Staff Attorney - Medical-Legal Partnerships

Description

For over 50 years, Legal Aid Chicago has served as a leading law firm, court and community partner, and stakeholder. Through our expertise, innovation, and strategic relationships, Legal Aid Chicago provides free civil legal services to people experiencing poverty and other barriers to stability. Our legal advocacy advances safety, stability, and opportunity for individuals and families across Cook County and the State of Illinois. With more than 115 full-time attorneys on staff, Legal Aid Chicago is uniquely positioned to address both individual client needs and systemic challenges within the areas where we practice.

Legal Aid Chicago offers a hybrid work environment. Our office, located in downtown Chicago at 200 N. LaSalle Street, is ADA accessible and has convenient access to public transportation and local expressways.?This position requires residency in the Chicago metropolitan area of Illinois. This position may require travel to court or other outreach events.

Position: Legal Aid Chicago seeks a full-time Staff Attorney to join our Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLP) Group, which brings together legal, medical, and public health professionals to address the social determinants of health and interrupt cycles of inequity for vulnerable populations.

Legal Aid Chicago’s Medical-Legal Partnerships work directly with hospitals and health care providers to address social determinants having the greatest negative consequences for client-patients’ health and well-being. We have two active partnerships:

• Health Forward/Salud Adelante with the Cook County Health and Hospitals System to integrate legal, medical, and public      health services in Chicago’s most health-challenged neighborhoods 
• Recovery Legal Care with the University of Chicago Hospital to serve victims of violent crime

The MLP group handles a broad range of legal issues, with primary emphasis on public benefits and related stability concerns, including:

• Public benefits advocacy involving SNAP, TANF, AABD Cash, Medicaid, and other Illinois Department of Human Services programs
• SSI and disability benefits advocacy with the Social Security Administration, including appeals
• Crime Victims Compensation matters
• Collaboration with other Legal Aid Chicago practice groups to address related housing, employment, personal safety, immigration, criminal records, consumer/financial, and other legal issues as appropriate

Responsibilities: 

• Maintain a caseload of individual client matters, with an emphasis on public benefits and related administrative advocacy
• Interview and counsel clients on a wide range of legal issues and provide advice and brief services where appropriate, including some services provided on-site at hospitals or health clinics
• Represent clients before administrative agencies, including the Social Security Administration, Illinois Department of Human Services, and other relevant agencies; court-based litigation for administrative review, petitions for certiorari, and other legal matters when they arise
• Develop and maintain expertise in health-harming legal needs affecting MLP client populations
• Work collaboratively with Legal Aid Chicago colleagues across practice groups to provide holistic legal services
• Engage in more complex litigation or advocacy efforts designed to address systemic issues with supervision and co-counseling support
• Partner and collaborate with medical, care coordination, and behavioral health teams to support the Medical-Legal Partnership service model
• Participate in outreach, legal trainings, and education for health care partners
• Assist with data collection, reporting, and quality improvement activities related to partner and funder requirements
• Maintain accurate case records and timekeeping in Legal Aid Chicago’s electronic case management system
• Participate in additional activities related to legal aid practice, including permissible legislative or administrative advocacy, speaking engagements, and other duties as assigned

Salary and Benefits:

This position is part of the National Organization of Legal Services Workers, UAW Local 2320. The Collective Bargaining Agreement sets employment terms and compensation is determined by the CBA salary scale, based on paid experience.

The budgeted salary range for this position is $70,822-$77,872, which reflects 0-10 years of paid, credited experience. 

Legal Aid Chicago offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Bilingual Staff Attorneys are eligible for an additional stipend
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, effective the first day of employment
• Time Off: 15 vacation days and 18 sick days accrued within the first year of employment
• 19 paid holidays, including four (4) floating holidays
• Twelve weeks of Paid Parental Leave at 100% of the salary after six months of employment
• 403(b) retirement plan with an employer contribution after one year of employment
• $50,000 Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance, at no cost
• Access to Employee Assistance Program resources, at no cost
• Monthly internet stipend
• Legal Aid Chicago is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is an eligible employer for the federal public service loan forgiveness program

Requirements

Legal Aid Chicago encourages applications from individuals with relevant experience, particularly those who have direct experience with communities we serve or perspectives that help us understand and serve our clients better.

Applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• Licensed to practice law in Illinois (preferred)
• Licensed to practice law in another state and eligible to waive into the Illinois bar
• Have a J.D. degree, have passed the Illinois bar, and are waiting to be sworn in

Additional qualifications include:

• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and the ability to learn and use new technology as needed.  
• Highly developed organizational and case management skills
• Trauma-informed client counseling skills and the ability to manage vicarious trauma
• Demonstrated commitment to and experience with communities impacted by poverty and systemic inequity
• Ability to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary and team-based settings
• Ability to effectively communicate legal concepts to non-legal audiences, including regular presentations to medical partners
• Spanish language proficiency is a plus

To Apply: Submit a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and the contact information of two primary professional references and one alternative professional reference. For applicants with previous work experience, at least one reference must be a former supervisor. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the position will remain open until filled.

Legal Aid Chicago is firmly committed to creating a diverse workplace and is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and therefore does not discriminate on the basis of creed, color, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital or parental status, alienage, disability, political affiliation or belief, military or military discharge status, ex-offender status, family responsibilities, reproductive health decisions or any other protected status.

If an accommodation is needed to complete this application, contact Human Resources at humanresources@legalaidchicago.org.

Due to the high volume of applications, we are unable to respond to individual inquiries regarding an application status. We will contact candidates who are selected for the next stage of the hiring process.