Staff Attorney Bilingual English-Spanish - Span

STAFF ATTORNEY BILINGUAL ENGLISH-SPANISH

Organization

LIFE SPAN

70 East Lake Street

or 701 Lee Street (Des Plaines, IL) per preference/experience level

Chicago IL 60601, US, IL 60601

United States

This is a hybrid remote position. Following onboarding and training, employees may be eligible to work remotely for up to 16 hours per week, subject to supervisory approval and operational needs.

The successful candidate must be able to report to the office, courthouses, and other work-related locations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area as needed, on occasion including on short notice. Employees working remotely must be available and responsive during work hours via phone, email, and Microsoft Teams. Internet access is required.

The Bilingual English-Spanish Staff Attorney position is a full-time 40 hours/week position. This position may be based in either the Chicago office or at the Life Span Des Plaines office at supervisor's discretion based on staff preference and experience level. If a Des Plaines based office is authorized, periodic travel to the Chicago office and Chicago courthouses will be required to attend court onboarding, and legal meetings.

If a Chicago location is authorized, periodic travel to the Skokie and Rolling Meadows courthouses to represent clients and attend court proceedings is required.

Life Span empowers survivors of domestic and sexual violence to demand safety as a human right through client-centered services and leads social change through accountability, community engagement, and systemic advocacy.

Life Span seeks a bilingual English-Spanish proficient staff attorney with 0-5 years of experience to join our Family Law team at our Chicago Loop office location or alternately based on preference and experience level, may work at the Life Span Des Plaines office based at supervisor's discretion.

Life Span is a nationally known leader in the provision of services to victims of violence and their children. Our comprehensive services include criminal court advocacy representation in civil protective order cases, expert representation in family law cases, and counseling for survivors and their children. Our work encompasses such issues as immigration, employment issues, sexual assault civil no contact orders, the effects of trauma on clients and their children, teen dating violence, and the criminalization of survivors.

Our agency has two sites, and services are available in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Polish and Arabic. All services are free of charge. Our agency provides national leadership in policy work and systemic advocacy, and our staff has trained advocates, lawyers, judges, counselors and other professionals in Illinois and across the country on critical issues and innovative practices.

Life Span values staff who reflect the communities we serve-in strengths, backgrounds and lived experiences. It is essential that our staff and leadership reflect the communities that we serve.

The staff attorney will assist survivors with their domestic relations (divorces) or parentage (unmarried couples) cases. The attorney will gain invaluable experience in negotiations, settlement conferences, litigation (including drafting, depositions, discovery, pretrial conferences, as well as contested hearings and trials). Responsibilities include civil representation in orders of protection, family law and civil no contact orders for clients with domestic violence and/or sexual assault issues.

The attorney will collaborate with counseling advocacy and immigration staff to provide a coordinated response to clients’ needs. The staff attorney will participate in systemic advocacy and policy reform.

• In-house and external training and CLE’s are encouraged at the start of employment and throughout tenure at Life Span.
• Mentorship and guidance are given to all staff attorneys, especially to entry-level attorneys.

• Provide trauma-informed, client-centered legal representation to survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and other forms of interpersonal violence in family law matters, including orders of protection, divorce, parentage, allocation of parental responsibilities, parenting time, child support, and related proceedings.
• Conduct client intake interviews, assess client situations and legal needs, advise clients regarding their legal rights and options, and develop appropriate case…