Staff Attorney – Expunction & Nondisclosure Hybrid/Remote

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

POSITION:              Staff Attorney – Expunction & Nondisclosure Project

CLOSING DATE:    Position Immediately Available and Closed When Filled

LOCATION:             Hybrid/Remote – Dallas South, Texas

OVERVIEW: Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (LANWT) seeks a dynamic, self-starting attorney who has vision, initiative, and a demonstrated commitment and passion for public interest law to fill a staff attorney position in its Expunction & Nondisclosure Project in Dallas. In addition to providing daily representation on expunction and nondisclosure cases, the successful candidate will hold legal clinics, establish meaningful relationships with bar associations, recruit and mentor volunteers and provide and participate in community legal education and outreach programs.

DESCRIPTION: LANWT is a non-profit public interest law firm that provides high-quality free civil legal services to low-income persons in 114 counties in North and West Texas.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: A staff attorney must be able to gather evidence, advise clients about their rights, draft legal documents, and conduct civil lawsuits. A staff attorney must interview clients and witnesses with cultural competence, as well as handle other tasks in representing clients. A staff attorney represents clients in court and before quasi-judicial or administrative agencies of government. The staff attorney also interprets laws, rulings, and regulations for clients and the client community.

The staff attorney will recruit, train, and mentor pro bono attorneys to represent eligible clients in expunction and nondisclosure cases. The staff attorney will develop training materials, sample pleadings and forms to aid volunteers in the delivery of legal services. The staff attorney also designs and carries out outreach and community legal education and works closely with bar associations, law firms, in-house counsel, state and federal government lawyers and the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program to recruit and train pro bono attorneys to handle Project cases.

The staff attorney will hold evening and weekend clinics in various locations in LANWT’s service area and work to enlist the support of district attorneys and judges to expedite Project cases. The staff attorney will coordinate and supervise the activities of legal, clerical, volunteer, or student workers.

In fulfilling this mission, the attorney will provide high-quality representation to indigent clients in accordance with LANWT’s policies and procedures and with an attorney’s responsibilities under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, the Texas Lawyers Creed, and the American Bar Association’s Standards for Providers of Civil Legal Services to the Poor.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Licensed to practice law in Texas.
• Prior experience handling expunction and nondisclosure cases preferred.
• Prior legal services, public interest, or volunteer experience serving low-income persons preferred.
• Strong understanding of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure and Rules of Evidence.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• The ability to think and plan strategically and to develop and implement projects.
• Possess a strong work ethic and a sense of accountability.
• Fluent in Spanish – both verbal and written is preferred.
• Excellent attendance record.
• Ability to engage in occasional work-related travel.

SALARY: Current entry-level salary for a new attorney is $66,500 per year. The salary for the successful applicant may be significantly higher, based on applicant’s years of experience.

BENEFITS: Excellent benefits package that includes paid sick leave, vacation and holidays; a retirement plan; health, dental, vision and life insurance.

Please submit a cover letter expressing interest, a resume, and three professional references during the application process. 

LEGAL AID OF NORTHWEST TEXAS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER 
VETERANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY