Cannabis Worker Resilience Partnership
The Cannabis Worker Resilience Partnership is a holistic, multi-agency collaboration to support workers in the illegal cannabis industry facing wage theft, labor trafficking, dangerous work conditions and retaliation. The Partnership includes community-based organizations providing humanitarian assistance, legal services programs engaging in outreach, community education and legal representation and mental health organizations providing support and referrals. The position is funded through the end of 2025.
POSITION: The Oregon Law Center (OLC) seeks a Staff Attorney to support the provision of civil legal services to low-income clients as part of the grant-funded Cannabis Worker Resilience Partnership. This position is based either in Gresham or Woodburn, Oregon and serves clients throughout the state. The position is part of the Oregon Law Center’s Farmworker Program and is funded through the end of 2025.
ABOUT US: OLC is a legal services program committed to achieving justice for the low-income communities of Oregon by providing a full range of the highest quality civil legal services. OLC operates eleven regional offices, a state support unit, legislative advocacy unit, and statewide farmworker program.
The Farmworker Program sets priorities according to client need; current priorities include employment, occupational safety and health, housing, and civil rights. Most of our clients speak Spanish or one of the indigenous languages native to Mexico and Central America, such as Mixteco, Triqui, Zapoteco, Mam, and Akateco. They experience a wide variety of legal problems, including unpaid wages, inadequate housing, unsafe work conditions including excessive heat, hazardous chemicals, violence, and sexual harassment. The most common form of discrimination they face is retaliation for asserting their legal protections.
RESPONSIBILITIES: This is a unique and exciting opportunity to work with partners to provide innovative legal assistance to immigrant workers in the cannabis industry. The central activities of this position are client counseling and representation, outreach and education, support of worker-led advocacy, public education, and collaboration with legal and community partners. While primarily focused on workers’ rights law, this attorney will support some workers with immigration legal needs, including screening for possible referrals and supporting them with affirmative- relief based on their employment cases. We are looking for an attorney committed to strategically using their legal training to create long-term change.
The position requires the ability to work well with colleagues and a variety of external partners including unions, civil and immigrants’ rights organizations, law enforcement agencies and community and advocacy groups.
SALARY/BENEFITS: The salary scale ranges from $65,500 to $102,500, based on years of experience as an attorney. Additional compensation for bilingual ability. Competitive benefits package includes individual and family health, vision and dental insurance coverage, employer retirement contribution, generous paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave and paid moving expenses, among others.
REQUIREMENTS:
• Admission to the Oregon State Bar;
• Demonstrated ability to take direction and guidance from low-income clients and their self-identified priorities;
• Experience working with diverse communities and demonstrated cultural competence in addressing the legal needs of immigrant workers;
• Commitment to developing litigation and other advocacy skills;
• A high degree of initiative and ability to manage a litigation caseload;
• Excellent communication, writing, organizational and research skills;
• Ability to work independently and as a team player;
• Ability to think creatively and a willingness to implement unconventional legal strategies to blaze new legal trails;
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice, as well as a desire to disrupt existing systems of oppression;
• Willingness to work irregular hours on occasion to meet the needs of clients;
• Proficiency in spoken and written Spanish; and
PREFERENCES:
• Demonstrated litigation skills.
• Experience in employment law.
• Demonstrated commitment to workers’ rights.
APPLICATION: Position open until filled; review of resumes to begin May 20, 2024. To apply, please submit your resume, cover letter, and a description of your language proficiency to Julie Samples, Managing Attorney, OLC Gresham Farmworker Office, [email protected] or 138 NE 3rd Street, Suite 203, Gresham, Oregon 97030.
As part of your cover letter, please address the following:
OLC is committed to achieving justice for the low-income communities of Oregon. Our client communities include people of color, farmworkers, LGBTQIA+ people, immigrants, seniors, and people with lived experiences of homelessness, veterans, people with disabilities, and people from other underrepresented groups. We strive to create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued because we believe such an environment is essential to our work serving clients.
How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to:
(1) serve our diverse client communities effectively,
(2) work effectively with colleagues from backgrounds different than your own,
(3) acknowledge the systemic barriers that our clients face, and
(4) contribute to our efforts to achieve racial justice?
Feel free to provide examples and apply various aspects of your life and personal experiences as you respond to this question.