Supervising Attorney

Supervising Attorney – Portland Regional Office

The Portland Regional Office (PRO) of Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) is seeking a family law supervising attorney. The person in this position supervises staff attorneys and paralegals and assists the Regional Director in directing the legal advocacy and outreach of the office.

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
This position assists the Regional Director in supervising and developing staff attorneys and paralegals, managing legal advocacy and outreach, ensuring programmatic compliance with regulations, and directing strategic litigation. They will supervise a team of staff attorneys and paralegals, manage an active caseload ranging from brief service and advice to full representation, and join the supervisory team at PRO. The supervising attorney is expected to provide structure and cohesion for community-based outreach, and training, and aid in the development of strategic impact litigation and advocacy aimed at impacting the lives of low-income people in Oregon.

A significant part of this position is to bring enthusiasm and excitement to the work of the office and provide positive support to and mentoring of lawyers. This person is also expected to demonstrate solid understanding of anti-bias principles, cultural competency and addressing systemic racism and other forms of oppression and help lead the office in its effort to implement a race equity framework.

Qualifications
Five years of legal experience is required, preferably in the areas of family law, civil rights, immigration or public benefits, and at least one year of supervisory experience. Proven interest in and commitment to advocacy for the legal rights of low-income and other vulnerable clients. The ideal candidate will have a broad range of poverty law experience and have experience and aptitude for supervising others and providing developmental planning for staff. Enthusiasm, creativity, good judgment, initiative, and willingness to work collaboratively. 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 and are members of the Oregon State Bar.

Salary/Benefits
Compensation is based on a 35-hour work week. Salary range is $75,200 – 82,700 for 0-5 years’ experience; $84,200 – 90,200 for 6-10 years’ experience and $91,700-114,200 for 11-30 years’ experience annually; salaries are determined by relevant work experience and our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Additional compensation of $4,300 to $5,700 is available annually for bilingual ability, depending on proficiency. 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 on March 5, 2024.

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.

If you require reasonable accommodation for a disability during the application/hiring process, please contact Meghan Collins, Director of Administration, at Meghan.Collins@lasoregon.org.

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.

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.

Supplemental Question Required:

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.