Bilingual Staff Attorney or Paralegal/ Paraprofessional – Portland Regional Office of Legal Aid Services of Oregon

The Portland Regional Office of Legal Aid Services of Oregon is seeking a full-time bilingual staff attorney or paraprofessional. The position is a generalist civil case handler who will carry a general poverty law caseload specializing in administrative law (public benefits), employment discrimination and housing discrimination cases.  This position will be eligible for a partial remote work option but will require regular in-person work at our Portland Regional Office in downtown Portland or at our Gresham office. A paraprofessional must be willing to become certified under the new Oregon Paraprofessional program and must take meaningful steps to attain the certification within 6 months after completion of the introductory period.

Background
LASO is a non-profit organization that represents low-income clients in civil cases. LASO’s eight regional offices serve the general low-income population throughout the state and two specialized statewide programs focused on services to farmworkers and on issues impacting Native Americans. LASO is an effective, high-quality legal services program that is committed to advocacy strategies having the broadest possible impact on client community problems.

The Portland Regional Office of LASO serves a poverty population of more than 220,000. The office serves Multnomah, Clackamas, Hood River, Sherman and Wasco counties, a diverse service area requiring the ability to work effectively with individuals from different cultures and backgrounds. The Portland Office has adopted a race equity agenda to guide its work with clients as well as its internal operations. The office has a strong commitment to building an inclusive, diverse workplace.

Responsibilities
The staff attorney or paralegal will be responsible for conducting trauma-informed intake interviews, maintaining a varied caseload, and participating in outreach and community-based clinics/events. This position is also expected to work closely with community-based organizations as a liaison to LASO for organizations that serve Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and immigrant communities to receive referrals, identify legal issues important to low-income clients, conduct regular training, and attend outreach events. In addition to serving individual clients, this position is expected to spend substantial time identifying and advancing cases and projects designed to achieve broad impact on significant problems in the client community.

Qualifications
Proven interest in and commitment to advocacy for the legal rights, and access to the law, for low-income Oregonians. Administrative, housing or employment law experience and/or experience providing trauma-informed services to DV/SA survivors a plus. Enthusiasm, creativity, good judgment, initiative, and willingness to work collaboratively and learn independently. Demonstrated understanding and commitment to anti-bias principles, cultural competency and addressing systemic racism and other forms of oppression.
LASO has a hiring preference for candidates who are bilingual in Spanish and/or another language commonly spoken by our client population. Please indicate your proficiency level in languages other than English in your application materials.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• Work in an office environment including working at a workstation, attending meetings, etc.
• This position will involve occasional travel around the Portland Regional Office service region (Clackamas, Multnomah, Hood River, Sherman and Wasco counties) and, as such, requires a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain one within 60 days of hire date.
• Use of computer and other office equipment during a 7-hour workday.

Salary/Benefits
Compensation is based on a 35-hour work week. Salary range for attorneys: $61K - $100K annually depending on experience. Salary range for paralegals: $41K - $65K depending on experience. Additional compensation of $3600 annually for bilingual ability. Full benefits package including individual and family health, vision, and dental insurance coverage; 6% employer retirement contribution; generous paid holidays, vacation and sick leave; and paid moving expenses.

Closing Date
Review of resumes to begin July 31, 2023.

Applications
Send resume and letter of interest to:
projobs@lasoregon.org
As a part of your letter of interest, please address the following:
LASO 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 mission that we also work to create an inclusive and respectful workplace environment 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 in your response.
Please note, we will not review applications that are not emailed directly to the above email address.

We celebrate diversity
LASO is committed to being an organization that reflects the communities we serve and is diverse in race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, or sensory, mental and physical abilities, work background, experience and education. We believe that the outcome of such diversity is our greatest strength and a matter of basic human fairness. It is to this end that we strongly encourage applications from people of color and people from any other underrepresented and historically marginalized group to apply for this position.

https://lasoregon.org/employment/