Post-Bar Fellow – SSI Team
About The Position
This position is open to those who will be taking the July 2026 California Bar exam. The position is intended to transition into a full-time staff attorney position on the SSI Team. Under the general supervision of the SSI Team’s Managing Attorney and Supervising Attorneys, the Post-Bar Fellow will be provided with training regarding the basics of SSI/SSDI eligibility screenings, applications, appeals, and hearings. The Post-Bar Fellow will attend outreach events, during which the Post-Bar Fellow will interview prospective clients; determine program eligibility; render legal advice; and draft initial applications and other documents. The Post-Bar Fellow will also assist attorneys in all phases of the administrative hearing process, including research, drafting pleadings, preparing clients, and drafting appeals. Upon passage of the July 2026 California Bar exam, a favorable performance evaluation, and subject to available funding, it is anticipated the Post-Bar Fellow will be offered full-time, permanent employment as a Staff Attorney on one of LASSD’s practice teams.
Requirements
- Applicant must be a recent law school graduate who will be taking the July 2026 California Bar Exam.
- Excellent written and oral communication, research, and analytical skills.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to handle a substantial workload while functioning professionally and effectively.
- Ability to work effectively with community members, staff, volunteers, students, attorneys, and government agencies.
- Desire to work in public interest law and represent our client communities.
- Ability to respond to clients in a calm, empathetic, and professional manner while courteously directing the conversation to the pertinent issues.
- Ability to work independently as well as support team efforts.
- Ability to strategize and prioritize to timely and consistently meet case deadlines, grant deliverables, and reporting requirements.
- Must have reliable transportation.
Nice To Haves
- Experience working in a public interest organization/agency preferred.
- Fluency in written and spoken Spanish, or another language, preferred.
- Demonstrated commitment to serving low-income people.
- Ability to work successfully with people from diverse backgrounds and with LASSD’s client communities.
- Knowledge and/or experience with Social Security Disability benefits.
Responsibilities
- Participates in outreach activities to educate community groups on their rights and on available services.
- Conducts eligibility screenings of prospective clients and determines qualification for SSI/SSDI programs.
- Develops and manages their own workload, through the workup of intakes and cases assigned.
- Drafts initial application forms, letters, requests for records, appeals, briefs, and other legal documents for review by attorneys.
- Conducts legal research, gathers documentation and evidence, and provides legal analysis.
- Provides legal information under the supervision of attorneys.
- Shadows experienced attorneys in client interviews and in court.
- Participates in scheduled team meetings, training sessions, case reviews, and other functions as deemed appropriate or necessary by the Managing Attorney.
- Timely and accurately enters required information on each case into the computerized case management database.
- Maintains compliance with all program and grant requirements, as well as eligibility criteria and professional conduct regulations.
- Maintains the confidentiality and integrity of all information related to all cases, clients, and applicants.
- Other duties as assigned by Managing/Supervising Attorneys and/or Executive Management.
Benefits
- 35-hour workweek
- Paid vacation leave
- Sick leave
- 100% employer-paid medical premium
- 50% employer-paid premium for dependents under LASSD health plan
- Dental benefits
- Vision benefits
- Life benefits
- 403(b)-retirement plan
- Dependent and health flex savings accounts (FSA)
- Law school loan repayment program
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program eligibility
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
