BILINGUAL SPANISH SPEAKING STAFF ATTORNEY HOUSING UNIT – SEPTEMBER 2026

Community Legal Services, Inc. • Philadelphia, PA

124d • $65,000

About The Position

We are accepting applications from junior and more experienced bilingual Spanish speaking attorneys with supervision and project-management skills who can start in this role in September 2026. The Housing Unit fights for the stability of vulnerable individuals and families by preventing homelessness through legal advocacy and promoting housing quality and affordability for low-income tenants. The Housing Unit is significantly expanding its eviction prevention services to support implementation of Philadelphia’s Right to Counsel for tenants in court proceedings, as well as legal services support for Philadelphia’s new Eviction Diversion Program. Lawyers in the Housing Unit zealously represent private, public, and subsidized housing tenants in matters involving eviction, illegal lockouts, fair housing violations, termination or loss of subsidy, substandard housing, and discrimination, as well as barriers to stable housing for those with criminal records or domestic or sexual violence issues. Representation includes all the elements of litigation including client interviewing, investigation, discovery, identifying and preparing witnesses and exhibits, pleadings, briefs, and representation at hearings at trial level and appellate levels as appropriate in state and federal court. The staff attorney will primarily represent a high volume of individual clients each week in court hearings and administrative hearings. The staff attorney may also provide supervision and support to paralegals, social workers, and interns who are providing advice, brief service, and some representation. Lawyers in the Housing Unit engage in non-litigation focused advocacy, including policy, administrative and legislative advocacy and racial justice initiatives, as well as organizing and teaching community and professional education sessions on a variety of issues, including lead paint elimination, domestic violence, criminal records, federal housing policy, tenant eviction laws, preservation of affordable housing, etc. Lawyers in the Housing unit also work with the Managing Attorney to establish connections to community and government agency partners and to develop impact advocacy strategies to remove barriers to housing and general access to the courts for low-income individuals and families.

Requirements

• Bilingual in Spanish.
• Strong team player eager to work in a fast-paced, high-volume work environment.
• Commitment to high quality, compassionate representation for clients.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to meet deadlines and perform multiple tasks while maintaining attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to handle direct service cases and impact cases of a complex nature.
• Ability to work cooperatively with staff at all levels of the organization.
• Excellent people skills and the ability to maintain positive relations with a diverse population.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial and economic justice.

Responsibilities

• Represent private, public, and subsidized housing tenants in eviction and housing-related matters.
• Conduct client interviews, investigations, and discovery.
• Prepare witnesses and exhibits, pleadings, and briefs.
• Represent clients at hearings in state and federal court.
• Supervise and support paralegals, social workers, and interns.
• Engage in non-litigation advocacy including policy and legislative initiatives.
• Organize and teach community education sessions on housing issues.
• Develop impact advocacy strategies with community and government partners.

Benefits

• 100% employer paid medical (including gender affirming care).
• Life and short/long-term disability benefits.
• 403(b)-retirement plan with employer contribution.
• Generous leave package including 13 paid holidays and five personal holidays each year.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees