Senior Eviction Defense (UD) Housing Attorney

Open Door Legal • San Francisco, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Open Door Legal (ODL) is a legal aid organization working toward universal access to civil legal representation to reduce poverty. The Senior Eviction Defense (UD) Housing Attorney strengthens ODL’s capacity to represent and assist low-income people, especially BIPOC communities and people at risk of losing their housing, including people living with mental illness or disabilities. The role provides holistic, trauma-informed housing services in San Francisco communities and uses tenant protections, public aid, and partnerships with local organizations to help clients secure their homes.

The attorney represents clients in Unlawful Detainer (UD) proceedings, including complex cases, while balancing casework with supervision and leadership of the Eviction Defense Housing Team. The position includes managing and developing staff, interns, fellows, and volunteers; overseeing the quality of legal advice and representation; maintaining legal knowledge and team resources; and building relationships with courts and community organizations. The role requires a collaborative, culturally humble approach and effective work in a fast-paced, high-volume legal services environment. The position reports to the Managing Housing Attorney and directly supervises members of the Eviction Defense (UD) Housing Team.

This is a full-time, exempt, hybrid position requiring work from one or more office locations at least three days per week. Starting compensation is $89,500–$111,500 annually, based on experience. The ideal start date is December 2026.

Requirements

• At least six years of relevant professional experience.
• At least two years of Eviction Defense (UD) housing law experience.
• Experience directly supervising paid staff attorneys, with references available from attorneys supervised.
• Membership in good standing with the State Bar of California, or licensure in good standing with another state bar; applicants without a license are encouraged to apply to volunteer.
• Knowledge of California civil law and Superior Court civil procedure.
• Genuine motivation to work with low-income clients, many of whom are people of color, and ability to work effectively with clients impacted by emotional, mental, and physical trauma.
• Strong time-management skills to supervise and perform legal work in a fast-paced, high-volume practice.
• Enthusiasm for and commitment to self-learning and professional development.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills, with strong attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal and diplomacy skills, including the ability to give constructive feedback and build relationships with organizations and agencies.
• Ability and willingness to work from one or more office locations at least three days per week.
• Comfort learning and using technology and case management systems; ODL uses Salesforce, Dropbox, and Google Suite.
• Active demonstration of cultural humility and sensitivity to the barriers low-income San Franciscans face in accessing the justice system.
• Demonstrated understanding of effective trauma-informed advocacy for clients in crisis.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Ability to translate and interpret legal information between English and Spanish or Cantonese without assistance; this may come with a slight compensation increase.
• Experience practicing in San Francisco Superior Court.
• Experience working with low-income and vulnerable populations.
• Experience in a high-volume direct-services legal aid or similar environment.
• A significant personal connection to San Francisco, particularly the Bayview/Hunters Point, Excelsior, Sunset, Western Addition, Tenderloin, or Mission neighborhoods.

Responsibilities

• Embody ODL’s mission and lead the team in ensuring clients’ housing needs are met by ODL or other service providers.
• Directly represent Unlawful Detainer clients, handle complex cases, and personally maintain cases according to team needs.
• Conduct or facilitate in-person and virtual intakes across multiple ODL locations.
• Balance individual legal casework with management and leadership responsibilities.
• Maintain expertise in legal advocacy and relevant practice areas to mentor the team and oversee legal advice and representation.
• Hire, train, support, mentor, and manage eviction defense staff, interns, fellows, and volunteers in collaboration with the Director of Talent and Culture, including performance management, professional development, and team culture.
• Represent clients in San Francisco Superior Court litigation matters as needed and build familiarity and relationships with court participants.
• Develop and maintain referral relationships with legal service organizations, social service organizations, private attorneys, and law firms serving UD clients.
• Maintain expertise in Unlawful Detainer law and high-volume direct services, including client management, time management, triage, and self-care.
• Use creative strategies and data to improve team efficiency, department capacity, and progress toward strategic goals.
• Lead knowledge management for the civil law and civil procedure matters handled by the team, including client-management guidance and awareness of diminished-capacity issues.
• Create and maintain systems, checklists, and templates that support consistent, high-quality work with minimal supervision and ensure adherence to best practices.
• Work with team members to develop solutions for case capacity, intake distribution, case-opening standards, department success criteria, quality control, and attorney onboarding.
• Ensure services are sensitive to cultural, socioeconomic, and disability-related barriers, and help the team navigate difficult or tense situations skillfully.
• Maintain positive client feedback ratings for the Eviction Defense Housing department.
• Embody ODL’s values of teamwork, grit, caring, passion, and dynamism.

Benefits

• Conditional loan repayment assistance for qualifying loans under 10-year public interest debt forgiveness, covering minimum payments.
• Medical, dental, and vision plan offerings at 100% coverage.
• Four weeks of vacation and two weeks of sick/care leave.
• Flexible work hours.
• Paid parental leave.
• 401(k) or retirement account.
• Financial investment in individual professional development, including mentorship, coaching, conferences, and workshops.
• Best-in-class technology solutions.

What This Job Offers

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