Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellowship

Summary:  The Legal Aid Society will serve as a host site for an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellowship for 2012-2013. This Fellowship will focus providing legal services to low-income veterans who are participants in a Veterans Treatment Court and have civil legal problems, including issues involving housing, consumer debt, public benefits, employment, or family law matters. This is a one-year Fellowship, with a possibility of renewal if funding is available. The Fellow must be licensed to practice and in good standing with the Kentucky Bar Association or must be willing to apply and be licensed by November 1, 2012. The Fellow sign a contract for this one-year term and must perform at least 1,700 hours of service in this Fellowship. The Fellow will expected to participate in trainings opportunities offered by AmeriCorps and Equal Justice Works. The Fellowship is made possible through a partnership between the Legal Aid Society, Equal Justice Works, AmeriCorps, and the Kentucky Bar Foundation.

Applications for this position are now being accepted. The position will be filled not earlier than August 1 and not later than September 30, 2012. Applications should be directed to Meagen Peden Agnew, Legal Aid Society, 416 W. Muhammad Ali., Suite 300, Louisville, KY 40202 or magnew@laslou.org. Full details follow.

Job Description: Equal Justice Fellow (Contract Attorney)

Purpose of Job: To provide uniform, high quality advocacy for low-income veterans accepted into the Jefferson and Hardin County Veterans Treatment Courts (VTC) and veterans accepted into the Kentucky Corps of Advocates for Veterans (KCAV). Reports to Advocacy Director.

Work Environment: Work performed in the office setting, in the courts, in administrative agencies, and in the community.

Essential Job Functions:

1. Provide free, civil legal guidance and representation to veterans accepted into the Jefferson and Hardin County Veterans Treatment Courts. The civil legal issues veterans face include, but are not limited to, securing government benefits for which the veteran is eligible, employment disputes, accessing sustainable housing and medical care, family law matters, legal matters related to wage garnishments, consumer and medical debt, and criminal record expungements.

2. Work with VTC partner agencies such as the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, the Jefferson County Police Department, the Office of the Jefferson County Attorney, and the private defense bar to accept referrals for resolving civil legal issues as part of treatment plans for veterans accepted into the VTC program.

3. Travel to Hardin County, Kentucky, once the VTC is established. Provide advice and brief counsel to veterans. If veteran is eligible for extended representation, refer veteran to Legal Aid’s Rural Unit.

4. Manage the Legal Aid Society’s Kentucky Corps of Advocates for Veterans (KCAV), which provides free legal help to veterans on civil legal issues that prevent them from achieving economic stability. Management of KCAV includes providing direct legal services to veterans, assigning cases to appropriate divisions within Legal Aid, or referring cases to attorneys in the private bar. Provide the veteran community in Jefferson and Hardin County, Kentucky, with free legal clinics on the services that Legal Aid offers.

5. Provide legal representation through the policies and practices consistent with professional standards for the delivery of civil legal services to the poor and consistent with any requirement of Legal Services Corporation and all other funding sources or program policies.

6. Maintain accurate and complete files or records. Prepare reports and timely complete forms and records necessary for client services or administrative tasks related to job.

7. Interact with clients and staff and service providers professionally and appropriately. Establish and maintain rapport with clients to obtain accurate information and to establish trust. Work with other staff on client services or other program tasks in a collegial and cooperative nature. Develop and nurture good relations with service providers who make referrals or otherwise coordinate with the program.

8. Work with supervisor to develop plan for advocacy work within program priorities and funding to define balance between impact work and service work, as well as community education and other outreach.

9. Work with supervisor to identify individual training needs and develop strategies with case supervisor to address those needs.

10. Attend and actively participate in planning meetings, trainings and task forces, as well as office meetings.

11. Must be able to operate a motor vehicle and must hold a valid driver’s license and be able to be insured.

12. Occasional night and weekend work hours; some local and out of town travel.

Qualifications:

1. Must have demonstrable commitment to understanding and addressing issues of low-income constituents.

2. Licensed attorney in good standing with the Kentucky Bar Association or eligible for admission to the Kentucky Bar by November 1, 2012.

3. Must sign a one-year contract to perform at least 1,700 hours of service as part of this Fellowship and complete the term of the Fellowship.

4. Must attend training opportunities, including opportunities provided by AmeriCorps and Equal Justice Works.

5. Must have skills to use office technologies, including Microsoft Outlook, Word, and case management software.

6. Must be able to balance administrative and client advocacy responsibilities.

7. Second language a plus.

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, controls or equipment; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

The physical demands described above are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Other: The statements contained in this job description reflect general details necessary to describe the principal functions of this job, the level of knowledge and skill typically required, and the scope of responsibility. It should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned, including work in other functional areas to cover absences or relief, to equalize peak work periods or to otherwise balance the workload.

Salary based on experience.

Position open until filled.

Legal Aid Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Send resume, salary history and requirements, and three references to Meagen Peden Agnew at magnew@laslou.org or 416 West Muhammad Ali Boulevard, Suite 300, Louisville, KY 40202.

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