Bankruptcy Staff Attorney, Consumer Rights & Economic Justice

Public Counsel is the nation’s largest provider of pro bono legal services. Founded in 1970, it is dedicated to advancing equal justice under law and addressing economic, racial, social, and other inequities by delivering free legal and social services to the most vulnerable members of our community. Public Counsel operates eight legal projects: Children’s Rights, Community Development, Consumer Rights & Economic Justice, Homelessness Prevention, Immigrants’ Rights, Veterans’ Rights, the Audrey Irmas Project for Women & Girls’ Rights, and our impact litigation project, Opportunity Under Law.

Public Counsel has a full-time staff of over 130. We are committed to building a diverse staff and encourage applications from people of color, people with disabilities, and people of all gender identities, gender expressions, and sexualities.

Public Counsel’s Consumer Rights & Economic Justice (“CREJ”) Project is one of the oldest projects within Public Counsel. Our mission is to advance economic justice by providing legal counsel for, and advocacy on behalf of low-income individuals and their families, addressing inequalities in bargaining power, opposing those who take advantage of the vulnerable, and holding wrongdoers accountable.

Reporting to the Supervising Staff Attorney, the new Staff Attorney will;

• Provide counsel and advice, currently virtually but eventually in-person, at twice-weekly consumer bankruptcy clinics, monthly reaffirmation clinics, and monthly bankruptcy workshops;
• Handle bankruptcy and consumer direct services cases, including Chapter 7 bankruptcies, debt collection defense cases, and student loan matters;
• Work with the bankruptcy court and pro bono partners on access to justice issues;
• Train, work with, and supervise pro bono attorneys;
• Undertake outreach efforts, including preparing self-help and educational materials, networking with other advocates, and providing trainings and information to the public;
• Gather and collect data and assist in grant-reporting; and
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Juris Doctor degree and admission to California Bar;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Spanish-language, Korean-language, or Mandarin-language fluency strongly preferred;
• Two to six years of legal experience, including one to three years of post-law school experience as a bankruptcy attorney;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well as part of a team;
• Experience in policy advocacy or a willingness to engage in policy advocacy work at the local, state and national levels;
• Experience working with low-income, diverse ethnic groups, and non-English speaking clients; and
• A commitment to economic, racial, and social justice and community lawyering.

• Salary is in the range of $62,500 – $73,200 for zero through six years of experience
• Immediate full-time, exempt position
• Bargaining position

• • Position is funded by a grant that is subject to renewal
  • Public Counsel offers a competitive benefits package including:
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with both HMO and PPO options,
• The option to enroll in a Flexible Spending Account,
• A 403(b) retirement plan with elective contribution and an employer contribution after a year of employment, and
• Employer-paid life insurance and disability plans.
• Generous paid time off and compensatory time up to 40 hours per calendar year

• Parking and transit benefits

We value lived experiences and experiences working with clients across a range of settings. Please consider discussing such experiences in your cover letter, especially if they are not reflected in your resume.

Please click on this link to apply:

https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/1058018/Public-Counsel/Staff-Attorney—Bankruptcy

Public Counsel requires vaccination against COVID-19 for all employees, including new hires. Pursuant to federal and state laws, Public Counsel will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship.

Public Counsel is generally office-based and will be an effective hybrid-workspace as of June 6, 2022. As such, employees with Public Counsel will be required to work in the office at least one day per week, at the discretion of the head of department. This policy is subject to redesign by leadership. Public Counsel will work in a manner consistent with public health and local and state emergency orders.

Public Counsel is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate against employees or prospective employees on the basis of union membership or activity, race, religious creed, religious observance, ethnicity, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information or predisposition, military service, military and veteran status, pregnancy, child birth and related medical conditions, marital and family status, national origin, ancestry, age, medical conditions as defined by state or federal law, or disability, or any other basis prohibited by law.

All qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.

Our leadership team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities discipline, discharge and general treatment during employment.