U.C. BERKELEY LAW SCHOOL (East Bay Community Law Center) is hiring a Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor for its Clean Slate Practice (Homelessness sub-unit).  

To apply: https://eastbaycommunitylawcenter.easyapply.co/

DESCRIPTION

East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is a non-profit legal services organization, the community-based clinical program for U.C. Berkeley Law School, and one of the Bay Area’s largest and most effective systems disrupters. With a dual service and teaching mission, EBCLC is a racial justice organization committed to building a culturally diverse workplace, centered on an internal Equity and Inclusion Roadmap that outlines the organization’s equity priorities. EBCLC is also an organized workplace, having reached its first collective bargaining agreement this summer. With about 80 staff, 150 law students a year, and a nearly

$10 million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal services in Alameda County, providing multimodal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 5,000 clients annually and engaging in legislative and policy advocacy at the state and local level.

The Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor for the Homelessness sub-unit of the Clean Slate Practice provides representation and advocacy on behalf of unhoused residents of the East Bay Area and trains and supervises law student interns. The position requires a strong community-centered legal advocate with excellent case management and organizational skills, experience designing and implementing new legal advocacy practices, interest in criminal law and traffic court, a commitment to mentoring and training the next generation of legal advocates, and a passion for working with low-income people impacted by the criminalization of poverty and contact with the criminal justice system. The Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor will join our seven-member Clean Slate Unit, which includes a Program Director, four Staff Attorneys, one Program Coordinator, and one Legal Fellow.

Primary Responsibilities

• ·        Provide legal advocacy services for clients experiencing homelessness on a variety of issues, including discrimination, denial of social services, and evictions from shelters, transitional housing and encampments.
• ·        Engage in policy work at the municipal level in the East Bay Area to protect the rights of the homeless and against policies that target them. This may include, but is not limited to: the establishment of sanctioned encampments on unused city property; the creation of an oversight board to hear complaints of homeless clients about providers of transitional shelters and housing; the ability of RV dwellers to have safe parking options; and the allocation of city resources to provide sanitation, garbage pickup, porta potties, and services to people currently living in encampments.
• ·        Provide legal representation for homeless people living in their vehicles who have received administrative citations and parking tickets as a result of inhabiting their vehicles, and assistance for those who have their vehicles/homes towed.
• ·        Provide legal representation for people who receive citations for municipal ordinances.
• ·        Partner with nonprofit organizations and grassroots community groups to bring important services to encampments that have previously lacked access.
• ·        Monitor Caltrans activities in the aftermath of the recent settlement in Sanchez v. Caltrans, a class action lawsuit brought by EBCLC and other legal organizations, including assisting homeless individuals who may still be impacted by Caltrans activities and holding Caltrans accountable to the terms of their settlement.

• ·        Research litigation strategies for defending the right to shelter and develop connections with law firms to potentially co-counsel on cases that would benefit our clients.

Minimum Qualifications

• •       J.D. degree required, member of the California State Bar in good standing
• •       Ability to manage a demanding case load; excellent time management, priority-setting and organizational skills
• •       Excellent written and oral advocacy skills
• •       Ability to work effectively with a diverse range of groups, including people of color, homeless people, immigrants, non-English speakers, people with mental disabilities, people experiencing domestic violence, law students, service providers, government employees, community partners, elected officials, and law school faculty
• •       Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, and demonstrated ability to work well independently and as part of a team
• •       Interest in law student supervision and clinical teaching

Desired Qualifications

• ·        At least 2 years of legal experience, preferably in traffic court and/or criminal court
• ·        Civil litigation experience
• ·        Knowledge of disability law
• ·        Experience providing legal services to low-income people
• ·        Bilingual skills in Spanish, Cantonese or Mandarin
• ·        Ability and willingness to do outreach to people experiencing homelessness where they are living (with the understanding that no one would be required to compromise their safety and health)

Salary and Benefits

Starting salary for this exempt position is $68,000 – $90,000 based on law school graduation date, as dictated by the EBCLC salary scale.

Benefits include fully paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision) for employees and their dependents, life and disability insurance, and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, and holidays); EBCLC also offers flexible spending accounts for qualified health, dependent care, and commute expenditures; and retirement options.

Workplace Expectations

Due to COVID-19, all EBCLC employees are currently working remotely. Please note, however, that the Clean Slate Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor may need to attend in-person court proceedings when required by the court and/or engage in in-person field work to support our clients. Any necessary use of the office must be pre-approved. The expectation is that the Staff Attorney will work in our office in Berkeley, California when it is safe to do. EBCLC will provide the necessary equipment to fulfill the job

responsibilities of working from home.

Working at EBCLC

EBCLC is strongly committed to advancing justice through education and advocacy, and the need to transform legal services and legal education. Please take time to review EBCLC’s mission, vision, programs, and website, and ensure that your cover letter reflects how your background, experience, and expertise have prepared you to be successful in performing the responsibilities of the position.

Additionally, EBCLC is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.

To achieve this goal, EBCLC works actively to improve our office climate, systems and structures, communications, and community engagement to create an inclusive and respectful workplace where differences are acknowledged and valued. In your cover letter, please address how your personal background and experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural responsiveness and diversity amongst our staff.

We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. EBCLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior contact with the criminal legal system, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Application Process:

Interested applicants should submit an application by

visiting https://eastbaycommunitylawcenter.easyapply.co/. EBCLC will review applications on a rolling basis. Application materials should include a cover letter, resume, short writing sample, and names/contact information for two professional references.