ABOUT PUBLIC COUNSEL

Public Counsel is the nation’s largest provider of pro bono legal services. Founded in 1970, it is dedicated to advancing equal justice under law and addressing economic, racial, social, and other inequities by delivering free legal and social services to the most vulnerable members of our community. Public Counsel operates eight legal projects: Children’s Rights, Community Development, Consumer Rights & Economic Justice, Homelessness Prevention, Immigrants’ Rights, Veterans’ Rights, the Audrey Irmas Project for Women & Girls’ Rights, and our impact litigation project, Opportunity Under Law. 

Public Counsel has a full-time staff of over 130. We are committed to building a diverse staff and encourage applications from people of color, people with disabilities, and people of all gender identities, gender expressions, and sexualities.

ABOUT DEPARTMENT

Public   Counsel’s Community Development Project (CDP) strives to build healthy, inclusive, economically stable communities through the delivery of pro bono legal services to community-based coalitions, nonprofits and small businesses in Los Angeles   County. CDP provides transactional legal services to nonprofits that assist lower income people and neighborhoods and to qualifying entrepreneurs that meet our income requirements. CDP also supports community led advocacy groups and community based organizations in their efforts to advance racial and  economic justice and build power in low-income communities and communities of color. Since 1994, CDP has provided legal support for small businesses in our communities because of the important role they play in offering pathways to financial independence and economic justice.

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Directing Attorney the Supervising Staff Attorney will:

• Provide legal assistance to low-income small business owners both directly and through recruitment and supervision of volunteer attorneys from the private bar – types of matters include renegotiating small business leases, employment advice, choice of entity, incorporation and corporate compliance, contract drafting and negotiation, pre-bankruptcy counseling, intellectual property, and responding to unlawful detainer lawsuits;
• Create and deliver educational programming and substantive legal trainings to clients, community-based organizations, and pro bono attorneys;
• Directly supervise, train, and mentor junior attorneys, administrative staff, and pro bono attorneys/volunteers in providing legal services and substantive legal trainings to business owners;
• Conduct outreach and client intakes, and act as a spokesperson on significant community development issues;
• Manage existing grants, lead and support efforts to meet grant deliverables, and ensure grant deliverables are accurately accounted for and reported; 
• Assist the Directing Attorney in pursuing grant opportunities and assist in grant writing in relation to small business and community development work; 
• Participate in local and state small business coalitions; 
• Identify systemic barriers to low-income entrepreneurship and inequities that impact low-income small businesses, and work within coalitions to develop strategies to remove such barriers and inequities; 
• Contribute to the team and organization as a whole by taking part in organization-wide activities, including integrating diversity, equity and inclusion policies into our work and workplace; and
• Other duties as assigned.

 ESSENTIAL JOB SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• At least 5 years of legal experience;
• Must be a member in good standing of the State Bar of California; 
• At least three years of legal experience relevant to small businesses—for example, supporting businesses in areas such as corporate law, commercial leasing and real estate, contracts, and general counsel legal needs. Experience with the following is a plus but not required: unlawful  detainer proceedings, bankruptcy, and policy advocacy. 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well as part of a team;
• Experience working with low-income, diverse ethnic groups, and non-English speaking clients;
• At least 1 year of supervisory experience required;
• Fluency in a language representative of underserved small businesses preferred, including but not limited to Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, Korean, Vietnamese, or Thai;
• Strong commitment to trauma-informed advocacy, economic, racial, and social justice and community lawyering.

JOB TYPE AND BENEFITS

• Full-Time, Exempt position
• Non-Bargaining
• Salary Range: The salary range for this position, $72,775 to $104,358.55, is commensurate with 5 to 15 years of experience plus a Supervisor supplement of $5,000.
• Public Counsel offers a competitive  benefits package including:
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with both HMO and PPO options, 
• The option to enroll in a Flexible Spending Account, 
• A 403(b) retirement plan with elective contribution and a discretionary employer contribution after a year of employment, and       
• Employer-paid life insurance and disability plans.
• Generous paid time off and compensatory time up to 40 hours per calendar year
• Parking and transit benefits

HOW TO APPLY

We value lived experiences and experiences working with clients across a range of settings. Please consider discussing such experiences in your cover letter, especially if they are not reflected in your resume. 

PUBLIC COUNSEL VACCINATION POLICY   AND COVID-19 PROTOCOLS

Public Counsel requires vaccination against COVID-19 for all employees, including   new hires. Pursuant to federal and state laws, Public Counsel will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship.

Public Counsel is generally office-based, but remote work has been permitted during the pandemic. All employees with Public Counsel are required to work in the office at least one day per week, at the discretion of the head of department. This policy is subject to redesign by leadership. Public Counsel will work in a manner consistent with public health and local and state emergency orders.

PUBLIC COUNSEL EEO POLICY

Public Counsel is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate against employees or prospective employees on the basis of union membership or activity, race, religious creed, religious observance, ethnicity, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information or predisposition, military service, military and veteran status, pregnancy, child birth and related medical conditions, marital and family status, national origin, ancestry, age, medical conditions   as defined by state or federal law, or disability, or any other basis prohibited by law.

All qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles   Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.

Our leadership team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities discipline, discharge and general treatment during  employment.