Staff Attorney, Eviction Prevention Project

The Clinical Law Program at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law seeks a Staff Attorney (payroll title – Research Assistant) to lead and grow the program’s interdisciplinary Eviction Prevention Project (EPP). The Staff Attorney position offers a unique opportunity to lead and expand the Clinical Law Program’s eviction prevention work, represent tenants facing eviction, and work as part of an interdisciplinary team with law and social work faculty and students, and community partners.

The EPP, established in August 2020, is currently housed within the Law School’s Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic (directed by Professor Sara Gold since 2011) and staffed by faculty and law students in four clinics of the Maryland Carey Law Clinical Law Program (Public Health Law, Medical-Legal Partnership, Fair Housing, and Mediation). The EPP provides legal and social work services to low-income tenants with acute housing needs due to their inability to pay rent and/or living in unsafe conditions. The Staff Attorney will join the Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic, which collaborates with social workers and healthcare providers to address clients’ health-harming civil legal needs. The Staff Attorney will work with other law and social work faculty involved in the EPP to represent clients, assist clinic faculty in the supervision of law student attorneys representing clients, administer the EPP, and develop a long-term strategy to assess and address the legal needs of low-income renters, including law and policy change at the state and local levels.

Primary duties of the Staff Attorney :

The position will require both legal and programmatic work including:

• Administer the day-to-day operations of the EPP including overseeing the case intake process and screening cases for merit, facilitating case assignments to law students in the participating clinics and referrals to community providers.
• Maintain a caseload of eviction defense and related cases at various levels of service including brief advice and counsel, negotiation, mediation, and representation in court.
• Assist clinic faculty in the supervision of law student attorneys representing clients in eviction defense and related cases.
• Nurture existing community partnerships, and develop new partnerships, to coordinate necessary resources and services for low-income tenants in Baltimore City and other counties.
• Take a leadership role in designing a sustainable eviction prevention program within the clinical law program by evaluating the scope and extent of housing-related need in Baltimore City and other counties including establishing partnerships, identifying funding, and writing grant proposals.
• Assist clinical professors and students to develop proposed law and policy changes at the state and local level to bring systemic change beneficial to all tenants and their communities.
• Fulfill grant reporting obligations required by EPP funders.
• Support fundraising efforts for EPP staffing and proposed projects.
• Other duties as required.

Qualifications :

Minimum Qualifications :

• J.D. from an ABA accredited school. Must be admitted to practice law in Maryland and be in good standing.
• Two to five years of combined relevant legal experience in litigation and housing/landlord-tenant law, which can be satisfied by law school clinical or externship experience or relevant paid work during law school.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Experience in housing advocacy/litigation and/or eviction defense.
• Excellent coordination and organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to network as well as support effective partnerships with key groups and individuals.

• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team.
• Interest in supervising and mentoring law students.
• Ability to handle multiple ongoing tasks that require daily or weekly updating and attention.
• Commitment to interdisciplinary work and collaborating with professionals from other fields as well as ability to work with a wide range of people, including law students, social workers, tenant clients, community organizations, and court personnel.
• Experience with project management and development, knowledge of the Baltimore City, Prince George’s County, or other Maryland eviction defense landscape, and grant writing experience are a plus.
• Spanish proficiency is a plus.

Salary : $60,000- $75,000 depending on experience. This is a full-time, one-year position that is expected to be extended to two years, subject to staff attorney performance and availability of funding.

To apply: Interested applicants should submit (a) a cover letter, (b) resume, (c) the names and telephone numbers of at least three references by November 15, 2021. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

UMB requires all faculty, staff, and students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Exemptions for medical or religious reasons will be processed through Human Resources.

UMB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law or policy. For assistance related to employment, please contact the Staffing department at HRJobs@umaryland.edu.

If you anticipate needing a reasonable accommodation for a disability under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), during any part of the employment process, please submit a UMB Job Applicant Accommodation Request . You may also contact HRDiversity@umaryland.edu. Please note that only inquiries concerning an ADA request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.