Staff Attorney – Legal Aid of Southeastern PA, Chester City, PA
Legal Aid of Southeastern PA (“LASP”) seeks an attorney to provide civil legal services in its Chester City Office. LASP serves low-income individuals and families in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. This position will focus on representing clients facing issues regarding public benefits, consumer law and bankruptcy, employment, expungements, housing, family law, protection from domestic violence, and other cases as assigned. This is a full-time position.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:
- Interviewing clients, assisting in determining eligibility for services, and ascertaining and investigating facts;
- Conducting legal research and interpreting statutes, case law, regulations, and other sources of law;
- Providing advice and counsel to clients;
- Preparing legal documents, including but not necessarily limited to: briefs, pleadings, motions, notices, correspondence, memoranda, discovery and documents responsive to discovery requests;
- Developing strategy and arguments for presentation of cases and assisting in preparation of witnesses for hearings and trials;
- Representing clients at hearings, in trial and appellate courts, and before quasi-judicial or administrative agencies;
- Reviewing decisions and consulting with management team to determine the merit of potential appeals;
- Participating in external professional and community organizations relevant to casework;
- Conducting clinics, community education, and workshops;
- Becoming engaged in LASP team efforts to achieve office and program goals, including participation in program-wide affinity groups and task forces;
- Developing knowledge of community referral resources and assessing community and client needs;
- Enhancing skills and substantive knowledge through training, CLE, and other educational opportunities;
- Abiding by all applicable professional standards of ethics and practice;
- Completing required administrative tasks including entering of notes and timekeeping in LASP case management software, and maintaining of physical files;
- Ensuring that requirements of grants and contracts which may provide funding for the position are met, and assisting with grant reports;
- Performing other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned.
SUPERVISOR: Managing Attorney in Chester City Office.
QUALIFICATIONS: License to practice law in Pennsylvania or admitted in another jurisdiction and eligible for admission to Pennsylvania. 0-5 years’ experience as a lawyer; demonstrated proficiency in word processing, Outlook products, case management software, and online legal research tools; Passionate commitment to public interest law and serving low-income individuals and vulnerable populations; Strong written and oral advocacy and organizational skills; The successful candidate must be willing to accept complex and challenging cases and develop creative strategies to assist clients. Spanish language proficiency is desirable.
LASP is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate in the recruitment, selection, or advancement of employees on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, creed, age, religion, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or on any other basis prohibited by law.
TO APPLY: Send resume and writing sample to Kesha James, Deputy Director for Advocacy at Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania by email to Hiring@lasp.org. Position will remain open until filled.