Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor - Clean Slate

East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is a non-profit legal services organization, the community-based clinical program for U.C. Berkeley Law School, and one of the Bay Area’s largest and most effective systems disrupters. With a dual service and teaching mission, EBCLC is a racial justice organization committed to building a culturally diverse workplace, centered on an internal Equity and Inclusion Roadmap that outlines the organization’s equity priorities. EBCLC is also an organized workplace, having reached its first collective bargaining agreement in July 2021. With about 80 staff, 150 law students a year, and a nearly $10 million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal services in Alameda County, providing multimodal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 5,000 clients annually and engaging in legislative and policy advocacy at the state and local level.

EBCLC is hiring a Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor in our Clean Slate Clinic to lead our local, regional, and statewide policy campaign work to address the disproportionate impact of traffic enforcement, fines and fees, and court debt on low-income communities of color. The Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor will also provide brief legal services to clients who need assistance with traffic tickets, parking tickets, license suspensions, and towing issues. The Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor will also have the opportunity to work with clients seeking to clear their criminal records and unhoused clients who are targeted by municipal and State enforcement agencies. 

Primary Responsibilities 

• Advocating before and engaging with local and county-level government agencies to implement recently passed State laws to provide relief to those most impacted by fines & fees;

• Engaging in policy advocacy to decriminalize Black and Brown drivers targeted by law enforcement. Regularly attend Back on the Road Coalition meetings as well as Debt Free Justice California meetings;

• Support the drafting and engage in lobbying for the passage of legislation at the State level to remove financial penalties or otherwise relieve families of financial burdens related to their contact with the criminal legal system;

• Maintain and update self-help guides for clients with parking tickets, traffic tickets, license suspensions, or recently towed vehicles. Answer any questions clients may have regarding self-help guides and processes for the aforementioned;

• Work with the Program Coordinator to determine clients eligible for Homeless & Caring Court to vacate past court debt;

• Participate at least once a month in both Record Remedies in-person clinic and Homelessness community office hours;

• Provide backup direct representation for clients in the Record Remedies and Homelessness sub-units when primary attorneys in those units are unable to;

• Supervise Law students interning in EBCLC’s Clean Slate practice.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications 

• J.D. degree required, member of the California State Bar in good standing

• At least one year of experience in either policy advocacy or legal services

• Excellent time management, priority-setting, and organizational skills

• Excellent written and oral advocacy skills

• Ability to work effectively with a diverse range of groups, including people of color, homeless people, immigrants, non-English speakers, people with mental disabilities, people experiencing domestic violence, law students, service providers, government employees, community partners, elected officials, and law school faculty 

• Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, and demonstrated ability to work well independently and as part of a team 

• Experience providing services to low-income people

• Experience with, or strong interest in, law student supervision and teaching

• Bilingual skills in Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin preferred 

Salary and Benefits

Starting salary for this full-time exempt position is $68,000 - $90,000 based on the law school graduation date, as the EBCLC salary scale dictates. 

Benefits include fully paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision) for employees and their dependents, life and disability insurance, and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, and holidays); EBCLC also offers flexible spending accounts for qualified health, dependent care, and commute expenditures. 

Workplace Expectations

Due to COVID-19, many EBCLC employees are primarily working remotely. Please note that the Staff Attorney will be expected to attend legal clinics, case rounds, and other meetings in person as necessary to complete work. EBCLC will provide the equipment needed to fulfill the job responsibilities of working from home. 

Working at EBCLC

EBCLC is a unionized workplace and members of the bargaining unit are represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20, IFPTE. This position is part of the bargaining unit. 

EBCLC is strongly committed to advancing justice through education and advocacy, and the need to transform legal services and legal education. Please take time to review EBCLC’s mission, vision, programs, and website, and ensure that your cover letter reflects how your background, experience, and expertise have prepared you to be successful in performing the responsibilities of the position. 

Additionally, EBCLC is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. 

To achieve this goal, EBCLC works actively to improve our office climate, systems and structures, communications, and community engagement to create an inclusive and respectful workplace where differences are acknowledged and valued. In your cover letter, please address how your personal background and experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural responsiveness and diversity amongst our staff. 

We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. EBCLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior contact with the criminal legal system, or any other basis prohibited by law. 

How To Apply:

Interested applicants should submit an application by visiting https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/1749522/East-Bay-Community-Law-Center/Staff-Attorney---Clinical-Supervisor---CS

EBCLC will review applications on a rolling basis. Application materials should include a cover letter, resume, short writing sample, and names/contact information for two professional references. The position will remain open until filled.