Legal Services Coordinator

LIFT Wisconsin - Legal Services Coordinator: Racine County & Statewide

The Economic Justice Institute, Inc., a Wisconsin-based non-profit that operates LIFT Wisconsin, is dedicated to ensuring equitable access to justice for Wisconsinites.  LIFT offers an online tool, legaltuneup.org, to streamline solutions to common legal barriers to economic prosperity, including clearing eviction and criminal records, as well as reinstating driver’s licenses and adjusting child support orders.  The tool is complemented by employment training and job placement services and some legal representation.

We are hiring a full-time position to focus on coordinating legal services in Racine County and outreach to low-income individuals across the state.   50% of the position will involve leading community-based programming for LIFT Wisconsin in Racine County, including education of community helpers, coordinating the provision of legal services, documenting policies and procedures, and engaging in constant quality improvement.  The other 50% will involve coordinating legal services and providing technical assistance for legal services directed to individuals in Wisconsin with incomes under 185% of the federal poverty guidelines as well as training regarding the LegalTuneUp tool to strategic partners across the state, writing legal educational material, and documenting compliance with service requirements.

Responsibilities: 
Community-Based Services 
● Organize and staff community, technical college, and employer-based mobile clinic (“pop-up”) events
● Work with LIFT Wisconsin partner organizations to develop and implement the use of pro bono attorneys, paralegals, and students to further the project’s goals. This includes recruiting, training, supporting, and coordinating with these groups to incorporate LIFT Wisconsin’s Legal Tune Up tool into existing practice, and to participate at pop-up events 
        o Coordinate with student supervisors at the local technical colleges and the UW Law School to ensure student involvement
        o Coordinate with legal service, technical colleges, employment providers, and law school clinics to provide wrap-around services
● Provide technical assistance to organizations and volunteer attorneys  
● 50% of these services will occur in Racine County, the other 50% will occur across Wisconsin, including through use of video conferencing technology

Training and Education
● Oversee and manage creation and updating of training materials, including on-demand video training and other digital material; plan and implement trainings for helpers (lawyers and non-lawyers)
● Recruit, train, and/or coordinate training of community service providers, human resources personnel, students, and volunteers about legal rights and basic processes, including use of the Legal Tune Up tool
● Develop associated educational materials in lay language for users of the LegalTuneUp.org tool
● One-half of the trainings will occur in Racine County, and half will be around Wisconsin, necessitating travel or use of webinar technology.
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Program Development & Quality Assurance
● Participate in and contribute to LIFT Wisconsin’s overall program planning and implementation
● Provide feedback on tool performance to technology vendor 
● Work with LIFT’s Outreach Coordinator to maintain a database of pop-up attendees and  subsequent wrap-around services to measure outcomes 
● Update program policies and procedures 
● Track services, client income, and other requirements of funders 
● Support efforts to obtain additional financial support from funders and law firms Administration/Other Duties as Assigned 

Administration/Other Duties as Assigned
● Participate in bi-weekly staff meetings 
● Engage in professional development 
● As a project of a small non-profit, this position may require a small amount of additional duties 

Qualifications: 
Required:
● Legal background: J.D.  
● Minimum of two years legal experience  
● Strong communication skills to engage key stakeholders, clients, and pro bono attorneys with a  demonstrated ability to speak and write clearly and persuasively 
● Ability to manage a high volume, fast-paced project
● Ability to prioritize and organize resources while maintaining quality and attention to detail
● Enthusiasm for civil legal aid and equal justice 
● Possess a valid driver’s license and maintain it throughout employment 

Preferred
● Ability to work harmoniously with others 
● Experience creating training materials and leading trainings, or a willingness to learn
● Self-motivated, diligent, and able to meet strict deadlines while under pressure
● Commitment to inclusion of all, including clients’ and our staffs’ race, ethnicity, age, gender  identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and socio-economic circumstances;
● Fluency in a language other than English and cultural affinity for the client community that  speaks that language is highly desired 

SALARY:
 This position will be paid at a rate consistent with Wisconsin-based public interest/non-profit legal services, with consideration for qualifications and documented, relevant work experience. The salary range for the position is $55,000-$70,000 and includes benefits.

WORK HOURS:
This position is a professional salaried position requiring community-based services that  will include some evenings and weekends. 

TRAVEL:
‍Travel around Racine County, and the state of Wisconsin will be required. All work-related  travel is reimbursed per IRS travel policies.

‍DIVERSITY, EQUITY, and INCLUSION: We value a diverse staff and work environment. We strongly  encourage applications from black, indigenous, and people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+,  people with disabilities, women, and people with life experiences or education that add to our diversity  and our capacity to provide high-quality services and work to transform systems to meet the needs of  communities. For this reason, we encourage applicants to include a statement about the ways that  their unique background and personal, professional, and life experiences contribute to this  commitment. 

HOW TO APPLY: Interested applicants should send the following documents to mmansfield@liftwisconsin.org: 

1. Cover letter, summarizing interest in the position and qualifications 
2. Resume 
3. Optional, but highly encouraged: Statement about the ways that your unique background and personal, professional, and life experiences will contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our organization. 

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

MORE ABOUT LIFT WISCONSIN: LIFT Wisconsin has a three-part mission:
1) build a novel application  that accesses public data to make it easy for people to clear civil legal barriers to economic prosperity; 
2) transform legal and court systems to prevent injustice in the first place; and
3) contribute to national  reform movements to improve civil legal justice for all.

We currently offer supported services in Dane  and Jefferson Counties. This position expands our reach to Racine County, and minimal service across Wisconsin. More information at LIFTWisconsin.org.