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Staff Attorney Opportunity

Health Disparities

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) works with communities of color and immigrants to fight discrimination and foster equity through creative and courageous legal advocacy, education, and economic empowerment. In partnership with law firms and community allies, we provide free, life-changing legal support to individuals, families, and small businesses. We focus on impact areas that represent the front lines in today’s battle for equality and justice.

In response to the pandemic, we deepened the scope of our health disparities work to encompass significant advocacy surrounding COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination. LCR helped to secure access to COVID-19 vaccines for community-based vaccination clinics in housing developments and churches. More than 5000 people have been vaccinated through LCR-supported vaccination clinics in communities of color. LCR’s pandemic-response work is poised for continued growth.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Working under the supervision of LCR attorneys, the Staff Attorney will provide counsel and advice, short-term limited legal service, and full legal representation to clients referred by community partners, including healthcare providers.

The Staff Attorney will meet, interview, and provide counsel and advice to clients through weekly scheduled appointments held virtually during the pandemic. The Staff Attorney may work from home or LCR’s offices in downtown Boston performing necessary follow-up work for clients.

The Staff Attorney will assist clients with a wide variety of civil legal needs, including benefits and housing. Assistance will range from providing counsel and advice at scheduled appointments; to performing short-term limited legal services, such as written and oral advocacy or negotiation with landlords, or assistance navigating and securing disability benefits; to providing full legal representation in hearings before administrative agencies and in court. The Staff Attorney will be responsible for tracking and documenting work performed and results achieved.

As needed, the Staff Attorney may also conduct legal education workshops and seminars for client groups and/or for healthcare professionals, and may coordinate with other LCR staff attorneys in areas of overlapping need (for example, coordinating with other LCR attorneys on current immigration issues).

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate will have at least 5 years of legal experience (although qualified candidates with fewer years of experience will be considered). Applicants must be extremely hard-working, highly self-motivated, and passionate about civil rights and serving under-served populations. Spanish-speaking ability is highly preferred. Other language skills relevant to LCR’s client communities (including Portuguese, Mandarin, and Haitian Creole) will be considered a plus. MA Bar membership is preferred, although candidates who are admitted to the Bar of other states will also be considered if they can waive into MA.

The ideal candidate will also have:

  • Knowledge and experience with housing, public benefits and/or other areas of public interest law;
  • The ability to work productively and efficiently with minimal supervision;
  • Excellent writing, editing, oral advocacy, and analytical skills;
  • Outstanding interpersonal skills;
  • Experience working with low-income communities, communities of color and/or immigrant communities;
  • The ability to work collegially with a wide range of groups and individuals; and
  • The ability to start the position as soon as possible.

SALARY / BENEFITS

Salary commensurate with experience.


We provide a competitive and comprehensive benefits package, including generous vacation and employer-paid health benefits. Highlights:

  • 3 weeks (15 days) of paid vacation;
  • 2 weeks (10 days) of paid sick time;
  • We close the office between Christmas and New Year’s Day; and
  • We close the office for all local, state, and federal holidays (approximately, 17 holidays depending on the calendar year).

The organization covers 100% of health insurance, dental insurance, and vision insurance premiums for employees. Additionally LCR has a reimbursement policy to cover certain qualifying out-of-pocket health and medical expenses up to approximately $2500 per year.

LCR also provides short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance. The organization is currently exploring 401K options with a match.

At the discretion of the Executive Director, the organization will also cover reasonable expenses related to professional development and training.

HOW TO APPLY

Please email employment@lawyersforcivilrights.org to submit your resume and cover letter. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews will begin immediately. Applications will continue to be accepted until December 23, 2021. It is anticipated that the position will begin by early January.