Eviction Defense - Unlawful Detainer, Housing Attorney

Full-time, Exempt

Hybrid (3 days minimum in-office)

About Us:

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” - Nelson Mandela

We believe that even the biggest problems can be broken down into small, achievable steps. Poverty and access to justice are part of the same problem. And to solve this, we just need to discover what the steps are. At Open Door Legal (ODL), we’re pioneering the country’s first system of universal access to civil legal representation to dramatically reduce poverty and prove that the law really can belong to all of us. We’ve grown 150x in 10 years, and in the next 2 years, we hope to finish scaling across San Francisco. To achieve this ambitious goal, we’ve created an award-winning and best-in-class legal aid organization full of passionate, motivated, gritty, thoughtful, and team-oriented people.

We believe that injustice is the heart of poverty, and we're looking for someone to join us in having a systemic impact on how we, as a society, ensure justice for all.

Overview of Position:

Housing has the attention of everyone in the country and especially the SF Bay Area. A safe and healthy home is a universal human need, yet it is consistently unrealized or threatened for those experiencing poverty or those overlooked by our country’s racist systems. Open Door Legal provides holistic, trauma-informed housing services, helping people access everything they need to feel safe and secure in their homes.

We are hiring an Eviction Defense (UD) Housing Attorney to strengthen Open Door Legal’s capacity to represent and assist low-income persons, especially  BIPOC populations, and individuals in jeopardy of losing their housing. The attorney in this position will assist predominantly marginalized communities, including those previously specified, as well as those living with mental illness and/or disabilities. You will do that by working with and in San Francisco communities that are hit the hardest. This involves utilizing local and national tenant protections; navigating state, local, and federal aid; and working with other local organizations to assist our clients.

In this position, you will be defending clients in Unlawful Detainer proceedings. The work is fast-paced and will require you to think critically and demonstrate humility and awareness in understanding the needs of our community. Overall, this position is intended to be a challenging yet extremely rewarding experience for someone looking to make a difference in clients’ lives with an innovative, results-oriented, and fast-growing organization. Success in this role requires grit, dynamism, teamwork, care, and passion (also our team’s five values). You will report directly to the Senior Eviction Defense (UD) Housing Attorney.

Responsibilities

• Embrace and embody our mission of universal access to civil legal aid and to ensure that everyone in our service area with a viable housing problem gets appropriate help, including legal representation. 
• Own a full caseload as per team needs, while opening and closing cases in an efficient manner.
• Appear in San Francisco Superior Court representing clients on average once every two weeks (and up to three times per week) for litigation matters, as required on your cases.
• Conduct housing law intakes virtually and in person across multiple physical Open Door Legal locations.
• Provide clear information frequently and with care to guests and clients about their cases.
• Provide services and support to our low-income clients with sensitivity and awareness to cultural, socio-economic, and disability differences, maintaining consistently positive client feedback scores. 
• Embrace and embody our values of teamwork, grit, care, passion, and dynamism. 

Requirements

Applicants who are members in good standing with the State Bar of California, or licensed in good standing with another state bar, may be considered. However, those without a license are encouraged to apply to volunteer with us at opendoorlegal.org/volunteer.

• Must genuinely enjoy working with low-income clients and have a commitment to providing culturally-humble and trauma-informed services. 
• Must have some experience in a fast-paced office environment.
• Must have high comfort using technology and case management systems. 
• Must have a strong attention to detail.
• This is a hybrid role. You must be able to report to our physical offices for work at least three (3) days and up to four (4) days per week. Please do not apply if you cannot do this.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.

Bonus Points

• Advanced Spanish  and/or Cantonese proficiency (speaking, reading, and writing) and high level of comfort translating and interpreting from English to Spanish or Cantonese and vice versa legal information without assistance.
• California housing law and superior court civil procedure knowledge.
• Experience working with low-income and vulnerable populations.
• Experience working in a high-volume legal aid organization, public defender’s office or similar environment.
• Knowledge of other local non-profit organizations and tools for assisting low-income, underserved communities. 
• Having lived a significant period of your life in San Francisco proper.

Starting compensation is $83,500-$111,500 annually based on experience.

Benefits

• Loan Repayment Assistance - for staff pursuing 10-year public interest debt forgiveness, we will pay the minimum payment on all qualifying loans so that you don’t need to worry about student loan debt (this is a conditional benefit).
• Medical/Dental/Vision Plan offerings at 100% coverage
• Generous paid time off (four weeks vacation and two weeks sick/care)
• Flexible work hours
• Generous paid parental leave
• 401K/Retirement Account
• We believe everyone is always learning. We financially invest in individual professional development for each staff member which can include  mentorships, coaching, and learning opportunities (conferences, workshops, etc.).
• We are a fun and hard-working office with best-in-class technology solutions for anyone who’s passionate about making a meaningful and measurable difference.