BayLegal seeks an Attorney with a strong commitment to public interest and social justice advocacy to join our Napa office to preserve tenancies for low-income tenants in Napa County.  In this position you will have the opportunity to join a small collaborative local team in Napa and BayLegal’s larger regional practice and social justice team.  Your direct supervisor is the Napa County Regional Office Managing Attorney and in addition to the regional housing practice team BayLegal’s Housing Regional Counsel is available to provide mentorship and strategic support.  This position is based in our Napa office, and includes traveling to all parts of the county as necessary to best serve our low-income clients.  As a member of BayLegal's regional practice, there may be travel within BayLegal's broader service areas to address the regional nature of poverty and as necessary for training and broader advocacy. Note, COVID19 remote work description below.

As a Housing Staff Attorney, you will have the opportunity to:

• Learn and assist with the diverse legal needs of underserved and vulnerable communities in Napa and broader Bay Area to address reduce homelessness, enhance stability and address social injustice;

·    Provide full-scope legal representation to low-income tenants in unlawful detainer proceedings, including propounding and responding to discovery, conducting depositions, pre/post-trial motions, trials and appeals;

·       Address access barriers and provide legal assistance to low-income tenants by staffing a few telephone hotline shifts on our Legal Advice Line;

·       Represent tenants in administrative proceedings before the City of Napa Housing Authority and other agencies;

·       Advocate for tenants on issues of fair housing, substandard conditions, and VAWA;

·       Identify systemic problems that affect our clients’ housing rights and address these challenges through affirmative litigation and policy work;

·   Staff Legal Clinics to conduct intakes, provide legal advice, assess for further services;

·       Collaborate with the local and national tenant advocacy community;

• Provide workshops and technical assistance to community partners and client community on housing law, tenants' rights, and a broad range of civil legal issues;
• 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 address systemic barriers facing BayLegal's client community;

·       Work with BayLegal's development, grants and contracts, and communications team to promote BayLegal's mission and resource development; and

• Engage in other tasks and projects that further the interest of furthering BayLegal's mission and operations as a non-profit

Requirements/Qualifications/About the Successful Candidate:

·       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.

·       Membership in good standing in the California State Bar

·       Experience in housing law and tenant advocacy preferred

·       Bilingual ability in Spanish preferred

·       Strong personal work ethic and ability to organize time, manage diverse activities, and meet critical deadlines with minimal supervision

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

·       Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work collaboratively with a dynamic team

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

Applications: BayLegal thrives on our diversity and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a culturally diverse workplace and strongly encourage women, persons of color, LGBTQ individuals, veterans, persons with disabilities, and persons from other underrepresented groups to apply.  Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Please email the following to our Human Resources Department jobs@baylegal.org  (1) cover letter including response to question below (no page limit), (2) resume, (3) references, and (4) writing sample. Please reference Napa Housing Attorney in the subject of your email.

As part of your cover letter, please address the following:

BayLegal's clients are low- and very low-income members of our communities. They include people of color, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, seniors, people with lived experiences of homelessness, veterans, people with disabilities, and people from other underrepresented groups. BayLegal is committed to enhancing the provision of our services to all clients, increasing positive client outcomes, and creating an inclusive and respectful workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued. BayLegal promotes and supports policies that enable us to work effectively in cross-cultural situations with our clients, coworkers, and the community.