Overview
Position: Legal Help Desk Attorney
Department: Legal
Office Location: Los Angeles, CA*
Type: Hybrid (in-office to onboard and for other on-site needs)
Report To: Legal Help Desk Director
Union Status: G5 (on a scale of G1-G9)
Salary: $72,890 – $84,499 per Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
Travel: Approximately 10% for conferences, meetings, and other events
FLSA Status: Full-Time/Exempt
*If you are located in a different area and wish to be considered for this role, please apply.
Who We Are
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Since 1973, Lambda Legal has used impact litigation and other advocacy tools to decriminalize same-sex relationships; challenge discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV in the workplace, in the home, in schools, in health care, and in the military; and protect LGBTQ+ families, including by winning and defending marriage equality. Clients are not charged for legal representation or advocacy and Lambda Legal receives no government funding. Headquartered in New York City, Lambda Legal has regional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and Washington, DC.
We believe that serving the full breadth of the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities requires cultural competency and enthusiasm for diversity of all kinds. To be successful, we must approach our work with an understanding that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is not the only obstacle to achieving full formal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV; rather, we recognize the intersectional nature of discrimination, specifically including biases based on race, religion, national origin, gender, disability, education, and class. In light of this reality, we prioritize awareness and proactive commitment to counteracting these biases and their compounding effects.
Help Desk Attorney
Lambda Legal Help Desk Attorneys (HDAs) are responsible for responding to requests for information and legal assistance as well as public education and cross-department collaboration. They respond to a high volume of requests for legal information and provide general guidance and assistance to people who contact the Legal Help Desk with questions concerning discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status. HDAs provide professional, empathetic assistance during the intake process, often including suggestions for self-advocacy with information provided. HDAs also collaborate with colleagues throughout Lambda Legal to improve the effectiveness of the Help Desk and to support the organization’s litigation, policy advocacy, and public education work. In addition, HDAs make occasional public appearances and presentations in areas of topical expertise on the legal rights of LGBTQ+ people.
Responsibilities
- Receive, investigate, resolve, document, and respond to a high volume of requests for assistance received through multiple channels (e.g., phone, online inquiries, email, and letters).
- Assess, research and, where appropriate, escalate requests for further action through internal Legal department channels.
- Promptly record requests in the Legal Help Desk database.
- Consult internally with members of the Legal department to help identify matters for advocacy or possible litigation, consistent with Lambda Legal’s strategic impact priorities.
- Develop and maintain Help Desk resources, including fact sheets and database materials.
- Conduct legal research and may draft legal memos on potential new advocacy and legal matters.
- Collaborate as a Help Desk team to continuously improve overall impact and effectiveness of the Help Desk, such as by sharing and incorporating best practices and identifying opportunities for improvement.
- Share Lambda Legal’s organizational expertise by making presentations at legal and other professional conferences and seminars and through other forms of written and oral public education.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues throughout Lambda Legal to advance knowledge about and gain support for Lambda Legal’s efforts to secure full legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV.
- With guidance from their supervisors, seek opportunities for professional development and take ownership of their own professional goals, and support the professional development of peers and other Legal department staff.
Qualifications
Successful candidates will welcome the opportunity to work in a racially- and gender-diverse environment and to contribute to a positive and inclusive atmosphere. Working at Lambda Legal requires a demonstrated awareness of and commitment to the concerns of the breadth of the communities that Lambda Legal serves.
Skills and competencies include:
- J.D. Degree
- License to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction and, if not a member of the CA bar, willingness to sit for the California Bar
- Strong interpersonal skills and exceptional communication skills, both written and spoken, with an ability to provide active listening and empathetic service
- Ability to navigate a wide variety of stakeholders and juggle competing priorities and interests
- Comfortable working under tight timelines in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to translate complex legal issues into comprehensible language for non-lawyers
Preferred, but not required
- Experience with Lambda Legal or other civil rights-oriented or non-profit legal organization
- Experience in the LGBTQ+/HIV rights movement
- Experience working with historically marginalized communities
- Ability to speak Spanish or other commonly encountered language other than English