Housing Attorney

Mission:  

The mission of Bread for the City is to help Washington, D.C. residents living with low income to develop the power to determine the future of their own communities. We provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty. We seek justice through community organizing and public advocacy. We work to uproot racism, a major cause of poverty. We are committed to treating our clients with the dignity and respect that all people deserve.  

Bread for the City’s Legal Clinic works to ensure better access to justice for individuals in our nation’s capital. The Legal Clinic provides front-line civil legal services primarily in housing, family, immigration, and public benefits law. Our housing law practice includes defending tenants against complaints for possession of real estate, affirmative litigation on behalf of tenants and tenant associations, representation at administrative agencies, and advice and counsel in various housing-related matters.  

Position Description: 

Bread for the City seeks a staff attorney for its housing practice, which consists of nine attorneys, one associate loaned from an area law firm, and two paralegals. We prioritize cases that involve the prevention of eviction and the preservation of safe and affordable housing. The majority of our cases provide representation in eviction matters in the D.C. Superior Court Landlord-Tenant Division. Occasionally, attorneys take on other issues before D.C.’s Housing Conditions Court and the Superior Court Civil Division. We also assist tenants in administrative proceedings, representing tenants and participants in subsidy programs or at the District’s Office of Administrative Hearings. These cases involve the termination of subsidies, improper rent calculation, and illegal rent increases. 

The housing practice participates in several joint projects with five other legal services providers in the District. The projects include staffing the Landlord-Tenant Legal Assistance Network, a hotline for tenants seeking assistance; the Housing Right to Counsel Project, a partnership with several area law firms to provide representation to subsidized housing tenants facing eviction due to alleged lease violation(s); and a collaborative effort to provide same-day legal help, including temporary representation, to tenants in Landlord-Tenant Court (“Attorney of the Day”).

Our Ideal Candidate Would Possess the Following Knowledge, Experience, Skills, and Abilities:

• Applicants must meet one of the following criteria for eligibility to practice law in D.C.:
  1. Be admitted to the D.C. Bar; or
  2. (a) be eligible for admission to the D.C. Bar pursuant to D.C. Court of Appeals Rule 46(d) or Rule 46(e) and

(b) meet the criteria for practice pursuant to D.C. Court of Appeals Rule 49(c)(8); or

3. (a) be eligible for admission to the D.C. Bar pursuant to DC Court of Appeals Rule 46(c) or 46(d), 

(b) meet the criteria for practice pursuant to D.C. Court of Appeals Rule 49(c)(9)(B), and 

(c) have passed the bar examination in D.C. or a UBE jurisdiction;

• Demonstrated commitment to social, economic, and racial justice and/or willingness to learn and carry out Bread for the City’s commitments in these areas;

• Strong organizational, research, and oral and written communication skills;

• Ability to proceed effectively in court with little time for preparation;

• High degree of flexibility; 

• Sense of humor, seriously;

• Ability to work with other staff and interact with a wide variety of people, including volunteers, in a professional and collaborative manner; 

• Comfortable working in an open work environment, with no private offices for staff, and working remotely from home;

• Familiarity with Google Organization & Productivity tools (Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar) and/or ability to learn new technology systems;

• Prior experience in a legal services or other public interest setting preferred but not required;

• Litigation experience and knowledge of/experience with DC housing law is a plus; and

• Bilingual (Spanish/English) skills preferred but not required; and

• Must be fully vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19.

Compensation:

Bread for the City offers a generous benefits package, which can be reviewed at https://breadforthecity.org/work-with-us/. Attorney salaries start at $77,000, for those admitted to the DC Bar or those who have passed the DC bar or another state bar exam and can practice under Rule 49(c). Lateral attorneys receive an additional $1000 for every year of paid legal experience for which a J.D. is required and at least 32 hours per week worked, capped at $3,000 (or 3 years). Attorneys with specific bilingual language skills may receive an additional $2500 based on the level of proficiency. Also, the DC Bar Foundation offers a Loan Repayment Assistance Program to qualified Bread for the City attorneys, providing renewable one-year, interest-free, forgivable loans of up to $12,000 per year. For more information, see https:/dcbarfoundation.org/lrap/.

Bread for the City is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, family responsibility, physical or mental disability, medical condition, status as a veteran, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, except where a bona fide occupational qualification applies.  

To Apply:

You must complete an application through Bread for the City’s ADP portal. Go to www.breadforthecity.org/work and click on the "Housing Attorney" position. Then select "apply" at the top right-hand corner to register for a login and apply for the position. Please upload a resume and cover letter through our ADP online application process, as you may not be able to upload documents through a 3rd party job site. Please ensure that your cover letter is thoughtfully tailored and speaks to not only your qualifications for the position but also to your commitment to public interest work. Only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. No phone calls, please.

Benefits:

Please visit https://breadforthecity.org/work-with-us/ and scroll down to review our employee health benefits and health insurance plans.