Legal Help Desk Attorney

Position:  Legal Help Desk Attorney

Department: Legal

Office Location: The ideal candidate is located in Los Angeles, CA (Western), but we are open to candidates located any of the following states or major metropolitan areas where Lambda Legal has an office: New York, NY (Headquarters); Atlanta, GA (Southern); Dallas, TX (South Central); Chicago, IL (Midwest); or Washington, D.C.

Work Type Designation: Hybrid

• This position is Hybrid for the Western Regional Office (WRO) and Work from Home for other regions since the team is based in the WRO.
• If based in the WRO, in-office presence will be expected when there is a need, for example:
  • For public education, including such tasks as preparing for public appearances and presentations in areas of topical expertise
  • For strategic planning with regional team
• Work from Office and Hybrid employees must be able to commute to their assigned Regional Office as their schedule demands.

Reports to:  Legal Help Desk Director

Union Salary Grade:  L4. This is a union position. Annual Salary Range:  $68,681 - $124,518. The salary for this role will be determined by a candidate's years of relevant experience related to the position, as well as their geographic region. Our salary scale steps start at 1 year or less and go up to 30+ years of experience.

Travel:  Approximately 10% for conferences, meetings, and other events.

FLSA Status: Exempt/Full-time

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Who We Are

Lambda Legal is a national advocacy organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights for the LGBTQ+ community and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Since 1973, Lambda Legal has used impact litigation and other advocacy tools to decriminalize same-sex relationships; challenge discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV in the workplace, in the home, in schools, in health care, and in the military; and protect LGBTQ+ families, including by winning and defending marriage equality. Our clients are not charged for legal representation or advocacy and Lambda Legal receives no government funding. Headquartered in New York City, Lambda Legal also has regional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and Washington, DC. We believe that serving the full breadth of the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities requires cultural competency and enthusiasm for diversity of all kinds. To be successful, we must approach our work with an understanding that discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status is not the only obstacle to achieving full formal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV; rather, we recognize the intersectional nature of discrimination, specifically including biases based on race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, education, and class. Considering this reality, we prioritize a proactive commitment to counteracting these biases and their compounding effects in the work we do, but also in how we work together as an organization.

Legal Help Desk Attorney

Legal Help Desk Attorneys are responsible for responding to requests for information and legal assistance as well as public education and cross-department collaboration. They respond to a high volume of requests for legal information and provide general guidance and assistance to people who contact the Legal Help Desk with questions concerning discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status. Help Desk Attorneys provide professional, empathetic assistance during the intake process, often including suggestions for self-advocacy with information provided. Help Desk Attorneys also collaborate with colleagues throughout Lambda Legal to improve the effectiveness of the Help Desk and to support the organization’s litigation, policy advocacy, and public education work. In addition, Help Desk Attorneys make occasional public appearances and presentations in areas of topical expertise on the legal rights of LGBTQ+ people.

What you’ll do:

• Receive, investigate, resolve, document, and respond to a high volume of requests for assistance received through multiple channels (e.g., phone, online inquiries, email, and letters).
• Assess, research and, where appropriate, escalate requests for further action through internal Legal department channels.
• Promptly record requests in the Legal Help Desk database.
• Consult internally with members of the Legal department to help identify matters for advocacy or possible litigation, consistent with Lambda Legal’s strategic impact priorities.
• Develop and maintain Help Desk resources, including fact sheets and database materials.
• Conduct legal research and may draft legal memos on potential new advocacy and legal matters.
• Collaborate as a Help Desk team to continuously improve overall impact and effectiveness of the Help Desk, such as by sharing and incorporating best practices and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Share Lambda Legal’s organizational expertise by making presentations at legal and other professional conferences and seminars and through other forms of written and oral public education.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues throughout Lambda Legal to advance knowledge about and gain support for Lambda Legal’s efforts to secure full legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV.
• With guidance from their supervisors, seek opportunities for professional development and take ownership of their own professional goals, and support the professional development of peers and other Legal department staff.

Who you are:

With the understanding that no one person will offer every desired skill and characteristic outlined below, compelling candidates will offer much of the following:

• J.D. Degree
• Three years of experience practicing law
• License to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction and, if not currently admitted, willingness to sit for the state bar where you reside.
• Strong interpersonal skills and exceptional communication skills, both written and spoken, with an ability to provide active listening and empathetic service.
• Ability to navigate a wide variety of stakeholders and juggle competing priorities and interests.
• Comfortable working under tight timelines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to translate complex legal issues into comprehensible language for non-lawyers.
• Preferred competencies and qualifications:
• Ability to speak Spanish or other commonly encountered language other than English.
• Experience with Lambda Legal or other civil rights-oriented or non-profit legal organization.
• Experience in the LGBTQ+/HIV rights movement.
• Experience working with historically marginalized communities.

Successful candidates will welcome the opportunity to work in a racially- and gender-diverse environment and to contribute to a positive and inclusive atmosphere. Working at Lambda Legal requires a demonstrated awareness of and commitment to the concerns of the breadth of the communities that Lambda Legal serves. Prior work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community and/or people living with HIV is highly desirable. Experience working with other historically marginalized communities (in a professional or volunteer capacity) is also desirable.

All employees at Lambda Legal are expected to adhere to ethical conduct in all interactions and tasks, ensuring a positive and respectful workplace environment.

Why Work at Lambda Legal?

You get to do meaningful, life-changing work at a national level for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV. Lambda Legal also proudly offers competitive benefits for our team. We understand that our staff’s dedication and effort are instrumental in achieving our mission. A highlight of the benefits we offer include:

• Medical benefits that begin on your start date
• Dental, Vision, and Life insurance (effective 30 days from your start date)
• Short & Long-Term Disability plans (effective 30 days from your start date)
• 403(b) Retirement Plan (employer contribution and matching program begins after 90 days of employment)
• Paid Time Off:
  • Paid Vacation (15 Days)
  • Sick Leave (12 Days)
  • Personal Leave (3 Days)
  • Religious Observance Leave (3 Days)
  • Bereavement and Bereavement Anniversary Leave
  • Floating Holiday (1 Day)
• 12 paid holidays and 5 early office closures
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA/DC FSA) and Commuter Benefits
• Health Reimbursement Account
• Annual professional development fund
• $50 monthly mobile phone reimbursement
• Summer Fridays from Memorial Day to Labor Day
• Premium subscription to the Calm App
• Paid sabbatical after 7 years of service at Lambda Legal (4 weeks for non-exempt positions and 8 weeks for exempt positions)

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Read more about Lambda Legal's work on our blog and Instagram.

Lambda Legal believes in creating a more equitable playing field for applicants and values the depth of relevant skills built through successful education, work, and life experiences. If your background and skills are a close match for this position, you are strongly encouraged to apply.

Lambda Legal is committed to further building and maintaining a staff that reflects the full range of LGBTQ+, HIV-affected and allied communities, and is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. Lambda Legal encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship or immigration status, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender and gender-diverse people, women, people with abilities in multiple languages, immigrants, people living with disabilities, protected veterans, and formerly incarcerated individuals and individuals living with HIV are all encouraged to apply.

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