Housing Law Attorney

The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia seeks a Staff Attorney for its housing law unit. Legal Aid was formed in 1932 to “provide legal aid and counsel to indigent persons in civil law matters and to encourage measures by which the law may better protect and serve their needs.” Legal Aid is the oldest general civil legal services program in the District of Columbia. The largest part of our work is comprised of individual representation in housing, family law, public benefits, and consumer law. From the experiences of our clients, we identify opportunities for law reform, public policy advocacy, and systemic reform litigation.

Tasks and Duties

Legal Aid has a broad and energetic housing practice. We give priority to cases that involve the prevention of an avoidable eviction, efforts to address dangerous or unhealthful housing conditions, and the preservation of affordable housing and public and assisted housing. In addition to an active litigation docket, we engage in significant efforts to address issues of public policy. Our unit is staffed by three supervising attorneys, six staff attorneys, three “loaned associates” from law firms, and a legal assistant.

Housing attorneys work at Legal Aid’s central office, its community office in Southeast DC, and its court-based office inside Landlord-Tenant Court. The Staff Attorney would be expected to handle a caseload of housing cases, perform intakes, and engage in community outreach, policy advocacy and systemic reform efforts. An experienced attorney also might assist in supervising volunteer interns and law firm loaned associates.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following:

• Experience in legal services, preferably with a background in housing law;
• Strong litigation, organizational, communication, and leadership skills;
• The ability to work collaboratively with other staff;
• A demonstrated commitment to social and economic justice; and
• Bilingual skills strongly preferred but not required.

Membership or eligibility for membership in the DC bar is required.

Salary and Benefits

The attorney will be paid in accordance with Legal Aid’s attorney salary scale. Legal Aid also offers a competitive benefits package.

Application Instructions

URL: http://www.legalaiddc.org

Job Type: Legal
Organization Type: Nonprofit Organizations