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. Our team represents clients throughout their case, beginning with pre-trial motions, through discovery and at trial. We are looking for a dedicated and experienced housing attorney to manage this team and serve as a mentor to newly barred attorneys who join LAE. This position will work with the Executive Director and Director of Litigation to lead this team as it continues to grow.
AGENCY DESCRIPTION
For over 40 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 (tenants only), Income Support, Health Law, Financial and Physical Elder Abuse Prevention, Debt Collection Defense, End of Life Planning and Conservatorship Defense. LAE is a friendly and collaborative work environment.
- Membership in good standing in State Bar of California
- Seven or more years of practice as a licensed attorney; 5 years or more years of practice as a licensed attorney for Senior Supervising Attorney (less years of experience will be considered if candidate has substantial litigation or housing experience)
- Experience supervising legal professionals
- Experience working as a housing attorney and defending Unlawful Detainers
- Litigation Experience
- Experience supervising legal professionals
- Ability to develop and articulate a clear vision of priorities and inspire others to maximum effectiveness
- Ability to develop and implement effective training and mentorship programs for new staff
- Ability to take decisive action and ensure accountability
- Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and effectively, including in public presentations
- Ability to engage, encourage, support, and motivate your team
- Strong written, verbal and interviewing skills
- Patient and flexible
- Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including all recommended boosters) unless the applicant has a valid medical reason for not being fully vaccinated or a sincerely held religious belief preventing vaccination
HIGHLY DESIRABLE
- Experience bringing affirmative lawsuits related to housing
- Trial Experience
- Bilingual in English and Spanish or Cantonese, or Mandarin, or Tagalog
- Knowledge of legal issues related to poverty and/or aging
- Experience working with elderly, disabled or homeless individuals or those experiencing a crisis
- Experience working in non-profit legal services, or other non-profit organization
- Manage LAE’s Housing Preservation Program
- Supervise, manage and train supervising attorneys, staff attorneys, social worker and housing paralegals
- Review new eviction cases and assign to staff attorneys as needed
- Review program policies and procedures and make changes as needed to promote an organized, collegial, and collaborative working environment for staff and clients
- Recruit, supervise and train law student interns and volunteer attorneys
- Maintain accurate computerized client files and other documentation and provide project statistics to other staff as requested
- Ensure team is meeting program grant deliverables and provide information as needed to complete funding reports
- Collaborate with other Tenant Right to Counsel Programs across San Francisco
- Collaborate with other LAE practice groups to ensure that clients’ legal issues are addressed holistically
- Provide trainings to service providers in order to improve their clients’ access to legal services
- 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
SUPERVISED BY
Executive Director
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 is $100,000 - $125,000 (placement in range determined primarily by years of related experience). LAE’s benefits package includes 100% employer covered medical, dental, and life insurance for employees and dependent children and up 75% for spouses; LAE student debt reimbursement program; employer paid CA Bar license and/or social work license fees; and 401k 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). Relocation benefits if moving from out of San Francisco Bay Area.
Due to the COVID pandemic, our office is working on a hybrid schedule that includes both working from home and in the office. This position particularly will be required to work sometime in person/in the office for mandatory court appearances, required client meetings, hearings and depositions, and some supervision of staff attorneys and administrative staff.
E-MAIL RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO: [email protected]
Subject line: MANAGING ATTORNEY - HOUSING PRESERVATION PROGRAM
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.
