Job Description

Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP), a statewide nonprofit law firm, seeks a Housing Attorney to work in the Savannah Regional Office.

About Georgia Legal Services Program

Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP) is a statewide, nonprofit public interest law firm in Georgia that offers free civil legal services to low-income individuals, fostering equal access to justice and opportunities out of poverty. GLSP is founded on the belief that everyone deserves high-quality legal services regardless of income, age, race, or other demographic factors.

GLSP runs 10 regional offices that serve Georgians with low incomes living outside metro Atlanta in 154 of the state’s 159 counties. GLSP employs approximately 182 full-time staff members. We provide free legal aid across a wide range of civil issues, including family law, housing, access to public benefits, eviction prevention, farmworkers' rights, and educational access.

The Housing Attorney will represent tenants of private landlords and tenants receiving government-funded housing assistance. The Housing Attorney will represent tenants in eviction actions and other housing-related matters, including repair and maintenance issues, housing discrimination, retaliatory evictions, and security deposit retention. The Housing Attorney will work to address systemic barriers to reduce evictions, address housing conditions, and improve tenant access to justice.

This position has the possibility of being a supervisor position with a higher salary range, depending on the candidate’s years of experience. The Supervising Staff Attorney position is a management-level role that provides supervision, mentorship, and increased specialization in legal practice, in addition to the duties of other staff attorneys. They maintain a caseload in accordance with their experience and their case goals.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide direct representation in court to tenants facing eviction to prevent the loss of housing, address housing conditions, and assert fair housing rights.
• Address systemic issues such as substandard housing, self-help evictions, wrongfully withheld security deposits, evictions to enforce land sale contracts, and other matters related to rental housing.
• Public housing rent is based on the tenant’s income and affords residents critical protections lacking in other types of housing. The legal work will range from representing tenants in public housing grievance hearings to eviction trials seeking that the Housing Authority of Savannah comply with federal and state law, including the Fair Housing Act. Immediate emphasis will be on representing tenants living in one of the South’s oldest Black communities, Yamacraw.
• Represent one or more public housing resident councils, including the Yamacraw Resident Council in downtown Savannah. Participate in community outreach activities such as housing clinics.
• Work with local code enforcement to effectively address conditions and document the need for such services.
• Work with courts to adopt policies and practices that allow tenants to effectively present their case, assert their legal rights, and access the court. In so doing, promote systemic change by removing economic, educational, and linguistic barriers that prevent low-income tenants from accessing justice.

Supervision and Mentorship Responsibilities (must have at least 5 years of experience practicing law)

· Ensure supervisee’s training and orientation complies with policies and procedures identified by GLSP.

· When assigned a supervisee who directly handles cases, employ supervision practices noted in GLSP’s Minimum Standards of Supervision. Review this document periodically, but no less than annually.

· For supervisees who have recently passed the State Bar of Georgia bar examination, ensure supervisee completes GLSP’s Transition into Law Practice Program (TILPP) in a timely manner and in accordance with the TILPP checklist.

· Based on experience, grant requirements, GLSP performance goals, and other factors, collaboratively set goals and metrics with supervisee. Review performance regularly in accordance with these goals/metrics. Where performance does not meet the agreed-upon standard, collaboratively develop a performance improvement plan.

· In collaboration with the Regional Operations Manager and/or Department of Finance, review supervisee timesheets and leave to ensure compliance. Approve leave requests in accordance with GLSP policy.

· Communicate transparently with and provide training/support to supervisees related to their job description and performance. Advocate on their behalf to other members of management on matters impacting the supervisee’s ability to succeed in their assigned duties.

· Provide no less than quarterly feedback to supervisee on performance. Conduct a formal performance evaluation annually in accordance with GLSP’s evaluation system.

· Receive grievance complaints involving supervisee. If a grievance must be escalated, direct the individual to a Managing Attorney.

Regularly review closed cases of any case-handling supervisee, no less than quarterly.

Benefits

• Salary range $60,000 - $78,725, dependent upon experience and qualifications. Supervisor Salary range $74,850 - $125,186, dependent upon experience and qualifications.
• Probationary period: 6 months
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Option to enroll in a Flexible Spending Account
• Employer-paid life insurance and disability plan
• 15 accrued vacation days, including 2 personal days. Vacation days increase to 20 days after 3 years of employment
• 12 accrued sick days
• 13 paid holidays, including your birthday holiday
• 3 Summer Days (paid holidays of your choosing during the summer)
• Minimum 7 hours per workday/35 hours per week. All attorneys are expected to work the hours necessary to fulfill the responsibilities and requirements of their position.
• 403(b) retirement plan with GLSP 4% match up to $5,000
• Up to 10 weeks paid parental leave
• Organizational Wellness activities
• Professional development opportunities
• Additional supplement for employees who pass GLSP’s Spanish proficiency test and use Spanish in their GLSP position

Requirements

Qualifications

· Graduate of an accredited law school and current member of the Georgia Bar.

· The ideal candidate must demonstrate strong people skills and the ability to effectively manage the needs of both clients and staff.

· Working knowledge of Georgia landlord-tenant law and experience representing tenants in Georgia courts preferable.

· Excellent communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate with different audiences through public speaking, writing, partnership development, and community education events.

· Strong organizational skills and ability to perform tasks necessary to maintain a substantial active caseload of advocacy and litigation.

· Ability to analyze, write, and present ideas and legal concepts clearly and concisely.

· Willingness and demonstrated ability to work as part of a team professionally and collaboratively.

Additional qualifications:

· Excellent writing and oral advocacy skills.

· Experience serving a diverse client population is desired.

· Valid driver’s license and operable vehicle.

· Computer literacy, which includes familiarity with using email, Excel, Word, SharePoint, LegalServer, and other computer programs.

· Ability to speak Spanish is a plus.