Atlanta Legal Aid Society (“Legal Aid”) seeks a Staff Attorney to join its Veterans Law Project located in its downtown Atlanta office. Founded in 2022, the Veterans Law Project is a new and exciting opportunity to have an immediate and profound impact on the civil legal needs of veterans in the metro-Atlanta area. The project assists low-income and homeless veterans who have legal needs that create barriers to housing and economic stability. The project advocates on behalf of veterans to obtain live-sustaining income, health and housing benefits, restrict criminal and consumer records, upgrade military discharges, and prevent homelessness. Project staff support veterans through holistic legal services, as well as collaborations for supportive services with local law schools and courts, the VA hospital, and veteran services organizations. The project started with a part-time attorney and a part-time paralegal. Currently, the staff consists of a managing attorney, three staff attorneys, two paralegals and a part-time intake paralegal.
Responsibilities: The Staff Attorney will interview and counsel clients, providing referrals, advice, and brief service, or representation in a variety of civil legal matters including eviction defense, VA benefits, public benefits and health insurance, access to appropriate support services, disability rights, poor housing conditions, end of life planning, family law, and consumer law. The Staff Attorney will also work with pro bono volunteers in a clinic setting, conduct regular outreach and community education for clients, and work with community service partners to identify the civil legal needs of veterans.
Qualifications: A Georgia bar license or eligibility for the next exam and 2 years of legal experience are required. Applicants must be motivated, self-directed, have a strong work ethic and possess excellent legal writing and oral advocacy skills. Good communication and listening skills, the ability to work on a team and alone, adaptability, eagerness to learn and openness to evaluation, and an appreciation of diversity are required. VA accreditation; previous work with low-income populations, people with serious health conditions and volunteers; a demonstrated commitment to public service; participation in law school clinics and trial advocacy courses; and knowledge of health and poverty law are preferred. Prior military service and proficiency in languages other than English are highly valued.
Application Requirements: Submit a letter of interest; resume; writing sample (advice letter, legal memorandum or brief); official law school transcript (a copy is acceptable pending your order of an official transcript); and the names, phone numbers and email addresses of three professional references (preferably individuals who have supervised or managed your work) as one (1) PDF using our online application system at atlantalegalaid.org/jobs. Only applications with all of the requested documents will be considered for an interview.
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