Staff/Senior Attorney, Housing Program

Our Values

We value Service, Equity, Humility, and Inclusion and practice:

• Working towards our mission in concert with colleagues, our clients, and community. We recognize that people come to us as whole beings. Service is inherent in treating others the way you want to be treated and recognizing we all have the power to create change.
• Acknowledging, addressing, and reducing harm that results from inequities in society and within our own organization. Working for equity involves decreasing systematic mistreatment and barriers created by systems of social inequality. It also involves working towards increasing shared access to power, privilege, and resources in the community and within the workplace
• Understanding that learning is a life-long process, and we can learn from non-traditional sources, like clients and each other. Humility is listening with active curiosity and thinking about your own reactions and judgments. Humility is appreciating other identities, expressions, behaviors and ways of being and doing that are different from your own.
• Creating an environment where everyone, including those who have been historically excluded, is valued, able to participate fully, and have a voice.

CLSEPA is excited to announce a Staff or Senior Attorney position with our Housing Program. The Housing program’s tenant protection legal work is essential for fighting displacement and improving housing stability for working class communities in San Mateo County and Mountain View. We partner with tenants, tenant associations and other nonprofits organizations to share legal information, work together for collective change, and provide free legal services for all who qualify.

As a Senior or Staff Attorney, you will:

• Provide legal advice and representation to clients on a variety of housing issues, including eviction, habitability, and rent control enforcement.
• Represent clients in unlawful detainer cases, affirmative litigation, and administrative hearings.
• Participate in community outreach events and legal workshops/clinics.
• Maintain and establish relationships with community partners.
• Work collaboratively with organized tenants and tenant advocates.

As an Attorney, you have:

• California Bar membership, pending Bar passage results or Provisionally Licensed Attorney status;
• Demonstrated commitment to serving low-income populations and communities of color;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Ability to relate to and communicate with a broad range of clients and colleagues;
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with others, both within the organization and in the community; and
• Fluency in Spanish, Mandarin, Tongan, or Tagalog preferred.

Compensation

This is a full-time exempt position with the following starting annualized salary ranges (dependent on experience and years out of law school):

• Staff Attorney: $78,000-$86,000
• Senior Attorney (at least three years’ relevant experience): $88,000-$110,000

The ranges provided are CLSEPA’s reasonable estimates of the base compensation for this/these roles. The actual salary amount may be higher or lower, based on non-discriminatory factors such as experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Benefits and Perks

In addition to a competitive compensation package, we offer competitive benefits, including health insurance, generous PTO and a 403(b). To promote and support financial wellness, CLSEPA pays state bar dues, and malpractice insurance. This position qualifies for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Physical Requirements

Prolonged periods of concentration while sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Location

CLSEPA is a hybrid workplace. Employees must reside in the Bay Area or Northern California and be able to commute to their CLSEPA office and other service locations as needed. This position requires one in-person day per week at our East Palo Alto office, as well as travel for in-person client meetings when phone or video meetings are not feasible or when otherwise needed to best serve clients, including court or administrative agency hearings. It will also require commuting for periodic team or all staff gatherings (approximately once or twice per month).

CLSEPA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees/applicants in all of our employment practices without regard to race, religion, color, sex or gender (including gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, pregnancy-and childbirth- related medical conditions), sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, uniform-service member/veteran status, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, taking/requesting statutorily protected leave, or any other basis protected by law.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, CLSEPA will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Application Process

The success of our mission depends on building and maintaining a diverse organization where people with different backgrounds and experiences bring new perspectives and challenge assumptions. To that end, we seek a diverse pool of applicants including those from historically marginalized groups – women, people with disabilities, people of color, formerly incarcerated people, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or gender nonconforming, first- and second-generation immigrants, veterans, and people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible by submitting a resume, cover letter, writing sample and 3 professional references using this link or email jobs@clsepa.org. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Why a cover letter? We want to learn more about why CLSEPA appeals to you. CLSEPA serves a highly diverse, primarily low-income client population of color. Our staff must work effectively across cultures with clients, colleagues, and the community, and help foster an inclusive, respectful workplace where differences are recognized and valued. 

Cover Letter Prompt

Feel free to think broadly about your response to the following question (applying various aspects of your life and personal experiences): How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to service, equity, humility, and inclusion amongst our staff?