Staff Attorney - Housing and Homelessness Prevention Unit (Hybrid - Must Reside in Southern California)

Public Law Center•Santa Ana, CA

16h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Public Law Center (PLC)’s Housing and Homelessness Prevention Unit seeks an energetic, passionate advocate to join our team in fighting for justice for low- income tenants and self-represented litigants in Orange County through innovative, collaborative, community-centered lawyering to address inequities and pursue access to affordable housing. PLC’s Housing and Homelessness Prevention Unit provides high quality direct representation, in addition to coordinating and supervising pro bono representation, of tenants in cases involving unlawful detainer, discrimination, harassment, housing voucher disputes, affordable housing advocacy and other issues related to housing. The Unit also participates in community education, community-based clinics, and local and statewide advocacy.

Requirements

Active membership in the California State Bar or eligibility to practice under State Bar Multijurisdictional Practice Program preferred
If no bar membership, JD and planning to take the July 2026 California Bar required
Bilingual English/Spanish or English/Vietnamese preferred
Eviction defense and/or housing law experience preferred
Demonstrated commitment to working with low-income communities
Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to communicate with a variety of audiences
Ability to manage multiple tasks, and work independently and as part of a team
Must have reliable transportation
Must Reside in Southern California

Nice To Haves

Bilingual English/Spanish or English/Vietnamese
Eviction defense and/or housing law experience

Responsibilities

Handle a diverse caseload on behalf of low-income tenants, including eviction defense, discrimination, habitability, subsidized housing cases, and other issues arising in landlord/tenant relationships
Coordinate referrals to other PLC units to provide comprehensive legal services
Investigate clients’ cases, including inspection of housing units and obtaining and reviewing documents and records from government agencies
Represent PLC at networking and community outreach events
Full time position with occasional evening and weekend work required
This position requires attendance at meetings, both remote and in person, in and outside the Public Law Center’s offices, and requires being located in Southern California. Must have ability to work at the organization’s offices in Santa Ana, CA, and travel to work sites located throughout Orange County, CA. In addition, travel to Los Angeles County and other neighboring counties may be required
Other duties as assigned

Benefits

Health, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance (100% of employee premium costs paid by PLC, and 50% of dependent health insurance premium costs paid by PLC)
Flexible Spending Account Program to help pay for medical expenses and childcare costs
15 paid holidays per year
Approximately 1 paid week off during office winter closure (between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day)
21 paid sick/wellness days per year to promote mental wellness and general wellbeing
15 paid vacation days per year
Birthday paid time off (2 hours of paid time off during birthday month)
403b retirement plan (after 6 months of employment PLC provides a matching contribution equaling 100% of salary deferral up to a maximum of 3-4%, depending on length of employment)
Monthly $55 stipend for Wi-Fi and cell phone use
Monthly Bilingual Pay Premium upon successful completion of an oral and/or written test ($50 for oral premium and $50 for written premium)
Optional monthly peer support group facilitated by third party mental health clinic
Opportunities for growth and advancement