APPLICATION DEADLINE
Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
ABOUT LEGAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN
Founded in 1975, Legal Services for Children (“LSC”) is one of the country’s first non-profit law firms dedicated to providing free legal representation and social work services to children. Our mission is to ensure that all children in the San Francisco Bay Area are raised in a safe environment with equal access to a meaningful education and other services that are necessary to thrive and grow. We believe that youth deserve positive alternatives to unnecessary placement in foster care, juvenile justice facilities, and immigration detention. LSC started the interdisciplinary approach that is considered a best practice in juvenile law today. We deploy attorney-social worker teams to assist Bay Area children who need to access the legal system to stabilize or improve their lives. LSC’s attorneys represent children in legal matters that involve guardianship, dependency, school discipline, immigration, and other civil legal matters. Our social workers provide crisis intervention, case management, counseling, and psychosocial assessments. LSC staff also engage in policy and advocacy projects aimed at advancing the rights of children.
To promote social justice and best serve our clients, LSC is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and providing services with cultural humility. We are committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion and ensuring a workplace where staff can flourish and grow professionally, and well beyond. We strongly encourage candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities and historically oppressed groups including People of Color and LGBTQ individuals to apply. Bilingual/bicultural candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
ABOUT THE POSITION
Legal Services for Children seeks an attorney with a strong commitment to public interest and social justice advocacy to join our staff as our Intake & Outreach Attorney. Non-attorney applicants may be considered for an Advocate position without legal representation responsibilities. Under the direct supervision of the Legal Director, this position will be responsible for our Intake warm-line and Outreach efforts. LSC’s Intake line provides immediate case assessment, acceptance and/or referrals to clients in four legal practice areas: Dependency, Education/Expulsion Defense, Guardianship, and Immigration. In addition to assessing case acceptance or referrals, this position engages in outreach efforts to children, parents and concerned adults and, community members and partners, regarding legal services provided or offered.
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:
INTAKE:
• Manage LSC Warm-Line, referrals, and resources offered to community members, including continually updating and improving our warm-line systems and protocols.
• Staff LSC warm-line, along with legal interns, volunteers and attorneys.
• Provide intake services and referrals through telephone, in-person or web-based interviews and clinics.
• Provide consistent advice to interns/volunteers and ensure proper follow up from staff/interns/volunteers.
• Collaborate with attorneys and social workers on protocol and procedural updates for intake.
• Create Wiki Advice/Frequently Asked Questions Document.
• Collaborate with the Legal Director in opening, assigning, and properly affixing funding sources to new cases opened in the office.
OUTREACH:
• Lead efforts in establishing relationships with community partners for proper upkeep of referral database.
• Provide updated information and training to community partners and community-based organizations regarding services offered by LSC.
• Work with community partners and other community-based agencies in service coalitions and collaborations.
• Represent the organization at community, legal, and other meetings and functions.
• Lead Know Your Rights (KYR) Project and coordinate presentations for community which includes but is not limited to information related to immigrant and undocumented youth’s legal rights, and overviews of immigration relief options and resources.
• Provide KYR and related trainings to SFUSD/social workers related to school related services offered by LSC.
INTERN COORDINATION:
• Intern coordination and development, under direct supervision of Legal Director.
• In consultation with Legal Director or Team Lead, assist with outreach efforts for legal interns, assist with creation of legal intern training modules, assist with coordination of legal intern assignments, and mentor legal interns as needed, along with Team Leads.
DIRECT REPRESENTATION:
• Under supervision of Legal Director and/or Team Lead, direct representation of clients in at least one practice areas (guardianship, education, immigration, and/or dependency).
• Representation includes client interviews, maintaining client contact, responding to calls, texts, and electronic mail in a timely manner; conducting independent and ongoing investigations and continual assessment of the cases; preparing for and participating in hearings; advocating on client’s behalf in hearings and various multi-disciplinary team meetings.
ADMINISTRATIVE:
• Monitor all pending inquiries via case managements software, Legal Server.
• Troubleshoot and update client case management system.
• Assist with contract eligibility verification and reporting, as needed.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Current Bar Membership in good standing preferred. We will consider candidates pending Bar Exam results. Non-attorney applicants with minimum of 2 years relevant experience may be considered for an advocate position.
• Fluency in English and Spanish required.
• Experience with MS Office applications, including Excel and Word, and case management database required.
• Energy, optimism and passion for serving children and youth.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and prioritize workload in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience and comfort with community outreach.
SALARY & BENEFITS
Salary is commensurate with experience, ranging from $73,645-$89,095 for an attorney with 0-5 years of relevant experience; ranging from $64,405-$77,765 for an advocate with 2-7 years of relevant experience. Benefits include fully paid health insurance for employees and majority paid for child dependents (medical, dental, and vision), retirement contribution and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, holiday, and sabbatical). LSC also offers a flexible spending account for qualified health expenditures.
This position will be eligible for a “hybrid” model in which the employee can work a blend of field, home and office. This position is based in San Francisco and requires presence in the area with the ability to come to the office and other locations in the Bay Area.
This position is in a bargaining unit represented by IFPTE Local 20.
• Current Bar Membership in good standing preferred. We will consider candidates pending Bar Exam results. Non-attorney applicants with minimum of 2 years relevant experience may be considered for an advocate position.
• Fluency in English and Spanish required.
Please send cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references to [email protected] with “Intake & Outreach Attorney/Advocate” in the subject line. In your cover letter, please address the following in order for your application to be considered:
LSC’s clientele is extremely diverse, and the majority of our clients are low income youth of color. To ensure that our agency is best serving these children, LSC strives to promote an evolving set of behaviors and attitudes amongst our staff, as well as policies that enable us to work effectively in all cross-cultural situations, with clients, with our coworkers, and with the community. We see this as a commitment to enhance the provision of our services to all clients; to raise the level of positive client outcomes; and to create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued. How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural humility and diversity amongst our staff? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences