Equal Justice Works Americorps
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JOB DESCRIPTION EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS AMERICORPS VETERANS LEGAL CORPS FELLOW
Agency Description: The mission of the Legal Aid Society is to pursue justice for people in poverty. We provide free legal services to the most disadvantaged in our community. We fight on clients’ behalf when their health, safety, and stability are unjustly threatened. Last year, Legal Aid helped nearly 4,000 people who had nowhere else to turn.
Position Summary: Equal Justice Works and AmeriCorps have partnered to provide the Veterans Legal Corps Fellowship opportunity to aid the legal needs of veterans and military families across the nation. The Veteran Legal Corps (VLC) Fellow will provide civil legal assistance to veterans and military families.
One Fellowship is available. Based on Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps guidelines, the term of service will begin in September 2016 and last for one year. Position requires completion of NSOPR, state, and FBI fingerprint criminal background checks as well as compliance with all CNCS Federal Regulations throughout the fellowship program.
The Legal Aid Society’s Veterans Legal Corps Fellow will provide uniform, high quality representation for low-income veterans accepted into the Jefferson and Hardin County Veterans Treatment Courts (VTC) and veterans accepted into the Kentucky Corps of Advocates for Veterans (KCAV). The Fellow will focus his/her efforts to achieve the objective of reducing and preventing homelessness amongst veterans in the Legal Aid Society’s service area through direct legal representation. This is a fellowship position funded by AmeriCorps and Equal Justice Works.
Responsibilities and Duties
The AmeriCorps VLC Fellow will:
1. Provide free, civil legal guidance and representation to veterans accepted into the Jefferson and Hardin County Veterans Treatment Courts. The civil legal issues veterans face include, but are not limited to, securing government benefits for which the veteran is eligible, employment disputes, accessing sustainable housing and medical care, family law matters, legal matters related to wage garnishments, consumer and medical debt, and criminal record expungements. 2. Work with VTC partner agencies such as the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, the Jefferson County Police Department, the Office of the Jefferson County Attorney, and the private defense bar to accept referrals for resolving civil legal issues as part of treatment plans for veterans accepted into the VTC program. 3. Manage the Legal Aid Society’s Kentucky Corps of Advocates for Veterans (KCAV), which provides free legal help to veterans on civil legal issues that prevent them from achieving economic stability. Management of KCAV includes providing direct legal services to veterans, assigning cases to appropriate divisions within Legal Aid, or referring cases to attorneys in the private bar. Provide the veteran community in Jefferson and Hardin County, Kentucky, with free legal clinics on the services that Legal Aid offers. 4. Provide free, civil legal guidance and representation to veterans accepted into KCAV, focusing resources on matters preventing and reducing veteran homelessness. 5. Collaborate with local veteran service organizations and non-profits that provide non-legal services focused on reducing and preventing veteran homelessness. 6. Provide legal representation through the policies and practices consistent with professional standards for the delivery of civil legal services to the poor and consistent with any requirement of Legal Services Corporation and all other funding sources or program policies. 7. Maintain accurate and complete files or records. Prepare reports and timely complete forms and records necessary for client services or administrative tasks related to job. 8. Interact with clients and staff and service providers professionally and appropriately. Establish and maintain rapport with clients to obtain accurate information and to establish trust. Work with other staff on client services or other program tasks in a collegial and cooperative nature. Develop and nurture good relations with service providers who make referrals or otherwise coordinate with the program. 9. Work with supervisor to develop plan for work within program priorities and funding to define balance between impact work and service work, as well as community education and other outreach. 10. Work with supervisor to identify individual training needs and develop strategies with case supervisor to address those needs. 11. Attend and actively participate in planning meetings, trainings and task forces, as well as office meetings. 12. Must be able to operate a motor vehicle and must hold a valid driver’s license and be able to be insured. 13. Occasional night and weekend work hours; some local and out of town travel.
QUALIFICATIONS:
1. Must have demonstrable commitment to understanding and addressing issues of low-income constituents. 2. Must have a J.D. and sat the July 2016 Kentucky Bar Exam with results expected on September 20th; or must have a J.D. and be newly admitted to practice in Kentucky and in good standing; or must be eligible for admission to the Kentucky Bar under Kentucky Supreme Court Rule 2.112 if newly admitted to practice in another state 3. Must have graduated from Equal Justice Works member law school. 4. Must have skills to use office technologies, including case management software. 5. Must be able to balance administrative and client advocacy responsibilities. 6. Must have excellent oral and written communication skills, as well as interpersonal, organizational and negotiation skills and the ability to work as a team member. 7. Knowledge of low-income issues, experience with low-income individuals or families, knowledge of employment law encouraged. 8. Diverse economic, social, and cultural experiences and a second language are preferred.
COMPENSATION:
1. AmeriCorps living allowance of $25,060. 2. Supplemental benefits for documented housing and living expenses up to $19,314.
OTHER BENEFITS:
1. $5,775 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of service. 2. AmeriCorps provided childcare assistance, if income eligible. 3. Legal Aid Society professional development and training assistance. 4. Student loan forbearance and interest accrual payment for eligible loans upon successful completion of service. 5. Participation in Equal Justice Works training opportunities and conferences, as applicable. 6. Legal Aid Society fringe benefits, including health insurance, dental insurance, long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and a flexible benefit plan.
Send resume, cover letter, and three references to Meagen Peden Agnew, Director of Administration, Legal Aid Society, 416 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Suite 300, Louisville, KY 40202, or [email protected].
Legal Aid Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or veteran status.