Staff Attorney, Decatur Office

Atlanta Legal Aid Society seeks an attorney to work in its Decatur office, a branch of Legal Aid, which serves low income clients in DeKalb County and houses several specialty units, including a Home Defense Program, Hispanic Outreach, and a Mental Health and Disability Unit. The office is comprised of two co-managing attorneys, 12 staff attorneys, 8 paralegals, and 6 support-staff members. The position is a full time job with fringe benefits.

Attorneys in this office represent low income persons in a wide variety of civil law problems, using a variety of methods, including community education, brief service, advice and referral, transactional work, negotiation, mediation, and litigation. The attorneys handle a mixed caseload, including domestic relations, housing, consumer, employment, health, public benefits, and education law issues. Attorneys provide community education to low income persons, and are encouraged to participate in local bar and social service associations, and to provide support to various client organizations. They also regularly help staff a Family Law Information Center in the DeKalb Superior Court, and serve a few evening hours at a shelter for victims of domestic abuse.

Qualified candidates must possess excellent legal writing, oral advocacy and work ethic. Communication and listening skills, ability to work in a team and alone, adaptability, and appreciation of diversity are required. A Georgia bar license or eligibility for the next exam is required. Demonstrated commitment to public service, participation in law school clinics, trial advocacy courses, familiarity with areas of poverty law, and previous work with low-income persons are strongly preferred. Fluency in Spanish and experience working with non-English speaking communities are highly valued in applicant selection.

The program asks a new attorney for a 2.5-year commitment. This is a moral commitment not to seek or accept other employment during this initial work period, given the intensive training, supervision, and mentoring invested in each new lawyer. The salary for a licensed attorney is $42,500+, depending upon legal experience. The program provides generous fringe benefits, including paid holidays, vacation, sick, and parental leave; health, life, and long and short term disability insurance; partial payment for dependent and partners’ health insurance; a salary reduction option for a flexible spending account; educational loan reimbursement up to $600 per month (after a $65 deductible), CLE expenses; and Georgia Bar dues.

To apply: A complete application packet must include a letter of application, resume, a legal writing sample that demonstrates your ability to research and analyze a legal issue, the names and phone numbers (and e-mail addresses if available) of three legal references, and an official law school transcript. (A student copy is acceptable, pending your order of an official transcript.) Please mail or e-mail your application to Cheri Tipton, Deputy Director, Atlanta Legal Aid Society, 151 Spring Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303-2097; employment@atlantalegalaid.org. Your application will be acknowledged.

EOE: ALAS considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, or sexual orientation.