Job Title: Foreclosure Prevention Fellow
FLSA Classification: Exempt
Reports To: Practice Group Director
Supervises: Paralegals and Legal Secretaries as required
Compensation: $78,000.00 - $115,000.00 annually
If you believe safe and habitable housing is a human right worth working for,
this position in ICLS’s Housing Practice Group may be right for you.
Housing Attorneys provide legal assistance and representation to clients facing
eviction in courts throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Unlawful
Detainer (UD) cases are heard daily in some courts and two to three times a week
in other courts.
Either through negotiation or at a trial our attorneys work to secure a client’s
right to safe and habitable housing and to ensure tenants’ rights under federal
and state law are upheld. A win in these cases is often a soft landing that
allows adequate time for the client to move, seals the court record from the
public, and provides the client an accurate record of money owed.
The work is challenging – many individuals experiencing a UD do not have
alternative options and they fear what comes next if they can’t find decent
housing they can afford. Housing is scarce and affordable housing may be
non-existent in parts of ICLS’ service area of Riverside and San Bernardino
Counties.
The work is also rewarding -- preserving housing for ICLS clients is done in
community and the approach is multi-faceted. Experienced attorneys in the
Housing Practice Group form a support system to discuss case trends, negotiation
tactics, and litigation strategy. Mentorship is built-in to our daily
operations and guidance is readily available.
Incredibly dedicated paralegals assist at ICLS’ court-based projects and support
our clinic services that assist clients who need document preparation. Our
housing hotlines, staffed by experienced paralegals working under an attorney’s
supervision, provide real-time advice to individuals with housing related
concerns. The community is rounded out by talented legal administrative support
staff to help facilitate your client management and case file disposition, as
well as the preparation of simple legal pleadings.
Staff attorneys are encouraged to conduct at least one community legal education
presentation (preferably on-site within ICLS’ service area) and to attend at
least one community resource event per year. Additional opportunities to expand
your legal network include working collaboratively with Pro Bono volunteers,
participating in local bar association events (costs reimbursed by ICLS), and
engaging with an amazing civil legal aid community at national, state and local
levels.
ICLS currently operates under a 4-day work week arrangement while maintaining
full-time status. Thus, staff will work approximately 80% of hours,
while getting 100% of pay. Staff can arrange their work week to the extent
possible, while prioritizing client/program needs and coordinating with
their practice group director and colleagues.
Qualities:
The following qualities are desirable in a staff attorney :
* Community centered with willingness to learn from and work with others
including an openness to share challenges and an intentional practice to
express gratitude to their colleagues.
* Patience with clients and self including healthy and sustainable practice to
manage stress and vicarious trauma and is willing to learn practices that may
be helpful in these regards.
* Approachable for staff, clients, and the community ICLS’ serves.
* Determination to achieve the best options for clients and passionate
dedication to access justice via civil legal aid.
* Curiosity and desire to learn about client’s experiences that led to legal
issue including systemic injustices that have historically disadvantaged
persons of color and low income individuals.
* Hard-working but appreciates a work-life balance; has boundaries and respects
others’ boundaries.
* Passion for learning and personal/professional growth including mentorship
for self and mentoring others as experience is gained;
Skills:
* Active listening skills
* Trauma-informed interviewing skills
* Legal writing and research skills
* Courtroom/trial experience (will be gained at ICLS for those with limited
experience)
* Analytical skills
* Effectively manage time and case load
* Bilingual (desired, but required)
* Negotiation
Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
* Represent tenants in unlawful detainer (eviction) lawsuits
* Represent tenants in litigation and administrative proceedings to improve
living conditions
* Participate in community outreach events and legal workshops/clinics
* Provide legal advice and full scope representation in court to tenants facing
eviction.
* Conduct intake interviews with new clients
* Provide in-office “backup” on a rotating basis, responding to client
emergencies and agency inquiries
* Ability to be flexible to adapt and act quickly when urgent matters as
required
* Access to reliable transportation
* Ability to travel to community events in ICLS's service area
* Ability to participate in events outside of regular work hours
Qualifications:
* Admission to the State Bar of California, in good standing;
* Years of Experience:
* 0-3 years of experience
The recognition of our common humanity is the first step in fostering a diverse
environment. The sum of our unique differences is greater than our individual
parts. Our unique stories and experiences allow us to better solve the
challenges that our community faces. Staff approach professional relationships
with humility across the spectrum of diversity, including race, ethnicity,
gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigrant status,
religious identity, physical and mental disabilities, and/or limited English
proficiency with a willingness to consider unique perspectives. Inland Counties
Legal Services provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and
applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any
type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin,
disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal,
state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of
employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination,
layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.