Temporary Reentry Staff Attorney - Contra Costa County

Bay Area Legal Aid (BayLegal) staff provide free civil legal services to individuals and families living in poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area.  We practice in multiple inter-related legal substantive areas to prevent and stop homelessness, increase economic stability, protect low-income consumers, expand access to healthcare, and enhance safety for survivors of interpersonal violence. Our clients include the working poor, families with children, foster youth, seniors, immigrants, veterans, individuals impacted by the criminal and juvenile legal systems, and persons with disabilities.  The core of our community-based practice is working alongside our clients to protect their legal rights, resolve immediate crise and remove legal barriers to long-term stability and escaping poverty.  BayLegal is also uniquely positioned to identify patterns of illegal practices and opportunities to protect our clients’ rights and increase efficiency and effectiveness of public services through broader advocacy and impact litigation given our regional community-based service model and wide range of access points, including legal hotlines, six county offices, community-based advocacy clinics, and intake points.

BayLegal’s Reentry Practice:  We provide wrap-around legal services to individuals with arrest or conviction histories causing barriers to successful reentry.  Through our advocacy, we address a broad range of collateral consequences of the criminal legal system, including criminal record remedies, license suspensions, traffic court debt, public benefits, housing denials due to criminal record, employment and occupational license denials, and consumer issues. 

Position: BayLegal seeks a temporary staff attorney with a strong commitment to public interest and social justice to join our Contra Costa office, based in Richmond. This position will require travel to all parts of Contra Costa county as necessary to serve our low-income clients.  Additionally, our regional reentry team meets regularly in BayLegal’s Oakland office and there may be occasional travel to our other service areas to meet with clients, appear in court, or attend training. This is a temporary position lasting approximately 6 - 7 months. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Learn and advocate for the diverse legal needs of communities affected by systemic and structural inequities in Contra Costa Counties and the broader Bay Area to reduce homelessness, enhance stability and address social injustice. 

• Represent clients—in court, administrative hearings, and/or via other forms of advocacy—in matters including driver's license suspension, traffic debt, criminal record remedies, housing, public benefits, consumer, employment, and other civil legal cases as needed on behalf of individuals who were formerly incarcerated. 

• Coordinate reentry and traffic legal clinics. 

• Provide workshops and technical assistance to community partners and client community on civil legal barriers imposed by the criminal legal system and the rights and options available to mitigate them. 

• Develop relationships and engage in collaboration with a range of public and private community partners, including governmental agencies, courts, and community-based organizations, to ensure integrative services and collaboratively address systemic barriers to reentry. 

• Engage in other tasks and projects that further BayLegal's operations as a non-profit. 

Required Qualifications:

• Humility in working with colleagues and clients across the spectrum of diversity, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigrant status, religious identity, physical and mental disabilities, and/or limited English proficiency. 

• Commitment to complying with all California Rules of Professional Conduct, BayLegal funding requirements, and firm standards, policies, and practices. 

• Current proficiency, and ability to improve proficiency, in technological equipment, hardware and software necessary to perform duties of the position. 

• Understanding of disparities within the criminal legal system and their disproportionate impact.  Demonstrated commitment to working with formerly incarcerated individuals.

• Member of CA Bar in good standing. Candidates who have recently passed the CA Bar are welcome to apply. 

• Must have received or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination by date of hire to be considered.  

• Experience and skills maintaining organization of time, managing diverse activities, and meeting critical deadlines with minimal supervision. 

• Experience and skills to simultaneously manage multiple projects while maintaining a firm grasp of individual project details. 

• Excellent writing, editing, and proof-reading skills, with ability to be detail-oriented.

• Experience and commitment to working collaboratively with a dynamic team.

• Skilled in clear, concise, and effective communication with colleagues, partners, and stakeholders, including in writing, meetings, and public presentations. 

• Curious and self-directed with an ability to anticipate what needs to be done.

Hybrid Work Option: BayLegal is committed to the health and safety of our staff, clients, and community.  Being accessible to our client communities and reducing barriers for them to access our services is integral to our mission and commitment as a direct services community-based law firm.  BayLegal employees are expected to work on-site and in-person at a BayLegal office or  community-based advocacy site at least three (3) days per week and may work remotely from home on a part-time basis.  Employees are expected to reside in California and at a distance allowing them to commute to their physical BayLegal base location, and to other service delivery locations as needed, during the standard work week. 

Compensation and Benefits: We offer a diverse, family-friendly environment, and compensation based on competitive public interest salaries along with medical and dental benefits, paid holidays, and sick leave.  Compensation is based on experience and competitive public interest salaries. The estimated annual salary range is $72,000 - $106,000, placement in range determined primarily by years of related experience. 

Work Environment & Physical Demands:
Work Environment: This position is primarily sedentary and currently hybrid remote. When in the office, the applicant can expect to be working at a desk in a temperature-controlled office, in a modular space or individual office. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical demands: While performing duties of job, employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear. Employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Applications:  BayLegal is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Reasonable accommodation is available upon request.  

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.