Employment Opportunities

Staff Attorney Job Description

Date Posted: 06/27/2018

All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or age.

Status Classification: Regular full-time;exempt (salaried)

Salary Range: Starting salary of $52,000 and up depending on relevant experience

Reports to: Supervising Attorneys

Summary: Seeking a juvenile or criminal defense attorney to join Youth, Rights & Justice to represent clients in the Multnomah County Juvenile Court, the Oregon Court of Appeals and the Oregon Supreme Court.

Essential Functions:

1. Exercising good judgement and effectuating the best result for each client based on the facts of each case and the wishes of the client.

2. Vigorous motion practice, thorough investigation and research. Produce accurate well researched memoranda for trial and motion practice.

3. Exploring alternative dispositions. Advises client appropriately regarding dispositional outcomes and alternatives.

4. Pursuing ongoing education and training in field and related topics by attending Continuing Legal Education programs. Active bar members shall complete a minimum of 45 credit hours every three years. At least six of the required hours shall be in subjects relating to ethics, including one hour on the subject of a lawyer’s statutory duty to report child abuse or elder abuse. In alternate reporting periods, at least three of the required hours must be in programs accredited for access to justice pursuant to Rule 5.5(b). Keep informed of current changes in juvenile law and related fields by reading monthly Oregon Advance Sheet. Use resource materials appropriately.

5. Effectively organizing time to maximize effectiveness for clients and YRJ. Accurately maintains Defender Data, personal calendar, etc.

6. Maintains appropriately documented client e-files.

7. Effectively working with legal assistants, investigators and law clerks.

8. Working cooperatively with other YRJ attorneys and staff.

9. Providing coverage for other attorney’s cases when requested.

10. Be committed to YRJ’s mission.

11. Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Experience:

Be in good standing and admitted to practice in Oregon
Excellent legal writing skills
Experience handling dependency and delinquency cases
Juvenile or criminal appellate practice
Ability to work collaboratively, independently and to build and strengthen community partnerships

Preferred Experience:

Felony Qualified with a minimum of 2-3 years of experience.
Education law or background.

Desired Skill:

Bilingual. A salary differential is provided to attorneys who are fluent in a language spoken and written by YRJ clients.

Work environment:

The job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
Reliable transportation to and from court, home visits, client meetings, etc. is required.

Physical Demands: This position requires sitting for periods of time and the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand as necessary.

Travel: Travel is sometime necessary for this position.

To Apply: Please submit a cover letter, resume, references and a legal writing sample by 5:00 pm PST on July 11, 2018 via email to jobs@youthrightsjustice.org.

Legal Assistant Job Description

Date Posted: 06/21/2018

All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or age.

Status Classification: Regular full-time; non-exempt (hourly)

Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Reports to: Supervising Attorneys

Summary: Responsible for attending meetings and managing administrative tasks of legal cases. These tasks generally include editing and preparing correspondence and legal documents, maintaining paper and electronic files, arranging client contact, correspondence, calendaring and general trial preparation and support. Each legal assistant supports two to three attorneys.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following:

1. Opens and prepares new cases following office intake procedures and meeting ethical guidelines for attorneys. Obtains information from DHS, juvenile court, family, police department, health practitioners and schools as appropriate to the case.

2. When directed, attend various meetings and conduct home visits. These meetings may include: client advocacy as directed by the attorney, note taking, driving to various locations around the state and compiling information gathered at meetings and home visits into YRJ data bases.

3. Prepares legal documents, including, but not limited to, subpoenas, motions, orders, affidavits, discovery requests and substitution motions, as requested by the attorney.

4. Conducts on-going case work, including, but not limited to, coordinating investigations process, arranging for interpreters/translators, obtaining information/status update on client, notifying parties of court dates and appointments, updating discovery as needed and trial preparation support. Makes OPDS expense requests. Documents all of the above and enters in the electronic case file.

5. Attends Citizen Review Board hearings, treatment reviews to represent the interests of the client, as requested by the attorney.

6. Schedules appointments, hearings and other meetings for attorneys in the appropriate calendar for the attorney.

7. Responds to clients in a manner that is professional, timely, and ethical at all times to best represent Youth, Rights & Justice.
8. Communicates information to clients in an ethical and professional manner. All legal questions are referred to an attorney.

9. Facilitates the delivery of legal documents via coordinating with others in the office or delivering documents.

10. Meets regularly with assigned attorneys to ensure cases are handled in a manner that meets legal and ethical obligations.

11. Maintains an updated and accurate calendar for the LA and assigned attorneys according to current office policy.

12. Assist with office needs including but not limited to coverage for other legal assistants and office staff, as needed.

13. Develops community resources and contacts and positive working relationships with other professionals in the community.

14. Utilizes various computer programs to enter, maintain and access case files, calendaring and other information as needed.

15. Performs other duties as assigned.

Skills:
Telephone Etiquette
Oral Communication Skills
Written Communication Skills
Legal Terminology
Interpersonal Skills
Organization
Planning
Proofreading and Grammatical Skills
Time Management
Basic Computer Skills

Desired Skill:
Bilingual in Spanish and English

Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education/Experience:
Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies or at least five years of experience.

Certifications/Licenses:
Valid Driver's License, Automobile insurance coverage as required by state law, and a vehicle.

Language Ability:
Ability to read and interpret documents such as court reports, police reports and medical evaluations. Ability to write routine reports, legal documents and correspondence. Ability to speak articulately before groups to advocate for clients.

Math Ability:
Ability to add and subtract two digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10's and 100's. Ability to perform these operations using units of American money and weight measurement, volume, and distance.

Reasoning Ability:
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear and occasionally use sense of smell. The employee is frequently required to sit and use hands and occasionally stand, walk and climb. The physical demands of the job vary on a daily basis and are determined by the location and accessibility of home visit sites. The employee may be exposed to unhygienic environments during the course of home visitations.

Compensation Rate: $15.00 - $18.00 an hour DOE

To Apply: Please send a cover letter and resume by 5:00 pm PST on July 9, 2018 to jobs@youthrightsjustice.org. We will review resumes and cover letters as they are received.