Lavender Legal Center | Seeking Staff Attorney
Description: Lavender Legal Center seeks a Staff Attorney in Iowa, beginning as part-time (15-20 hours per week) with the goal of expanding to full-time within the first year. The Staff Attorney will conduct legal clinics across Iowa, with a focus on rural communities, and will provide other legal services as needed. When not traveling for clinics, most work can be done remotely.
About Lavender Legal Center: Lavender Legal Center is a nonprofit based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa which provides direct legal representation, advocacy, and referrals for LGBTQ+ people across the state. Lavender strives to provide a safe space for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community to access compassionate and specialized legal representation and related advocacy. Learn more about Lavender at https://www.lavenderlegalcenter.org.
Primary Responsibilities:
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Meet regularly with current and potential clients
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Conduct legal clinics across Iowa, with a focus on rural communities
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Assist with the direct representation, advocacy, referrals of clients
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Conduct legal research and draft legal documents
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Assist in the development of legal education and advocacy materials
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Acquire knowledge of community services and connect clients to needed resources
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Additional responsibilities as needed and upon expansion to full time
Qualifications: Lavender attorneys provide a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ community. They aim to promote the dignity, equality, and safety of LGBTQ+ people, and seek to minimize barriers to legal representation and related advocacy. Lavender attorneys regularly communicate with LGBTQ+ Iowans, including LGBTQ+ youth, sometimes about difficult topics and at vulnerable times in their lives. An applicant should have excellent written and oral communication skills. Lavender attorneys must have strong interpersonal skills and be able to work alongside diverse groups of people. They are required to maintain confidential and sensitive information and should have exceptional organizational and time management skills. They should possess high attention to detail, and they must have computer and general software literacy. Applicants should have the ability to travel within the state of Iowa. And, applicants must demonstrate a firm commitment to Lavender’s mission and principles.
Education & Experience: Applicants must be law school graduates licensed to practice law in Iowa. A public interest background and/or prior experience working or otherwise identifying with the LGBTQ+ community is preferred. Diverse applicants are encouraged to apply.
Salary & Benefits: This position will begin as part-time (15-20 hours per week) with the goal of expanding to full-time within the first year (35-40 hours per week). Lavender uses an egalitarian pay scale. Full-time attorneys have an annual salary of $35,000. Excellent fringe benefits are available, including six weeks of paid time off, paid time off for all major holidays, four day work week option, twelve weeks of paid parental leave, reimbursement for phone costs, paid bar memberships, and a flexible work schedule with partial remote work. Part-time attorneys receive the same benefits at a prorated amount.
Applications: Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis from December 2022 until February 2023. To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and list of professional references to Executive Director, Kendra Weston, at info@lavenderlegal.org.