Intake Attorney (multiple Maine office location options)

Pine Tree Legal Assistance
Intake Attorney
Location: Any of our offices: Portland, Lewiston, Augusta, Bangor, Presque Isle, or Machias; Hybrid remote

Pine Tree Legal Assistance receives over 12,000 requests for legal help per year on a variety of civil legal issues. Our commitment to the most effective response feasible to each person seeking our help, including the many people for whom Pine Tree is unable to provide extended representation, is central to Pine Tree’s mission and values.

The Intake Attorney will support Pine Tree Legal Assistance’s intake systems, including Call Center and online intake. The Intake Attorney will work closely with paralegals to triage requests for legal help, provide telephone advice to clients, and follow up advice and brief assistance with clients to whom Pine Tree does not have the capacity to provide extended representation. The Intake Attorney will be available during Pine Tree’s three weekly Call Center shifts along with the Director of Intake to answer questions and help make decisions about what level of service to provide a client in accordance with the Statement of Priorities and individual office/unit capacity. The Intake Attorney will also participate in follow-up to Call Center intakes, reviewing transfers, closing cases, and providing additional assistance as needed.

The Intake Attorney will become familiar with program wide eligibility rules, including Legal Services Corporation regulations, to provide support to paralegals and other staff around eligibility determinations. The Intake Attorney will work closely with the Director of Intake to support Intake training for all staff and to develop and maintain Intake training materials and resources. The Intake Attorney will maintain a caseload of advice-only or brief assistance cases. Cases will be transferred to the Intake Attorney when further research is needed to provide adequate advice, including but not limited to cases where we should review documents, draft pleadings or letters for clients, or do legal research prior to finalizing advice.

The Intake Attorney is also responsible for community engagement and networking to strengthen Pine Tree’s reputation and access to legal services by eligible individuals, consistent with other work and time commitments. Based on expertise and experience, these activities will include development of written client education materials, the provision of outreach and/or trainings to staff, community agencies and other groups that serve low-income individuals, and/or work on collaborations or other initiatives designed to address specific legal needs of low-income individuals. The attorney’s work may also involve recruitment, training and supervision of law student and undergraduate interns and volunteers in the office, as well as support of pro bono volunteers in the community.

Specific decisions about how to prioritize among these time commitments are made in consultation with the Director of Intake. In each program office, the attorney is expected to be a valued contributor and supportive colleague to other members of the office and to the program as a whole.

General work expectations:

-Handle legal work in accordance with Pine Tree’s written Standards of Practices and other relevant ethical and professional responsibilities;
-Become familiar with and follow Legal Services Corporation regulations and other funder requirements as appropriate;
-Maintain accurate and contemporaneous timekeeping for all work activities and address administrative responsibilities as a Pine Tree employee in a prompt and thorough manner (including payroll and reimbursement requests, as well as grant inquiries and other funder needs);
-Accept cases consistent with program priorities and funder requirements;
-Ensure that all work-related communications (including correspondence and email) are handled in a professional manner;
-Provide appropriate paralegal supervision and support;
-Actively participate in regular case meetings, and other office discussions;
-Maintain a professional demeanor with outside agencies and groups, opposing parties, opposing counsel, and other participants in the justice system, treating all clients, potential clients, and colleagues with respect and professionalism;
-Observe the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct and take personal responsibility for one’s actions;
-Stay current in legal developments impacting work and utilize training opportunities that will strengthen trial and client skills on an ongoing basis, and participate in annual creation and update of client educational materials
-Contribute to and maintain Pine Tree’s high standards for excellence, support colleagues in their work, and otherwise act in accordance with Pine Tree’s Statement of Core Values;
-Share responsibility for general office needs including mail, faxes, facilities issues including insuring that maintenance issues are addressed, trash collection, and other needs that may arise.

Specific work expectations:

-Staff the three Call Center shifts each week, spending approximately 15 hours per week on Call Center tasks;
-Triage and respond to online requests for help;
-Provide support to paralegals related to other intakes as needed;
-Once trained and experienced in this work, handle a minimum of 150 limited representation cases/year beyond Call Center advice involving summary proceedings (e.g., eviction and debt collection), as well as occasionally providing support and coverage of extended representation cases;
-Work closely with the Director of Intake on intake training as well as the development and maintenance of intake training materials and resources;
-Identify and prioritize casework or other legal services that are mandatory grant deliverables for the office or program as a whole;
-Identify and communicate effectively with individuals seeking legal assistance from Pine Tree, including people in crisis and those who are at risk because of culture or communication barriers (including people with limited English proficiency, who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, who are blind, or visually impaired, people who have limited literacy, and people with mental health challenges);
-Provide outgoing outreach and education to a minimum of 4 organizations and collaborations that work with low-income people in order to promote increased enforcement of legal rights and appropriate referrals to Pine Tree Legal Assistance, especially in areas involving basic human needs and other areas that reflect significant unmet needs within local communities;
-Utilize opportunities to engage with the private bar and public sector attorneys through activities or initiatives that will strengthen understanding and support of equal justice issues and/or the work of Pine Tree;
-Assist in the recruitment, supervision and support of in-house volunteers, including college and law students, that can expand program capacity to meet the legal needs of low-income individuals;
-Develop special expertise in at least one specific area of law / procedure and serve as a resource for program staff and volunteers in this area;
-Support office paralegal(s) in their administrative duties, including management of the program revolving fund and escrow accounts and office maintenance issues;
-Work with Administrative staff to produce grant reports in a timely manner and/or assist in developing grant or funding opportunities to strengthen staffing and legal services.

The attorney must be admitted to the practice of law in Maine or be eligible to practice under MRCP 89 (c) while working at Pine Tree. Previous experience in landlord/tenant, public benefits, and consumer law and the demonstrated capacity to handle a high-volume practice are required. Applicant must reside in, or be willing to relocate to, the state of Maine. This is an exempt position under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for PTLA attorneys and other exempt staff is currently $67,140 - $104,140, depending on experience.
In addition, PTLA is proud to offer the following:
Employer-paid health insurance with a generous HRA contribution, generous health insurance opt-out benefit, employer-paid dental insurance, employer-paid life and disability insurance, and an annual contribution to a 403(b)-retirement plan. Other voluntary options include vision and expanded life insurance. Staff enjoy 12 paid holidays, paid parental leave, generous vacation, floating holidays, and sick leave.

Pine Tree Legal Assistance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to employing and supporting individuals who are passionate about social justice and have relevant work experience, regardless of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, physical or mental disability, religion, familial status or experience with poverty, receipt of public assistance, or homelessness.