KIDSLegal Staff Attorney (multiple Maine location options)

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

KIDSLegal, a specialized unit within Pine Tree Legal Assistance, is the first children’s rights project in the state of Maine. Founded in 2004, KIDSLegal provides a wide range of civil legal services to low-income families and children throughout the state in matters such as education access, special education identification, programming and placement, bullying, school discipline and exclusion, and support for youth experiencing homelessness. KIDSLegal is seeking to hire a staff attorney to join the KIDSLegal team at one of Pine Tree’s six locations across the state.

As a KIDSLegal attorney assigned to a local field office, the attorney will focus on the educational and civil legal needs of minor children. The attorney will participate in Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings and administrative hearings on a regular basis and will provide representation in education and other child related legal matters, including school exclusion and reentry hearings.

The attorney may also provide services to secure clients’ health and income benefits. As resources permit and the needs of the client community require, the attorney may also handle litigation in other areas of law. While the typical caseload is handled at the administrative level, the attorney may handle matters in the probate court, district court, superior court, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and/or federal court. Case acceptance decisions are made by the unit as a whole, consistent with program priorities and specific grant requirements, which may change over time. The attorney is also expected to work collaboratively with the KIDS Legal paralegal, both in the provision of limited legal assistance and in other work specific to the attorney’s caseload. A staff attorney is expected to work a minimum of 1,650 hours/year and to bill a minimum of 60% of total work time to individual cases. Because KIDSLegal is a statewide project, the attorney will be expected to travel throughout the state frequently.

The attorney is also responsible for community engagement, outreach, and networking to strengthen KIDSLegal and Pine Tree’s reputation and access to legal services by eligible individuals, consistent with other work and time commitments. These activities shall include development of and updates to written client education materials for www.kidslegal.org, the provision of outreach and/or trainings to staff, community agencies and other groups that serve low-income individuals, work on collaborations or other initiatives designed to address specific legal needs of low-income individuals, and convening of internal and external practice groups to discuss legal issues relevant to this work. Specific decisions about how to prioritize between these time commitments are made in consultation with other colleagues and the attorney’s supervisor.
In each program office, the attorney is expected to be a valued contributor and supportive colleague to other members of the office and the program.

KIDSLegal as a unit typically handles approximately 200 cases per year, of which at least half will be extended representation. Once trained and experienced in this work, the attorney will engage in community outreach intended to increase unit intakes with a goal of directly handling a minimum of 100 cases per year, at least half will be extended representation cases per year. The KIDSLegal Staff Attorney will be expected to provide a minimum of 15 consultations per year to professionals working with families and children.

Skills Required:

*Interest and experience working with families and children;
*Demonstrated interest and experience in education law and the rights of minors;
*Ability to work cooperatively and establish positive working relationships with community partners and agencies;
*Ability to work well with individuals from different cultural backgrounds and communities;
*Excellent interpersonal skills;
*Excellent written and oral communication skills;
*Strong research, legal writing, and litigation skills;
*Ability to multi-task and prioritize work in a high-volume caseload;
*Strong organizational and time management skills;
*Acute attention to detail;
*High level of diplomacy, professionalism and sound judgment;
*Ability to work independently and as a team;
*Ability to be responsive and receptive to supervisory feedback; and

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, including case assignment priorities outlined in the grant;
-Maintain accurate and contemporaneous timekeeping for all work activities, both client and administrative;
-Be alert to opportunities to secure legal fees and document timekeeping consistent with
-Ensure that all work-related communications (including correspondence and email) are handled in a professional manner;
-Provides 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, and treat all clients, potential clients, colleagues, and stakeholders with respect and professionalism;
-Observe the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct and take personal responsibility for one’s actions;
-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;
-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 agency wide efforts to generate and update client education materials; and
-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.

Specific Work Expectations:

-Provide outgoing outreach and education to organizations and stakeholders that work with low-income people in order to promote increased enforcement of legal rights and appropriate referrals to KIDSLegal and Pine Tree Legal Assistance, especially in areas prioritized by KIDSLegal;
-Provide substantive legal support to pro bono attorneys participating in Pine Tree Legal Assistance’s pro bono panel focusing on discipline and special education cases per year and collaborate with the project’s partner organizations;
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 KIDSLegal and Pine Tree, including people in crisis and those who are at risk because of culture or communication barriers (including those with limited English proficiency, who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, who are blind, or visually impaired, those who are illiterate or have low literacy levels, and those with mental health challenges);
-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; and
-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 litigation experience is strongly preferred. Applicant must reside in, or be willing to relocate to, the state of Maine. Frequent travel throughout the state is required. 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.