Staff Attorney

POSITION: Farmworker Legal Services (FLS), a non-profit law office, is seeking a staff attorney to join its dynamic and committed team in providing civil legal services to farmworkers and animal production workers throughout Michigan. All FLS Staff Attorneys are responsible for direct representation of clients, ranging from advice to full litigation in State and Federal Courts. Duties may include filing administrative complaints or immigration applications or work on cases involving matters such as wage theft, trafficking, discrimination, sexual harassment, housing, workplace health and safety, and exploitative schemes involving the H-2A visa program—and will include significant collaboration with local and national community partners. The position is union supported. Applicants residing in Northern Michigan or the Upper Peninsula and able to work remotely are encouraged to apply. 

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM:  Farmworker Legal Services (FLS) is a growing and nationally recognized non-profit law office and the statewide division of the Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP) that fights for justice and dignity alongside the farmworker community through our systemic, multi-forum community engagement and direct legal representation of farmworkers in their civil legal matters. FLS currently has 12 full-time staff positions based out of our Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Ypsilanti (Ann Arbor area) offices and hires around 8 seasonal advocates each summer. FLS attorneys litigate complex wage and hour, multi-party employment, discrimination, and human trafficking cases in Michigan state and federal courts and provide a full range of civil legal services to Michigan’s eligible population of farmworkers and their dependents in matters such as: housing, T or U-visa applications for victims of employment-based crimes, workers’ compensation, public benefits, workplace health and safety, and unemployment administrative proceedings. MAP works to advance the safety, independence, and economic stability of those most affected by poverty, racism, and other structurally oppressive systems by increasing access to justice and working for systemic solutions and has a staff of about 220 people in offices in Battle Creek, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Monroe, and Ypsilanti. Visit www.miadvocacy.org and www.farmworkerlaw.org for more information.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 
•    Licensed to practice law in Michigan, qualify to be admitted by waiver or as a student attorney under MRPC Rule 8.120, or able to take the next available bar exam in Michigan
•    Demonstrate commitment to low-income individuals, farmworkers, immigrants, or victims of crime
•    Willing to occasionally work a flexible schedule that may include travel and evening or weekend work
•    Demonstrate success working effectively in teams as well as independently to meet multiple deadlines
•    Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills
•    Reside in Michigan during employment

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: 
•    Experience litigating at state or federal level
•    Working knowledge in employment and labor law, the U.S. immigration system, the agricultural industry, farmworker advocacy, or legal services
•    Ability to effectively communicate, orally and in writing, in Spanish and/or proficiency in Haitian Creole or indigenous languages native to Mexico or Central America
•    Reside in Northern Michigan and able to work remotely or able to work out of one of our existing offices in Kalamazoo or Ypsilanti (Ann Arbor area)

BENEFITS: Salary starts at $64,946 and increases based on years of relevant experience. MAP offers annual raises as well as a 401K retirement plan with an annual 2% contribution and 2% employer-match for eligible staff after 6 months of employment and subject to board approval. MAP offers a generous benefits package, including life, short and long term disability, health, vision, dental, fully funded deductibles, and flexible spending accounts. If an applicant does not require health benefits, they can take an annual $1,500 payout in addition to the base salary paid over the year. MAP also has a generous leave policy allowing staff to accrue 4 weeks paid leave the first year in addition to 15 paid holidays and additional paid leave to take the Michigan bar exam. MAP is a unionized program and a qualifying employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Kalamazoo is a college town in southwest Michigan with its own airport, lakes, nature preserves, art scene, and nightlife. It also is located only 35 miles east of Lake Michigan, 50 miles from Grand Rapids, and 2 hours from both Chicago and Detroit. Kalamazoo offers the Kalamazoo Promise (an independent scholarship program that provides students who graduate from Kalamazoo Public Schools up to up to 100% tuition for post-secondary education). 

TO APPLY: Please complete this application and submit your resume and cover letter. You can also access the application by copying and pasting the following web address into your browser: https://miadvocacy.bamboohr.com/careers/270. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

 
The Michigan Advocacy Program is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.