Health and Welfare Program Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor

East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is a non-profit legal services organization, the community-based clinical program for U.C. Berkeley Law School, and one of the Bay Area’s largest and most effective systems disrupters. With a dual service and teaching mission, EBCLC is a racial justice organization committed to building a culturally diverse workplace, centered on equity. With about 75 staff, 120 law students a year, and a nearly $10 million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal services in Alameda County, providing multimodal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 4,000 clients annually and engaging in legislative and policy advocacy at the state and local level.

The Opportunity

EBCLC is excited to recruit a Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor to join its Health and Welfare Program. The Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor will provide direct legal services work and policy advocacy focused on health equity and the social determinants of poor health outcomes that impact historically excluded and underserved communities in Alameda County. 

The Health & Welfare Program provides critical legal services to Alameda County residents who are at risk of poor health outcomes due to poverty, unsafe living conditions, homelessness, inadequate health care coverage, and other destabilizing social conditions. The Health and Welfare team provide holistic legal services to clients referred through several long-standing medical-legal and community partnerships. The program takes a holistic approach in helping clients obtain critical care and income, with a focus on appeals of denied or terminated disability and other public benefit programs, as well as post-entitlement public benefit appeals. 

Primary Responsibilities:

• Represent people with low income who come to EBCLC through our medical-legal partnerships with East Bay hospitals and other community partnerships on public benefits issues including (but not limited to): denied, terminated, or reduced public income and health benefits (SSI, SSDI, SDI, CAPI, General Assistance, Medi-Cal, Medicare, CalWORKs, CalFresh, In-Home Supportive Services), simple wills, non-litigation housing matters and other relevant legal matters impacting our clients
• Engage in public policy advocacy on issues related to public benefits aligned with EBCLC’s Women of Color-Centered Platform;
• Engage in community outreach and education, including providing legal trainings for medical providers, community partners and client groups;
• Teach, supervise, and mentor law students enrolled in the Health and Welfare Clinic, including helping to design curriculum, providing highly interactive legal and skills training, and co-facilitating weekly individual and group supervision meetings;
• In collaboration with the team, provide technical assistance and support to Berkeley Law Student-Initiated Legal Projects (SLPS), such as the Name and Gender Change Workshop 
• Participate in ongoing professional development to improve client services, and student supervision;
• Complete administrative tasks, such as those related to grant and services reporting;
• Additional tasks as assigned by supervisor.

Salary and Benefits

Starting salary for this exempt position is $83,000 – $106,000, based on law school graduation date, as dictated by the EBCLC salary scale. 

Benefits include fully paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision) for employees and their dependents, life and disability insurance, and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, and holidays); EBCLC also offers flexible spending accounts for qualified health, dependent care, and commute expenditures; and retirement options.

Workplace Expectations

EBCLC is a hybrid workplace. Staff may work from home or in the office, subject to safety protocols. Please note that the Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor is expected to work in the office and/or attend in-person events in the East Bay at least 3 days each week. The Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor is expected to attend in-person meetings, teach seminars, and/or engage in in-person fieldwork to support our clients, policy work, and the clinical education program. EBCLC will provide the necessary equipment to fulfill the job responsibilities of working from home.

Working at EBCLC

EBCLC is a unionized workplace and members of the bargaining unit are represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20, IFPTE. This position is part of the bargaining unit.

EBCLC is strongly committed to advancing justice through education and advocacy, and the need to transform legal services and legal education. Please review EBCLC’s mission, vision, programs, and website and ensure that your cover letter reflects how your background, experience, and expertise have prepared you to be successful in performing the position’s responsibilities.

Additionally, EBCLC is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.

To achieve this goal, EBCLC works actively to improve our office climate, systems and structures, communications, and community engagement to create an inclusive and respectful workplace where differences are acknowledged and valued. In your cover letter, please address how your personal background and experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural responsiveness and diversity amongst our staff.

We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. EBCLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior contact with the criminal legal system, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Application Process

The position will remain open until filled. EBCLC will review applications and interview applicants on a rolling basis and will only review complete applications. A complete application must include a cover letter, resume, short writing sample, and names/contact information for three professional references. Please submit your complete application as one single PDF file by uploading it under “Upload your Resume.” https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/2753596/East-Bay-Community-Law-Center/Health-and-Welfare-Program-Staff-AttorneyClinical-Supervisor

• Member of California Bar in good standing;
• Strong interest in law student supervision and clinical teaching;
• Demonstrated commitment to racial and disability justice, serving LGBTQ+ communities, and people living with HIV/AIDS;
• Experience providing client-centered services;
• Excellent time management, priority-setting, and organizational skills;
• Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, and demonstrated ability to work well independently and as part of a team;
• Excellent oral and written communication and advocacy skills; and
• Ability to partner and work effectively with a diverse range of people, including but not limited to clients, law students, service providers, medical partner staff, school staff, judges and other government employees, community partners, elected officials, and law school faculty.

Desired Qualifications

• Bilingual skills in Spanish
• Previous housing law experience and/or enthusiasm to learn