OneJustice

 OneJustice is an innovative and award-winning nonprofit that brings life-changing legal help to those in need by transforming the civil legal aid system. OneJustice works statewide to build the capacity of all components of California’s civil legal aid system to meet the legal needs of local communities and to ensure the availability of services statewide. We have three core program areas: (1) Pro Bono Justice, which expands legal services for Californians in need by developing and staffing innovative and effective pro bono projects with law schools, firms, and businesses around the state; (2) Healthy Nonprofits, which ensures legal services nonprofits have the business and management skills needed to survive and thrive, and (3) Californians for Legal Aid, which advocates for California legal services nonprofits on federal policy and funding issues. More information about OneJustice is available at www.OneJustice.org.

Position Description:

OneJustice is looking for a Staff Attorney to join our team of legal aid innovators. The Staff Attorney will be a part of OneJustice’s efforts to develop more effective and efficient ways to get pro bono attorneys involved in the delivery of legal services and will be responsible for leading the Justice Bus Project in Southern California. This is a perfect role for an attorney looking to make a significant impact in legal services for low-income Californians and play an influential role in a highly productive organization.

Since 2007, the Justice Bus Project has helped thousands of Californians in rural and isolated areas get access to free legal help by facilitating legal clinics in these regions with pro bono attorneys and law students from California’s cities. To help meet the needs of underserved low-income Californians, the Staff Attorney will be responsible for identifying legal needs in rural and isolated areas of California, and developing and executing legal clinics to meet those needs during one-day and overnight Justice Bus trips. In implementing strategic responses to pressing legal needs, the Staff Attorney will build partnerships with local legal services nonprofits and pro bono volunteers, and facilitate all necessary trainings to ensure effective and efficient use of pro bono resources.

Frequent travel within California is required, including to rural or isolated areas for Justice Bus clinics and occasional Saturday Justice Bus clinics. Occasional travel is required to OneJustice’s office in the Bay Area for all-staff meetings. The Staff Attorney reports directly to the Senior Staff Attorney in Los Angeles, works closely with the Program Associate, and serves a vital role in the organization’s Pro Bono Justice team.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead OneJustice’s Justice Bus Project in Southern California

• Identify pressing legal needs among low-income communities in rural and isolated areas of California for which pro bono assistance is appropriate and worthwhile.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute all elements of Justice Bus clinics out of Southern California, including the identification of local legal services partners, recruitment of law students and lawyers, facilitation of all necessary trainings, and development of efficient and effective models of legal assistance.
• Steward OneJustice’s relationships with community partners, legal services partners, and private sector pro bono partners.
• Collaborate with OneJustice’s Pro Bono Justice team to help improve the efficacy and maximize the impact of pro bono service in California by assisting legal services nonprofits, law schools, law firms, and in-house counsel in developing new pro bono programs and improving existing pro bono partnerships.
• Support OneJustice’s continuing development and application of an explicit racial justice and equity lens to our programmatic and internal organizational systems.

Qualifications:

• J.D. and California Bar Membership (will consider license from another jurisdiction or awaiting bar results)
• Enthusiasm for innovation and a commitment to increasing access to legal services for low-income Californians
• Demonstrated experience as a self-starter, with a history of independently managing projects
• Understanding of the pro bono “systems” in California (i.e., the manner in which private law attorneys are connected to low-income clients)
• Ability to lift up to 25 pound boxes to a height of 3-4 feet and load them into buses
• Previous experience working with low-income and/or underserved communities preferred
• Spanish language ability preferred
• Anyone with experience working at a legal services nonprofit or providing pro bono assistance as a law firm associate encouraged to apply
• Anyone with experience in immigration and/or criminal record expungement encouraged to apply

 Salary & Benefits:

• Starting salary of $50,000, with increases possible for each year of prior directly relevant nonprofit legal services experience in a similar Attorney or Manager level role, as dictated by the OneJustice salary scale
• Benefits include fully paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision), life and disability insurance, California Bar dues and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, and holidays - including a full week off during the winter holidays)
• OneJustice also offers a flexible spending account for qualified health and commute expenditures
• An opportunity to work on the cutting edge of legal services innovation and growth
• A supportive, team-based environment and commitment to ongoing professional development

Application: 

Application deadline is December 16, 2019. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The ideal start date is as soon as possible.

In the online application system above, be prepared to submit the following information: (1) a cover letter explaining your interest in and qualifications for the position and describing relevant work and/or volunteer experience; (2) your resume; (3) three references; and (4) a response to following question in your cover letter:

OneJustice serves highly diverse communities both in terms of our clients and in the broader legal services sector.  To ensure that our agency is best positioned to serve these communities, OneJustice strives to promote an evolving set of behaviors and attitudes amongst our staff, as well as policies that enable us to work effectively in all cross-cultural situations, with clients, with our coworkers, and with our communities. We see this as a commitment to enhance the provision of our services to all clients and nonprofits and to create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued. Please address in your cover letter how your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural competency and diversity amongst our staff. Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences.

To promote social justice and best serve our various communities, OneJustice is committed to maintaining a diverse staff and providing culturally competent services.  We strongly encourage candidates from traditionally underrepresented communities and historically oppressed groups, as well as bilingual and bicultural candidates, to apply.