Supervising Attorney- Housing

Who We Are

The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley (“Law Foundation”) is dedicated to advancing the rights of historically excluded individuals and families throughout Santa Clara County. Through our legal services, strategic advocacy, and educational outreach, we empower over 10,000 individuals and families each year. Our Housing, Children & Youth, Health and Pro Bono Programs use legal advocacy as a catalyst for social change, creating innovative solutions to the legal challenges facing low-income communities in our region. With a dedicated team of over 85 employees, we are the largest provider of free legal services in the South Bay region of the Bay Area. Learn more at https://www.lawfoundation.org/. 

The Opportunity

We are excited to offer an opportunity for a Staff Attorney to join our Housing Team at Law Foundation. The Housing Department is dedicated to the prevention of displacement of low-income individuals and communities of color through both direct legal services, including unlawful detainer defense, and system change work, including impact litigation and policy advocacy. 

As Supervising Attorney, you will supervise a team of attorneys and advocates in preventing the displacement of low-income individuals and communities of color through direct legal services, including unlawful detainer defense, and system change work, including impact litigation and policy advocacy. This role will require direct service and systematic advocacy work. The Supervising Attorney will report to the Directing Attorney and will work closely and collaboratively with the Supervising Community Housing Advocate.

What You’ll Do

As Supervising Attorney, you will:

• Supervise all housing work, including unlawful detainer defense
• Hire, train, mentor, and provide professional development to staff
• Collaborate with other Law Foundation team members to assist with program design, development, oversight, and administration of the Housing Department
•  Manage the Law Foundation’s systemic change efforts in the housing context, including policy advocacy and impact litigation
• Direct representation of clients in unlawful detainer, affirmative, or impact litigation (as need)
•  Support program and organization-wide initiatives, including race equity
• Train and establish training protocols for attorneys
• Advance a community lawyering strategy in the housing practice
• Develop and maintain public relations with government agencies, decision-makers, and the community
• Oversee and manage contracts
• Provide support to pro bono attorneys and the pro bono housing program
• Participate in fundraising activities including events and grant writing and reporting [SR1] 
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure a seamless and people-centered approach to service delivery

Job Requirements

• Applicants must be current members in good standing with the California State Bar Experience managing a high-volume caseload 
• Ability to identify, investigate and resolve client problems
• Ability to analyze, write and present ideas and legal concepts clearly and concisely
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to multi-task and perform well under pressure in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to work independently and effectively work as a part of a team, both internal and external to the      Law Foundation
• Deep commitment to and passion for the vision and mission of the Law Foundation
• Minimum of five years of experience in public interest law or advocacy services
• Legal supervision experience
• Litigation experience, specifically unlawful detainer defense experience
• Experience in policy advocacy
• Experience managing and assigning work to a team
• Ability to effectively supervise legal work in a fast-paced and high-volume environment
• Ability to effectively develop a team and collaborate with other entities, both internal and external to the Law Foundation
• Ability to work with community-based organizations, government agencies, and decision-makers such as City Council
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to create a culture of feedback and continual improvement
• Experience in community lawyering and willingness to incorporate community lawyering into the housing practice
• Commitment to Race Equity work and incorporating race equity principles into systemic change work
• Demonstrated commitment and ability to work with underrepresented communities, including people living with mental health disabilities, HIV/AIDS, or other disabilities and clients of diverse ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• California Bar Membership or ability to practice law in California
• Knowledge of relevant state and federal constitutional and civil rights laws
• Experience working with community-based organizations and system partners
• The ability to manage a litigation docket effectively and lead a litigation team
• Bilingual capabilities (Spanish or Vietnamese and English)

What We Offer

This is a full-time, exempt position, reporting to the Directing Attorney. The annual salary range for this role is $115,000-128,000. 

We are committed to supporting the well-being, growth, and professional development of our team members. To that end, we offer a comprehensive and competitive benefit package, which includes:

• 19 paid holidays per year
• 3-5 weeks of vacation per year
• 12 days of sick leave per year
• Up to 6 months of parental leave
• Fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums
• Free/discounted mental health therapy and wellness services for employees and their dependents through our Employee Assistance Program
• A 401(k)-retirement plan with employer contributions
• A sabbatical after 5 years of employment
• An additional monthly stipend for those who are bilingual and utilize their language abilities in the course of their job
• An annual budget for professional development
• Employer paid CA Bar license and/or social work license fees
• The flexibility to work a hybrid schedule
• An office building that offers a fully equipped gym, outdoor terrace, convenient on-site parking, bike storage, lounge areas, and 24/7 security

Workplace Expectations

Law Foundation is a hybrid workplace. Please note that the Staff Attorney may be expected to work in our San Jose office a minimum of 2 days/week. 

Working At Law Foundation

Law Foundation is a unionized workplace, and members of the bargaining unit are represented by SEIU Local 521. This position supervises members of the bargaining unit. 

Additionally, Law Foundation is strongly committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for our staff, volunteers, clients, and partners. To achieve this goal, the Law Foundation actively works to improve communications, community engagement, systems and structures, and office culture to create an inclusive and respectful workplace where differences are acknowledged and valued.

We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. Law Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on 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.

Application Process

Application materials must include:

· A cover letter that addresses the following: How has your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, prepared you to contribute to social justice, race equity and diversity among our staff?

· A resume

· Contact information for three professional references. We will always ask for your consent and inform you before contacting any of your references. 

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Priority review will be given to applications received by 9/15/24 . Please note that our interview process includes interviewing by phone, video, and/or in-person.

If you are passionate about making a difference and want to be part of a team that values people, trust, accountability, creativity, joy, and fun, we would love to hear from you!