Homeowner Justice Attorney

Community Economic Defense Project

10d • Remote

About The Position

The Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP) is a Colorado-based nonprofit launched in 2020 as the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project. Initially formed to keep neighbors housed during the pandemic, CEDP has evolved to offer an integrative approach to eviction, foreclosure, and homelessness prevention. The organization now serves over 1,000 people monthly, combining housing lawyers, economists, data analysts, policy experts, organizers, and technologists. CEDP has assisted over 68,000 low-income Coloradans across 54 counties, distributing more than $280 million in emergency assistance, and has influenced legislation to prevent eviction, stop economic abuse, and reduce costs for essential items. Their model has been recognized by the White House, HUD, and the Urban Institute. Building on their eviction prevention work, CEDP has expanded its services to include disaster response, predatory towing, debt collection, benefit access, long-term rental assistance, and homelessness response, offering a continuum of care that includes navigation, advisory services, targeted payments, legal support, and advocacy. CED Law, the legal arm of CEDP, includes both tenant and homeowner legal services teams and is expanding its offerings. Foreclosures, predatory lending, and abusive mobile home park owner practices continue to impact low- and moderate-income homeowners in Colorado. CEDP is increasing its capacity for affirmative litigation, focusing on strategic, high-impact cases on behalf of consumers statewide.

Requirements

• Admission or eligible for admission to the US District Court for the District of Colorado.
• Admission to or eligible for admission to the Colorado State Bar (current admission preferred).
• 2+ years of litigation experience at a non-profit organization, government enforcement agency, legal services provider, or private law firm, with a strong preference for candidates with experience in mortgage servicing, predatory lending, consumer protection, fair lending, bankruptcy, civil rights, housing justice or other relevant litigation.
• Demonstrated passion for social and racial justice.
• Robust research and drafting capabilities.
• Strong desire to center client and community needs.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
• Knowledge of MS Office suite, CLIO, Google Suite desired.
• Willingness and ability to travel within Colorado to serve clients effectively.

Nice To Haves

• Other language skills are a strong plus and are eligible for an additional stipend.
• Interest in or experience with class actions or other multi-plaintiff litigation is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Bring affirmative litigation on behalf of low- and moderate-income homeowners and mobile homeowners. Representative matters may relate to abusive lending practices, mortgage servicing errors, sales of defective mobile homes, exploitative mobile home park owner practices, fair housing issues, title disputes, HOAs, and other topics. Clients may include individuals or classes of individuals who have experienced substantially the same harms.
• Seek to vindicate the rights of low- and moderate-income homeowners to prevent loss of property from foreclosure, mobile home lot eviction, and replevin actions.
• Litigate cases using state and/or federal consumer protection law, real property law, state and/or federal fair housing law, Colorado’s Mobile Home Park Act, and other statutes as appropriate.
• Work as part of a team or as lead attorney, depending on the case, to successfully litigate claims in state and/or federal court through all stages of litigation, from complaint through resolution. This may include motion practice, fact and/or expert discovery, depositions, and trial, as well as mediation and/or informal settlement negotiation.
• Set and complete case goals identified by supervisors and/or in partnership with supervisors.
• Meet for weekly check-ins with direct supervisor and for All Firm and team meetings.
• Coordinate across CEDP to ensure timely tracking and reporting of case completions.
• Attend hearings, court appearances, and conferences based on case requirements.
• Interact with and present to partners across the organization to serve clients efficiently and effectively.
• Prepare and present on homeowner and mobile homeowners’ rights to groups of clients, partners across the organization, and partner organizations across the state.
• Complete required documentation for both case tracking and also personal management.
• Fulfill other duties as required.

Benefits

• Competitive pay
• Flexible time off
• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401(k)
• Technology stipend of $720 per year
• Salary differential for employees who utilize two languages or more at work ($2,000 per year)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed