Staff Attorney

Position: The Oregon Law Center (OLC) seeks a full-time staff attorney to provide civil legal services to low-income clients. The position is based in our Coos Bay office and serves clients throughout Coos, Curry, and Western Douglas Counties. Located on the rugged southern Oregon coast with the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America, Coos Bay has beautiful beaches, forests, and rivers that offer many recreational opportunities. Coos Bay also has a significant Native American population and is famous in the athletic world as the home of track star Steve Prefontaine.

About Us: OLC is a legal services program committed to achieving justice for the low-income communities of Oregon by providing a full range of the highest quality civil legal services. OLC does not receive funding from the federal Legal Services Corporation. OLC operates eleven regional offices, a state support unit, legislative advocacy unit, and statewide farmworker program. OLC works closely with Legal Aid Services of Oregon and other partners in Oregon’s coordinated civil legal services delivery system.

OLC’s Coos Bay office is a four-person team comprised of three attorneys and a legal assistant. We assist clients in meeting challenges to their basic needs including freedom from violence, housing, income maintenance, and protection/enforcement of civil rights. Our office sets priorities according to client need. We seek to make a real difference in clients’ lives and to help eliminate the underlying causes of poverty.

Responsibilities: The staff attorney will handle a combination of impact litigation and individual cases in state and federal court, as well as engage in community outreach to clients, client service organizations, government agencies and other community stakeholders. There are also opportunities to assist with legislative and policy advocacy. As a result of the pandemic, OLC is currently operating remotely, and depending on current circumstances, the individual hired for this position may start their employment working remotely.

Requirements:
• Demonstrated commitment to justice for low-income communities.
• Experience with or interest in complex, impact litigation.
• A high degree of initiative and ability to manage a caseload.
• Desire and ability to work successfully as part of a team.
• Demonstrated ability to take direction and guidance from low-income clients and their
self-identified priorities and work for solutions within the legal process.
• Excellent written and verbal advocacy skills.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills, a sense of humor, and a positive attitude.

Preferences:
• Admission to Oregon Bar, or reciprocal eligibility for admission.
• Proficiency in spoken and written Spanish.
• Life experience with poverty, disability, or other minority affiliation.
• Significant IT skills with cloud-based phone services, Office Suite, and Adobe.

Salary/Benefits: $61,500 to $98,250 depending on experience level. Additional compensation for bilingual ability. Competitive benefits package includes individual and family health, vision and dental insurance coverage, employer retirement contribution, generous paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, paid moving expenses and bar study leave, among others.

Application: Position open until filled. To apply, please submit your resume, cover letter, and list of three references to Bill Niese, Managing Attorney, OLC Coos Bay Office, at bniese@oregonlawcenter.org.
As part of your cover letter, please address the following:

OLC is committed to achieving justice for the low-income communities of Oregon. Our client communities include people of color, farmworkers, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, seniors, people with lived experiences of homelessness, veterans, people with disabilities, and people from other underrepresented groups. It is essential to our work to serve clients that we also work to create an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued.
How do you think your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to: (1) serve our diverse client communities effectively, (2) work effectively with colleagues from backgrounds different than your own, (3) acknowledge the systemic barriers that our clients face, and (4) contribute to our efforts to achieve racial justice? Feel free to provide examples, and apply various aspects of your life and personal experiences, as you respond to this question.
OLC is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a healthy work environment for a diverse staff. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and communities to apply.