Pro Bono Team, Expungement Attorney

POSITION: The Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP) is seeking an Expungement Attorney to join the Pro Bono Team, where they will provide high-level legal support for MAP’s Pro Bono Expungement Project. This initiative is designed to help eligible low-income Michiganders clear their criminal records and gain access to better jobs, housing, and public benefits. Much of the expungement work at MAP is done with the help of pro bono attorneys, coordinated by MAP’s Pro Bono Director and Administrator. We also have  a Legal Navigator Program to assist Pro Bono and staff attorneys with the administrative obstacles faced by our clients during the expungement process. This program is led by the Pro Bono Team’s Paralegal, who is  responsible for recruiting, training, and supporting Legal Navigator volunteers. The Pro Bono Team’s Expungement Attorney will work with all teams to provide effective expungement services for our clients, which will include representing expungement clients in set aside applications and appeals, and engaging in systemic work around the Clean Slate Act.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM: LSSCM is a division of the Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP). 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. MAP has provided civil legal aid for those unable to afford an attorney for more than 50 years. Today, MAP’s Legal Services of South Central Michigan (LSSCM) has five legal aid offices in south and central Michigan serving 13 counties with an emphasis on homelessness prevention, domestic violence and elder abuse prevention, and assistance in accessing health care, food, and needs-based income programs. In addition to LSSCM, MAP manages six statewide programs serving immigrant communities (Michigan Immigrant Rights Center), vulnerable older adults (Michigan Elder Justice Initiative), victims of domestic violence and elder abuse (Crime Victims Legal Assistance Program), migrant and seasonal farmworkers (Farmworker Legal Services), providing research and training support to all legal aid advocates (Michigan Poverty Law Program), and providing access to legal information to self-represented litigants (Michigan Legal Help Program). MAP has a staff of about 230 people in offices in Battle Creek, Detroit, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Monroe, and Ypsilanti. Visit lsscm.org, cvlap.org, and miadvocacy.org for more information.

QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants should be licensed to practice law in Michigan with 3+  years of experience.  Applicants must possess excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills as well as a demonstrated commitment to serving low-income individuals and underserved populations through lived or learned experience. Expungement experience is preferred, but not required.

BENEFITS:  Starting salary is from $63,672 depending on experience. MAP offers a generous benefits package including life, short and long term disability, health, vision, dental and flexible spending accounts.  If an applicant does not require health benefits, they have the option to take an annual $1,500 payout in addition to the base salary paid over the course of the year.  MAP also has a generous leave policy allowing staff to accrue 3 weeks paid vacation the first year and 15 paid holidays, as well as a 401K retirement plan including employer match for eligible staff after 6 months of employment.  MAP is a qualifying employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.  MAP is a unionized program.

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/191. 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.