THE STANFORD LAW SCHOOL (SLS), Mills Legal Clinic (MLC) is seeking a full-time Social Worker to launch a “legal-social work collaborative” in which the supervising social worker will work alongside MLC attorneys, students, and other staff providing holistic representation and advocacy to individuals with immigration, criminal defense, education, disability, and housing-related needs. The ideal candidate is an experienced social worker and client advocate with excellent case management and organizational skills, experience working with economically disadvantaged communities and communities of color, a willingness to work collaboratively across legal and social work disciplines, an interest in and experience with teaching and training, and a desire and entrepreneurial skills to help launch an exciting and challenging new endeavor of integrating social workers into a legal organization.

About the Mills Legal Clinic at the Stanford Law School

The Stanford clinical program is unique in that students participate in a clinic on a full-time basis; the clinic is the only course a student takes during the term of enrollment. The Mills Legal Clinic occupies an entire floor in an award-winning central campus building opened just a few years ago.

About the Position

This position reports directly to the Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Director of the Mills Legal Clinic. There is a “dotted-line” reporting relationship to the Directors of four clinics within the Mills Legal Clinic. This is a two-year pilot program that will be continued based on its success and available resources.

The social worker will work closely with the Directors of MLC’s Immigrant Rights Clinic, Youth & Education Law Project, Community Law Clinic, and Criminal Defense Clinic to launch a legal-social work collaborative to support and improve the lives of clients of those MLC programs. The social worker will also work closely with the clinical staff attorneys, legal assistants, and SLS students in serving their clients. Each of the four MLC clinics provide free legal services to the most vulnerable populations—including people with disabilities and chronic illness, members of the LGBTQ community, undocumented immigrants and refugees, children and youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and people involved with the criminal justice system. Attorneys and advocates counsel and represent individuals in matters including deportation defense, special education, criminal misdemeanors, land-lord-tenant disputes, and access to public benefits. MLC’s clients often are dealing with multiple life challenges in addition to their legal issues and face cross-cultural barriers to accessing services.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Work with the Clinic Directors to design and launch the Legal-Social Work Collaborative
  
• Work with local social work schools and programs to establish MLC as an approved fieldwork site for social work interns
  
• Develop relationships with local social service organizations and agencies
  
• Develop social work internship program
  
• Provide instruction and guidance to social work students and law students in the context of their cases and projects
  
• Participate in trainings of and with legal team, including teaching students and social work interns on the intersection of social work and legal case management.
  
• Supervise social work students in all aspects of client service and case management, including the activities below
  
• Work collaboratively with attorneys and staff in meeting the psychosocial and legal needs of immigrant clients
  
• Conduct psychosocial assessments of clients, identify client needs and goals, and assist clients in meeting these goals
  
• Provide case management, crisis intervention and support to clients and their families
  
• Identify client needs and match client with appropriate social services and support
  
• Provide advocacy for clients in non-legal settings (i.e., meetings with county case workers, probation, social service offices, community-based organizations etc.) 
  
• Complete tasks involved with client case management
  
• Participate in professional development to improve client services and student supervision

Minimum Qualifications

• Masters in Social Work
  
• At least four years post-graduate experience
  
• Experience working with lawyers, preferred
  
• Expertise in clinical skills in evaluation, crisis intervention, and case management
  
• Demonstrated ability to supervise a minimum of 4 MSW interns
  
• Experience with or strong interest in MSW intern supervision
  
• Demonstrated experience working in an interdisciplinary setting or experience working collaboratively with attorneys
  
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
  
• Aptitude to work under pressure in an empathetic and professional manner
  
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse range of groups, including formerly incarcerated people, people of color, homeless people, immigrants, non-English speakers, people with mental disabilities, students, service providers, government employees, and community partners
  
• Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, and demonstrated ability to work well independently and as part of a team
  
• Proficiency in Spanish preferred

Salary:

This is a full-time exempt (salaried) position with a salary commensurate with experience. Generous benefits package includes 100% employer-funded medical, dental, and vision plans (including dependent coverage), paid time off, and retirement options.

Application Procedures:

Application Deadline:  June 18, 2018

All qualified and interested applicants are encouraged to apply by completing the application process through the Cardinal Careers website (direct link: https://careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/clinical-supervising-social-worker-lecturer-in-law-2474).  Applicants should upload a cover letter and resume. 

Stanford complies with the Jeanne Clery Act and publishes crime statistics for the most recent three-year period. View the full report.

Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.