Overview

Legal Assistance to the Elderly (LAE) seeks an enthusiastic and compassionate attorney to join our team. For more than 40 years, LAE has provided free legal advice and representation to San Francisco’s seniors and adults living with disabilities. Our mission is to protect and advance the right of San Francisco’s seniors and adults with disabilities to be housed, healthy, financially stable, and safe. Our primary practice areas are Eviction Defense/Housing (tenants only), Income Support, Health Law, Elder Abuse Prevention, Foreclosure Prevention, Debt Collection Defense and End of Life Planning. LAE is a friendly and collaborative work environment. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

  • Member State Bar of California (pending CA Bar results will be considered)
  • Strong, written, verbal and interviewing skills
  • Patient & flexible
  • Must have and maintain up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination (including eligible boosters) by date of hire to be considered.

EXTREMELY DESIRABLE

  • Bilingual in English and Cantonese
  • Knowledge of Social Security disability and retirement benefits, Supplemental Security Income, and other government benefits, or equivalent
  • Knowledge of administrative law practice

HIGHLY DESIRABLE

  • Bilingual in English and Russian, Mandarin, Tagalog or Spanish
  • Knowledge of legal issues related to poverty and/or aging
  • Experience working with elderly, disabled or homeless individuals or those experiencing a crisis
  • Experience working in a non-profit legal service, or other non-profit

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Provide Income Support and Benefits Advocacy through advice and direct representation to clients regarding their benefits (primarily Social Security and SSI, government benefits such as food stamps, and other sources of retirement income), and including issues such as eligibility, overpayments, reduction, cessation, and preservation of benefits
  • Collaborate with other LAE practice groups to ensure that clients’ legal issues are addressed holistically
  • Provide training and technical assistance on benefits advocacy to LAE staff and community-based organizations
  • Work with San Francisco Adult Protective Services and other community-based social workers to address clients’ needs
  • Conduct intake interviews with new clients, including home and hospital visits, when necessary
  • Provide in-office “backup” on a rotating basis, responding to client emergencies and agency inquiries
  • Maintain records and data as required
  • Other duties as assigned.

This position, particularly during the COVID pandemic when much of our work is remote and if the applicant is not an experienced attorney, requires the initiative to develop legal skills, including oral and written advocacy and legal research, as well as case management skills, including client communications, tracking case deadlines, and monitoring workload. 

SUPERVISED BY: Senior Benefits Attorney

WORKING CONDITIONS

The position requires working with individuals during moments of extreme stress and instability. The position also requires the provision of culturally-sensitive and empathetic services. Some evening and weekend work may be required.

Due to the COVID pandemic, our office is working on a hybrid schedule that includes both working from home and in the office. This position particularly will be required to work sometime in person/in the office for mandatory court or administrative hearings, required client meetings and hearings and some administrative staff.  

UNION MEMBERSHIP

After successful completion of a probationary period (90 days), membership in the National Organization of Legal Services Workers becomes a condition of employment.

TO APPLY: EMAIL RESUME AND COVER LETTER

If you find that you meet many of the qualifications in the job description, we encourage you to apply and explain in your cover letter why your experience would make you a good fit for the position. We recognize that organizations may miss out on strong applicants who screen themselves out of the process because they do not meet every qualification and that disproportionately impacts people from historically marginalized backgrounds. We know that our greatest strengths come from the people who make up our team and a welcoming, inclusive and culturally diverse staff allows us to best serve our community. We look forward to your application.

LAE seeks to fill all positions with people who share our values, including our organizational commitment to diversity. We encourage all interested individuals to apply—especially people of color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people with disabilities; people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary; or anyone belonging to any other federal or state protected category. We believe that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity, and are committed to not discriminating on any basis prohibited by applicable law.

APPLICATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED UNTIL THE POSITION IS FILLED. THOSE SELECTED FOR AN INTERVIEW WILL BE NOTIFIED.

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