Staff Attorney

Position Summary

AVLF seeks applicants for the full-time position of Staff Attorney (NPU-V) in the Standing With Our Neighbors™ (SWON) Program in Atlanta, Georgia. Standing With Our Neighbors is a placed-based legal services program which places attorneys directly in select Atlanta Public Schools and communities for greater access to housing legal help in areas of unlawful eviction, poor living conditions, and similar dire housing legal matters. SWON aims to preserve tenants’ housing, improve resident health and living conditions, reduce school enrollment turnover for students, and enhance student attendance and performance. This staff attorney position operates within the NPU-V community of Atlanta, impacting parents and students of local APS schools.

The staff attorney mainly refers matters to pro bono volunteer attorneys and supports such attorneys while also maintaining a small individual caseload of housing cases. Additionally, the staff attorney will engage in community lawyering for the surrounding neighborhood which entails community education efforts, training for volunteer law firms, and building and maintaining relationships with community partners/organizations alongside a community advocate.

The ideal candidate will have a strong commitment to advocating for tenants alongside community organizations to fight wrongful evictions and poor living conditions.

Staff Attorney Requirements:

• JD degree and a license to practice law in Georgia, with a minimum one (1) year of relevant legal experience. Previous experience representing tenants and/or representing low-income clients is a strong preference (but not required).
• Prior litigation experience defending against cases and bringing affirmative cases, including negotiating solutions with opposing parties.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice and legal services to low-income individuals and/or communities, whether through pro bono work or otherwise
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, including experience and comfort with public speaking. Proficiency or fluency in Spanish is not required but will be given a strong preference.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills, and equally strong analytical legal skills. Experience with volunteer management.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with people of all ages and cultural backgrounds, including communicating with our diverse constituencies – from law firm partners to potential clients
• Works great in teams – will be working with families, volunteers, employees, and more.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and problem solve in a demanding and changing environment
• Great leadership skills and ability to work with a community advocate to support tenants in the NPU-V community.
• Comfortable learning and working with new technology and proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel is a plus

Benefits include:

• Paid bi-weekly
• Hybrid Work Option
• Up to $500 monthly ($6,000 annually) student loan repayment reimbursement
• Employer paid health benefits (employee only)
  • Medical
  • Short term Disability
  • Long Term Disability
  • $50,000 Voluntary Life
  • Hospital Indemnity
• Low-cost benefits
  • Vision
  • Dental
  • Critical Illness
• 17 Company Paid Holidays
• Commuter Benefit
• Paid Parental Leave
• 21 days of paid time off (PTO)
• 2 Personal Floating days
• Automatic 5% employer-paid 401K contribution regardless of contribution

Working Conditions:

Fast-paced hybrid environment with work requiring multi-tasking, prioritizing and strong communication skills. May spend time traveling to and from meetings with clients, community partners and the AVLF office. There may also be required bending and prolonged sitting and/or standing.