Staff Attorney - Chester / Delaware County, PA (Philadelphia suburbs)

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Preparing and completing:
  • Interviewing clients, assisting in determining eligibility for services, and ascertaining and investigating facts;
  • Conducting legal research and interpreting statutes, case law, regulations, and other sources of law;
  • Providing advice and counsel to clients;
  • Preparing legal documents, including but not necessarily limited to briefs, pleadings, motions, notices, correspondence, memoranda, discovery and documents responsive to discovery requests;
  • Developing strategy and arguments for presentation of cases and assisting in preparation of witnesses for hearings and trials;
  • Representing clients in trial and appellate courts and before quasi-judicial or administrative agencies;
  • Reviewing decisions and consulting with management team to determine merit of potential appeals;
  • Engaging with external professional and community organizations relevant to casework;
  • Conducting clinics, community education, and workshops;
  • Participating in LASP team efforts to achieve office and program goals, including program-wide affinity groups and task forces;
  • Developing knowledge of community needs and referral resources;
  • Enhancing skills and substantive knowledge through training, CLE, and other educational opportunities;
  • Abiding by all applicable professional standards of ethics and practice;
  • Completing required administrative tasks including entering of notes and timekeeping in LASP case management software, and maintaining of physical files;
  • Ensuring that requirements of grants and contracts which may provide funding for the position are followed, and assisting with grant reports;

Qualifications

• License to practice law in Pennsylvania or admitted in another jurisdiction and eligible for admission to Pennsylvania.
• At least two (2) years’ experience as a lawyer preferred.
• Demonstrated proficiency in word processing, Outlook products, case management software, and online legal research tools.
• Passionate commitment to public interest law and serving low-income individuals and vulnerable populations.
• Strong written and oral advocacy and organizational skills.
• The successful candidate must be willing to accept complex and challenging cases and develop creative strategies to assist clients.

Compensation and Benefits

Base salary for attorneys starts at $65,500 but salary is commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits, some of which include 401K with generous employer contributions, health insurance option in which 100% of premium costs are provided, ancillary benefits, and liberal leave provisions, including paid holidays, floating holidays, personal leave, vacation, sick, and parental leave.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

LAJP is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate in the recruitment, selection, or advancement of employees on the basis of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information or on any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

To Apply

Send resume and cover letter, including the job title (Chester City Staff Attorney) to Carolyn Johnson, Chief Counsel at Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania, by email to [email protected]. Position will remain open until filled.