Staff Attorney - Community Schools Project
Community Schools Project
The Staff Attorney will join Iowa Legal Aid's existing team to provide legal services through school-based clinics. Contingent on funding, the focus will be on helping families with legal issues related to housing, domestic violence, and income security that impact school attendance, performance, and disciplinary issues. The project aims to alleviate these problems and achieve meaningful change.
We work inside and outside the school, partnering with social services organizations to connect families with a wide variety of resources. Currently, Iowa Legal Aid has established Community Schools Projects in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and Davenport. The cornerstone of the project is our onsite legal aid clinics where attorneys meet with school families on a regular basis.
General Regional Office Responsibilities
Staff Attorneys at Iowa Legal Aid bring hope, dignity, and justice to low-income and other vulnerable Iowans through free legal assistance and community legal education. They handle cases ranging from advice and brief service to full representation before administrative agencies and state and federal trial and appellate courts.
Attorneys frequently appear in court and serve clients out in the community through various clinics and outreach events, including expungement and pro se divorce clinics, Eviction Diversion Project Help Desks, and targeted outreach events.
Qualifications
- Graduates of law school and licensed to practice law in Iowa, or eligible for admission on motion
- Prior experience in the practice of law or working with poverty law issues is preferred
- Demonstrated interest in poverty law and strong commitment to providing a full range of legal services to low-income people
- Individuals with Spanish or other language skills are encouraged to apply
Applications
To apply, submit a letter of application, resume, law school transcript (for recent graduates), recent representative writing sample, and names, addresses, and phone numbers of at least three professional references.