KIDSLegal Staff Attorney (Office Location Flexible)

Pine Tree Legal Assistance
KIDSLegal Staff Attorney
Location: Any of our offices: Portland, Lewiston, Augusta, Bangor, Presque Isle, or Machias; Hybrid remote

KIDSLegal, a specialized unit within Pine Tree Legal Assistance, is the first children’s rights project in the state of Maine. Founded in 2004, KIDSLegal provides a wide range of civil legal services to low-income families and children throughout the state in matters such as education access, special education identification, programming and placement, bullying, school discipline and exclusion, and support for youth experiencing homelessness. KIDSLegal is seeking to hire a staff attorney to join the KIDSLegal team at one of Pine Tree’s six locations across the state.  

As a KIDSLegal attorney assigned to a local field office, the attorney will focus on the educational and civil legal needs of minor children. The attorney will participate in Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings and administrative hearings on a regular basis and will provide representation in education and other child related legal matters, including school exclusion and reentry hearings.   

The attorney may also provide services to secure clients’ health and income benefits. As resources permit and the needs of the client community require, the attorney may also handle litigation in other areas of law. While the typical caseload is handled at the administrative level, the attorney may handle matters in the probate court, district court, superior court, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and/or federal court. Case acceptance decisions are made by the unit as a whole, consistent with program priorities and specific grant requirements, which may change over time.  The attorney is also expected to work collaboratively with the KIDS Legal paralegal, both in the provision of limited legal assistance and in other work specific to the attorney’s caseload. A staff attorney is expected to work a minimum of 1,650 hours/year and to bill a minimum of 60% of total work time to individual cases. Because KIDSLegal is a statewide project, the attorney will be expected to travel throughout the state frequently.  

The attorney is also responsible for community engagement, outreach, and networking to strengthen KIDSLegal and Pine Tree’s reputation and access to legal services by eligible individuals, consistent with other work and time commitments. These activities shall include development of and updates to written client education materials for www.kidslegal.org, the provision of outreach and/or trainings to staff, community agencies and other groups that serve low-income individuals, work on collaborations or other initiatives designed to address specific legal needs of low-income individuals, and convening of internal and external practice groups to discuss legal issues relevant to this work. Specific decisions about how to prioritize between these time commitments are made in consultation with other colleagues and the attorney’s supervisor.  

In each program office, the attorney is expected to be a valued contributor and supportive colleague to other members of the office and the program.  

KIDSLegal as a unit typically handles approximately 200 cases per year, of which at least half will be extended representation.  Once trained and experienced in this work, the attorney will engage in community outreach intended to increase unit intakes with a goal of directly handling a minimum of 100 cases per year, at least half will be extended representation cases per year. The KIDSLegal Staff Attorney will be expected to provide a minimum of 15 consultations per year to professionals working with families and children.

Skills Required:  

• Interest and experience working with families and children; 
• Demonstrated interest and experience in education law and the rights of minors;  
• Ability to work cooperatively and establish positive working relationships with community partners and agencies; 
• Ability to work well with individuals from different cultural backgrounds and communities; 
• Excellent interpersonal skills; 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; 
• Strong research, legal writing, and litigation skills;  
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize work in a high-volume caseload;  
• Strong organizational and time management skills;  
• Acute attention to detail;  
• High level of diplomacy, professionalism and sound judgment;  
• Ability to work independently and as a team; and,
• Ability to be responsive and receptive to supervisory feedback.
  

The attorney must be admitted to the practice of law in Maine, or eligible to practice under Maine Bar Admission Rule 11(c) while working at Pine Tree. Previous litigation experience is strongly preferred. Applicant must reside in, or be willing to relocate to, the state of Maine. Frequent travel throughout the state is required.  This is an exempt position under the Fair Labor Standards Act.  

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for PTLA attorneys and other exempt staff is currently $69,490 - $106,490, depending on experience.

In addition, PTLA is proud to offer the following:

Employer-paid health insurance with a generous HRA contribution, generous health insurance opt-out benefit, employer-paid dental insurance, employer-paid life and disability insurance, and an annual contribution to a 403(b)-retirement plan. Other voluntary options include vision and expanded life insurance. Staff enjoy 12 paid holidays, paid parental leave, generous vacation, floating holidays, and sick leave.

Pine Tree Legal Assistance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to employing and supporting individuals who are passionate about social justice and have relevant work experience, regardless of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, physical or mental disability, religion, familial status or experience with poverty, receipt of public assistance, or homelessness.

Salary

• $69,490 - $106,490