Consumer Protection Attorney - Oakland, United States - Bay Area Legal Aid

Description

Job Description

BayLegal's Consumer Law Practice focuses on halting unfair and deceptive business practices in consumer financial products and protecting the rights of low-income consumers. Our Consumer Rights practice team focuses its advocacy efforts on the pressing legal issues identified by low-income consumers in our community. This includes addressing the impact of ballooning family debt incurred from COVID's financial fallout, such as court enforced debt collection, and credit barriers to obtaining housing. The team has also been assisting consumers with federal and private student loans and has an opportunity to expand these services through increased individual assistance and identify and addressing systemic issues facing student loan borrowers. We are seeking an attorney interested in helping low-income consumers in a range of legal issues and demonstrated experience or interest in student loan debt. The team serves clients in multiple counties and thus the position will require limited travel throughout the Bay Area. We will consider the applicant's convenience in deciding the primary location for the position at one of BayLegal's Bay Area Offices.

As a BayLegal Attorney, you will have the opportunity to:

• Learn and advocate for the diverse legal needs of underserved and vulnerable communities in the Bay Area to reduce homelessness, enhance economic and housing stability, and promote social justice;
• Represent and assist low-income consumers in state and federal court at every stage of litigation, including motions, discovery, ADR, and trials.
• Staff and supervise interns and volunteers in community-based legal clinics educating clinic participants about their legal rights, assisting with legal forms and pleadings to address consumer debt issues, including unfair or abusive debt collection and credit reporting, and student loan debt relief.
• Identify systemic problems that affect our clients and address these challenges through affirmative litigation and advocacy.
• Collaborate with the local and national consumer justice community.
• Provide workshops and technical assistance to community partners and client community on consumer and economic rights.
• Conduct intake and screening of non-consumer legal issues within BayLegal's practice areas and work with colleagues who practice in those areas to advance the interest of clients.
• Develop relationships with public and private community partners, including governmental agencies, courts, and community-based organizations, to ensure integrative services and address systemic barriers facing BayLegal's client community.
• Work with BayLegal's development, grants and contracts, and communications team to promote BayLegal's mission and resource development.
• Engage in other tasks and projects that further BayLegal's mission and operations as a non-profit.

• A commitment to fostering inclusivity and equity, as well as humility when working with clients and colleagues at the intersection of multiple identities, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigration status, religion, physical and mental disability, and/or limited English proficiency.
• Commitment to complying with all California Rules of Professional Conduct, BayLegal funding requirements, and firm standards, policies, and practices.
• Current proficiency, and ability to improve proficiency, in technological equipment, hardware and software necessary to perform duties of the position.
• Willing to be on-site at BayLegal office or advocacy site at least three days per week and as needed to serve clients.
• Member of CA Bar in good standing or admitted to practice in another state and eligible to practice in California for 3 years under the California State Bar rules for the Registered Legal Services Attorney Program preferred. Candidates who have recently passed the California Bar or will be taking the bar exam at the next sitting are welcome to apply.
• Willing to be on-site at BayLegal office or advocacy site at least three days per week and as needed to serve clients.
• Received or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination by date of hire to be considered. Passion for and desire to work with low-income individuals.
• Experience representing individuals with consumer law issues.
• Experience with student loan debt legal issues preferred.
• Experience providing direct legal services to low-income clients preferred.
• Language fluency and proficiency in language regularly used in services to our client community preferred (wage differential available upon passing test for fluency and written proficiency).
• Experience and skills maintaining organization of time, managing diverse activities, and meeting critical deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proof-reading skills, with ability to be detail-oriented.
• Experience and commitment to working collaboratively with a dynamic team.
• Commitment to complying with all California Rules of Professional Conduct, BayLegal funding requirements and firm standards, policies and practices.
• Current proficiency, and ability to improve proficiency, in technological equipment, hardware and software necessary to perform duties of the position.
• Curious and self-directed with an ability to anticipate what needs to be done.
• Experience and skill to simultaneously manage multiple projects while maintaining a firm grasp of individual details.
• Sense of humor and proactive problem-solver.

HYBRID WORK OPTION: BayLegal is committed to the health and safety of our staff, clients, and community. Being accessible to our client communities and reducing barriers for them to access our services is integral to our mission and commitment as a direct services community-based law firm. BayLegal has health and safety protocols to minimize risk of exposure. BayLegal has an evolving plan to continue to safely increase in-person services and activities in our offices and community-based advocacy sites. BayLegal employees are expected to work on-site and in-person three (3) days per week and may work remotely from home on a part-time basis. Employees are expected to reside in California and at a distance allowing them to commute to their physical BayLegal base location, and to other service delivery locations as needed, during the standard work week.

Compensation and Benefits: We offer a diverse, family friendly environment, and compensation based on competitive public interest salaries along with a generous benefits package. BayLegal's benefits package includes 100% employer covered medical, dental, and life insurance for employees and up to 60% for dependents; BayLegal student debt reimbursement program; long term disability insurance; employee assistance program; wage differentials for multi-lingual employees whose non-English language skills are regularly used in the provision of work tasks and pass a request test of fluency and/or proficiency; dependent childcare employer contribution program; employer paid CA Bar license and/or social work license fees; and 401k retirement plan with BayLegal contribution following first year. BayLegal has a generous paid leave policy which includes sick leave; parental leave; 15 holidays each year; 3 floating holidays each year (days chosen by employee); and vacation (starting at 13 days and increasing with additional years of employment). This is a union position (Bay Area Legal Aid Workers, "BALAW"), and the salary ranges from $ 77,614-$127,707 depending on years of experience and the salary scale can be found on our BayLegal union positions salary scale for

Applications: BayLegal thrives on our diversity, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a culturally diverse workplace and strongly encourage women, LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) and QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals, veterans, individuals who have been impacted by the criminal justice system, persons with disabilities, and persons from other underrepresented groups to apply. We are committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified candidates and employees pursuant to applicable law. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. If you require a reasonable accommodation as part of the application process, please contact BayLegal's Human Resources Manager at:

BayLegal will begin reviewing applications upon receipt and continue until the position is filled. Please submit (1) cover letter including response to question below (no page limit), (2) resume, (3) references, and (4) writing sample through BayLegal's career application.

As part of your cover letter, please address the following:
BayLegal's clients are low-income and very low-income members of our communities. They include LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) and QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals, the working poor, seniors, people who are limited English proficient, veterans, persons with disabilities, survivors of abuse and exploitation, individuals impacted by the criminal justice system, and people who are experiencing or at risk of homeless, and persons from other underrepresented groups. To ensure our organization is best serving these populations, BayLegal strives to promote an evolving set of behaviors and attitudes amongst our staff, as well as policies that enable us to work effectively across cultures, with clients, with our coworkers, and with the community. We see this as a commitment to enhance the provision of our services to all clients; to raise the level of positive client outcomes; and to create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued.

How do you think your experiences, professional or otherwise, prepared you to serve our diverse client base effectively, work effectively with colleagues from different backgrounds than your own, and to contribute to our commitment to humility, inclusion, and diversity? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question, applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences.

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