Staff Attorneys - Education Unit

The Organization: The Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts (JCSM), a subsidiary of South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. (SCCLS), is a vibrant and growing non-profit legal aid program where our core mission is to fight injustice and poverty by advocating on behalf of low-income individuals and families across Southeastern Massachusetts, the Cape, and Islands in civil matters when their basic needs are at stake. The organization prioritizes legal services in housing, public benefits, elder law, domestic relations, employment, education, immigration, and consumer matters.

JCSM, together with SCCLS, has a staff of over 100 and is the principal provider of civil legal aid in the region. We operate from offices in Brockton, Fall River, New Bedford, and Hyannis. Our team provides representation and litigation services to thousands of people each year, while also delivering a wide range of community outreach and educational programs. We seek candidates who are committed to advancing equal access to justice and opportunity through client-centered advocacy. This is an opportunity to join a collaborative, mission-driven team dedicated to delivering impactful legal services to some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. JCSM is located in downtown Brockton, MA.

The Role: JCSM seeks to hire two Education Attorneys to work with a robust and dynamic education unit. The Education practice seeks systemic change in the larger districts in our region and represents vulnerable students to ensure they are not excluded from educational opportunities or directed away from those opportunities due to disability, a language barrier, race, national origin, gender identity or poverty. The team will identify and challenge underlying education policies and practices that contribute to the denial of access to a quality education, resulting in low-expectations, ineffective instruction, and inadequate interventions.

Responsibilities Include:

• Provide high-quality zealous legal representation, counsel and/or referrals;
• Participate in, or conduct, community education and outreach;
• Participate in team meetings;
• Identify and participate in systemic advocacy projects;
• Engage in continuous learning in education law;
• Participate in other program activities to further organizational goals and mission.

Competencies/Qualifications:

• Admitted in MA or eligible for admission; prior education law, poverty law and/or litigation experience preferred;
• Demonstrated experience representing vulnerable or marginalized populations required; commitment to working with clients who may have experienced poverty, trauma or discrimination required;
• Ability to work independently and as a team member; goal and detail oriented with ability to prioritize; possess vision and sense of urgency in addressing client needs;
• Commitment to race equity, anti-racism and economic justice in the workplace and in providing legal services; prior racial justice and/or systemic focused experience highly desirable;
• Ability to engage effectively in person and remotely with people from diverse cultures, with diverse opinions and values, including with staff, volunteers, students, community members and funders;
• Fluency in a second language which reflects our client communities (Haitian Creole, Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole, Vietnamese, Khmer) desirable.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Salaries are based on a collective bargaining agreement scale starting at $72,500 with yearly standard increases and multi-lingual annual increment for demonstrated language skills. Benefits package includes health and dental with supplemental coverage, life insurance, disability, flexible spending account, 403(b) and loan forgiveness.Generous paid leave including sick, vacation, personal and holidays.

APPLY: Submit letter of interest, resume and legal writing sample by email to: LThelin@sccls.org with Subject Line: Education Attorney. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

South Coastal Counties Legal Services and its subsidiary are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of age, class, color, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender, national origin, race, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. We welcome applicants from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences. We strive to foster a healthy, inclusive environment where all staff, clients, and community members are valued, empowered and recognized.

Benefits package includes health and dental with supplemental coverage, life insurance, disability, flexible spending account, 403(b) and loan forgiveness. Generous paid leave including sick, vacation, personal and holidays.

Fluency in a second language which reflects our client communities (Haitian Creole, Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole, Vietnamese, Khmer) desirable.