Staff Attorney - Elder Justice Innovation Project

Iowa Legal Aid is recruiting a Staff Attorney for our Elder Justice Innovation Project.

Background: Founded in 1977, Iowa Legal Aid serves clients in all 99 Iowa counties through offices in Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Mason City, Ottumwa, Sioux City and Waterloo. Learn more about Iowa Legal Aid at www.iowalegalaid.org.

Staff Attorney Position: Through free legal assistance and community legal education, Staff Attorneys bring hope, dignity, and justice to low-income and other vulnerable Iowans. Legal assistance at Iowa Legal Aid ranges from advice and brief service to full representation before administrative agencies and state and federal trial and appellate courts. In our diverse practice, we prioritize work involving housing, domestic violence, income maintenance, health care, individual rights, and consumer issues to help secure our clients’ most essential needs. Staff attorneys appear in court frequently and serve clients out in the community through expungement and pro se divorce clinics, our Eviction Diversion Project Help Desks, and targeted outreach events. Staff attorneys also play a crucial role in changing systems and achieving justice through impact advocacy.

Elder Justice Innovation Project: The Staff Attorney will support Iowa Legal Aid’s new Elder Justice Innovation Project. The Project will focus on preventing, identifying, and responding to elder financial exploitation by developing and implementing enhanced screening techniques and providing wrap-around services in a broad range of consumer and debt-related cases for clients ages 60 and over. The project’s goal is to intervene sooner in potential elder abuse cases and to provide additional supporting services to help mitigate the risk of future harm. The Staff Attorney will be involved in all aspects of the project, including by providing direct legal services in elder financial exploitation and consumer cases involving older Iowans.

The Project Staff Attorney can work out of any of Iowa Legal Aid’s 10 offices.

Qualifications: Applicants must be law school graduates licensed to practice law in Iowa, eligible for admission on motion, or available for the next scheduled bar examination. Prior legal experience is preferred. Applicants must possess a demonstrated interest in poverty law and have a strong commitment to providing a full range of legal services to low-income people. Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, collegial environment are required. Individuals with Spanish or other language skills are encouraged to apply.

Opening/Closing Date: Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Salary/Benefits:The salary range for this position is $59,000 - $100,104, based on years of legal experience. Excellent fringe benefits are available, including a generous leave, insurance, and retirement package. Iowa is a great place to live and to work for a non-profit, ranking fourth in the country for affordability. See US News & World Report Study Ranks Iowa Number 1 for Opportunity Nationally, Des Moines Register, March 11, 2021.

Applications: To apply, submit a letter of application (indicate geographic preferences), resume, law school transcript (recent graduates only), recent representative writing sample, and names, addresses and phone numbers of at least three professional references.

Excellent fringe benefits are available, including a generous leave, insurance, and retirement package.