Job Title: Eviction Defense Attorney
FLSA Classification: Exempt
Reports To: Practice Group Director
Supervises: Paralegals and Legal Secretaries as required
Compensation: $78,000.00 – $115,000.00 annually
If you believe safe and habitable housing is a human right worth working for, this position in ICLS’s Housing Practice Group may be right for you.
Housing Attorneys provide legal assistance and representation to clients facing eviction in courts throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Unlawful Detainer (UD) cases are heard daily in some courts and two to three times a week in other courts.
Either through negotiation or at a trial our attorneys work to secure a client’s right to safe and habitable housing and to ensure tenants’ rights under federal and state law are upheld. A win in these cases is often a soft landing that allows adequate time for the client to move, seals the court record from the public, and provides the client an accurate record of money owed.
The work is challenging – many individuals experiencing a UD do not have alternative options and they fear what comes next if they can’t find decent housing they can afford. Housing is scarce and affordable housing may be non-existent in parts of ICLS’ service area of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
The work is also rewarding — preserving housing for ICLS clients is done in community and the approach is multi-faceted. Experienced attorneys in the Housing Practice Group form a support system to discuss case trends, negotiation tactics, and litigation strategy. Mentorship is built-in to our daily operations and guidance is readily available.
Incredibly dedicated paralegals assist at ICLS’ court-based projects and support our clinic services that assist clients who need document preparation. Our housing hotlines, staffed by experienced paralegals working under an attorney’s supervision, provide real-time advice to individuals with housing related concerns. The community is rounded out by talented legal administrative support staff to help facilitate your client management and case file disposition, as well as the preparation of simple legal pleadings.
Staff attorneys are encouraged to conduct at least one community legal education presentation (preferably on-site within ICLS’ service area) and to attend at least one community resource event per year. Additional opportunities to expand your legal network include working collaboratively with Pro Bono volunteers, participating in local bar association events (costs reimbursed by ICLS), and engaging with an amazing civil legal aid community at national, state and local levels.
Qualities
The following qualities are desirable in a staff attorney :
- Community centered with willingness to learn from and work with others including an openness to share challenges and an intentional practice to express gratitude to their colleagues.
- Patience with clients and self including healthy and sustainable practice to manage stress and vicarious trauma and is willing to learn practices that may be helpful in these regards.
- Approachable for staff, clients, and the community ICLS’ serves.
- Determination to achieve the best options for clients and passionate dedication to access justice via civil legal aid.
- Curiosity and desire to learn about client’s experiences that led to legal issue including systemic injustices that have historically disadvantaged persons of color and low income individuals.
- Hard-working but appreciates a work-life balance; has boundaries and respects others’ boundaries.
- Passion for learning and personal/professional growth including mentorship for self and mentoring others as experience is gained;
Skills:
- Active listening skills
- Trauma-informed interviewing skills
- Legal writing and research skills
- Courtroom/trial experience (will be gained at ICLS for those with limited experience)
- Analytical skills
- Effectively manage time and case load
- Bilingual (desired, but required)
- Negotiation
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
- Represent tenants in unlawful detainer (eviction) lawsuits
- Represent tenants in litigation and administrative proceedings to improve living conditions
- Participate in community outreach events and legal workshops/clinics
- Provide legal advice and full scope representation in court to tenants facing eviction.
- Conduct intake interviews with new clients
- Provide in-office “backup” on a rotating basis, responding to client emergencies and agency inquiries
- Ability to be flexible to adapt and act quickly when urgent matters as required
- Access to reliable transportation
- Ability to travel to community events in ICLS’s service area
- Ability to participate in events outside of regular work hours
Qualifications
- Admission to the State Bar of California, in good standing;
- Years of Experience:
- Attorney I: 0-3 years of experience
- Attorney II: 3-5 years of experience
- Attorney III: 4-9 years of experience
- Attorney IV: 8 + years of experience
- Note: Years of experience are considered guidelines based on actual, substantive legal experience.