Housing Rights Legal Clinic Staff Attorney

Details•San Diego, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of San Diego (USD) School of Law is seeking a full-time temporary Staff Attorney for its Housing Rights Legal Clinic (HRLC). This position, with an anticipated end date of December 31, 2027, is renewable based on performance and funding. The HRLC operates as a working law office, providing upper-division law students with practical experience under the supervision of practicing attorneys while representing real clients. The Staff Attorney will manage a caseload of housing rights cases, focusing on issues causing housing instability, including eviction defense, tenant rights assistance, habitability, anti-harassment, retaliation, and unfair debt collection practices. The clinic also offers advice, mediation, training, renter education, and advocacy, aiming to increase affordable housing, improve housing stability through income/benefits, and assist victims of domestic violence.

Requirements

J.D. degree
Active membership in the California State Bar (in good standing)
One year of experience practicing law in housing rights or eviction defense
Familiarity with computerized case management systems for legal practice
Demonstrated skills in customer service, including problem-solving
Ability to communicate effectively both in person and in writing

Nice To Haves

Experience dealing with community-based organizations and volunteer groups
Demonstrated analytical skills utilized in budgeting and grant reports
Fluent in Spanish and English (both written and verbal)

Responsibilities

Maintain a reasonable individual caseload of client cases, providing direct client contact and support, representing and advocating on behalf of clients, and consulting with supervising attorneys to determine appropriate legal strategy.
Help supervise the Eviction Negotiation Program, providing negotiation assistance to in pro per tenants facing trial.
Provide secondary supervision for paralegals, support staff, and legal interns.
Develop orientation and training programs for legal interns.
Supervise and evaluate substantive casework provided by legal interns.
Provide administrative/operational supervision of the Legal Clinics program, monitoring law office procedures, including case opening/closing, record-keeping, and file maintenance.
Ensure continuous representation of clients during non-academic periods when law students are not available.
Assist Professor of Practice to complete annual grant applications and other reporting requirements.
Organize case data for reporting and publicity.
Compile and submit interim and annual reports as required by grantors.
Analyze and report year-to-year trends in case management.
Monitor case diversity.
Coordinate, develop, and provide educational outreach presentations in English and Spanish at various community locations.
Identify and engage new community partners to increase the referral network for eligible program clients.
Create and distribute informational handouts and posters for clients to community partners.
Coordinate continuing education (MCLE) events at the USD Legal Clinics.
Review and analyze proposed legislation and regulatory policies affecting housing rights, access to housing, affordable housing, and fair housing issues.
Perform other tasks as required/assigned.