention, End of Life Planning and Conservatorship Defense. LAE is a friendly and collaborative work environment. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Member State Bar of California
• Strong written, verbal and interviewing skills
• Patient, flexible and kind
• Works well in a team

EXTREMELY DESIRABLE

• Bilingual in English and Spanish, Cantonese and/or Mandarin

HIGHLY DESIRABLE

• Knowledge of landlord-tenant law
• Knowledge of legal issues related to poverty and/or aging
• Litigation experience
• Experience working with elderly, disabled, or homeless individuals or those experiencing a crisis
• Experience working in a non-profit legal service organization or other non-profit

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide legal advice and full scope representation in court to tenants facing eviction
• Conduct intake interviews with new clients, including home and hospital visits, when necessary
• Maintain accurate computerized client files and other documentation and provide project statistics to other staff as requested
• Provide in-office “backup” on a rotating basis, responding to client emergencies and agency inquiries

SUPERVISED BY

Supervising Housing Attorney

WORKING CONDITIONS

The position requires working with individuals during moments of extreme stress and instability. The position also requires the provision of culturally-sensitive and empathetic services. Some evening and weekend work may be required.

UNION MEMBERSHIP

After successful completion of a probationary period (90 days), membership in the National Organization of Legal Services Workers becomes a condition of employment.

COMPENSATION

We offer a family-friendly environment and compensation based on competitive public interest salaries along with a generous benefits package. The estimated annual salary range starts at $85,000- $98,000 (placement in the range determined by union scale primarily based on years of related experience). LAE’s benefits package includes 100% employer-covered medical, dental, and life insurance for employees and dependent children and up to 75% for spouses; LAE student debt reimbursement program; employer-paid CA Bar license and/or social work license fees; and 403(b) retirement plan with annual LAE contribution. LAE has a generous paid leave policy which includes sick leave, parental leave, compensation time, 19 holidays each year, and vacation (starting at 15 days and increasing with additional years of employment).

• *Please Note: Interviews for this position will start in January 2025**

TO APPLY: laesf.org/jobs

If you find that you meet many of the qualifications in the job description, we encourage you to apply and explain in your cover letter why your experience would make you a good fit for the position. We recognize that organizations may miss out on strong applicants who screen themselves out of the process because they do not meet every qualification and that disproportionately impacts people from historically marginalized backgrounds. We know that our greatest strengths come from the people who make up our team and a welcoming, inclusive and culturally diverse staff allows us to best serve our community. We look forward to your application.

LAE seeks to fill all positions with people who share our values, including our organizational commitment to diversity. We encourage all interested individuals to apply—especially people of color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people with disabilities; people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary; or anyone belonging to any other federal or state protected category. We believe that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity, and are committed to not discriminating on any basis prohibited by applicable law.

APPLICATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED UNTIL THE POSITION IS FILLED. THOSE SELECTED FOR AN INTERVIEW WILL BE NOTIFIED.