Housing Stability Attorneys (multiple temporary full-time positions)

Bristol (Bucks County), Norristown (Montgomery County), Pottstown (Montgomery County), West Chester (Chester County), or Chester city (Delaware County), PA

Job announcement (Feb. 21, 2025)

SUMMARY

Legal Aid of Southeastern PA (LASP) is implementing the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Housing Stability Program to ensure “Safe, Stable, and Secure Housing” for individuals with low incomes in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. LASP seeks several staff attorneys to serve in full-time, temporary positions through at least September 30, 2025.  Housing Stability Attorneys will be placed in one of the following LASP offices:  Bristol, Norristown, Pottstown, West Chester, or Chester city. These positions will be focused on case goals that ensure housing stability as defined by DHS:

• Safe Housing: Housing is considered safe if it is free from known hazards or conditions that jeopardize the health and safety of occupants;

• Stable Housing: Housing is considered stable if it is affordable, meaning total housing costs do not exceed 30% of household income. Housing is also considered stable by the absence of eviction or foreclosure notices, including for mobile homes or other occupied land, and the absence of other imminent risk that could trigger an eviction, foreclosure, or condemnation of the home;

• Secure Housing: Housing is considered secure if tenants, property owners, and mobile homeowners have legal protections in place, such as valid leases, mortgages, or titles, and are not subject to arbitrary displacement, foreclosure, or loss of their mobile home or property.

Housing Stability Attorneys will handle landlord-tenant cases including private rentals and subsidized and public housing as well as cases in other LASP practice areas such as utility law, homeownership, mobile home ownership rights, and other cases as assigned. Continued employment under the Housing Stability program may be available after September 30, 2025, after review of funding available at that time. Staff currently work on a hybrid basis. The successful candidate will be expected to perform in-office work as well as be able to work remotely.   

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

1. Interviewing clients, assisting in determining eligibility for services, and ascertaining and investigating facts;

2. Conducting legal research and interpreting statutes, case law, regulations, and other sources of law;

3. Providing advice and counsel to clients;

4. Preparing legal documents, including but not necessarily limited to: briefs, pleadings, motions, notices, correspondence, memoranda, discovery and documents responsive to discovery requests;

5. Developing strategy and arguments for presentation of cases and assisting in preparation of witnesses for hearings and trials;

6. Representing clients in trial and appellate courts and before quasi-judicial or administrative agencies;

7. Reviewing decisions and consulting with management team to determine merit of potential appeals;

8. Collaborating in external professional and community organizations relevant to casework;

9. Conducting clinics, community education, and workshops;

10. Becoming engaged in LASP team efforts to achieve office and program goals, including participation in program-wide affinity groups and task forces;

11. Developing knowledge of community needs and referral resources;

12. Enhancing skills and substantive knowledge through training, CLE, and other educational opportunities;

13. Abiding by all applicable professional standards of ethics and practice;

14. Completing required administrative tasks including entering of notes and timekeeping in LASP case management software, and maintaining of physical files;

15. Ensuring that requirements of grants and contracts which may provide funding for the position are followed, and assisting with grant reports;

16. Performing other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned.

SUPERVISOR

Managing or Supervising Attorney of the assigned unit or office.

QUALIFICATIONS

License to practice law in Pennsylvania or admitted in another jurisdiction and eligible for admission to Pennsylvania. At least two (2) years’ experience as a lawyer preferred; demonstrated proficiency in word processing, Outlook products, case management software, and online legal research tools; Passionate commitment to public interest law and serving low-income individuals and vulnerable populations; Strong written and oral advocacy and organizational skills; The successful candidate must be willing to accept complex and challenging cases and develop creative strategies to assist clients.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Base salary for attorneys starts at $58,000 but salary is commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits, some of which include 401K with generous employer contributions, health insurance option in which 100% of premium costs are provided, ancillary benefits, and liberal leave provisions, including paid holidays, floating holidays, personal leave, vacation, sick, and parental leave.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

LASP is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate in the recruitment, selection, or advancement of employees on the basis of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information or on any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within LASP, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. LASP makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and current business needs.

TO APPLY

Send resume and cover letter including the job title (Housing Stability Staff Attorney) to Elise Wilson-Coles, Human Resources Manager, at Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania to Hiring@lasp.org.  Positions remain open until filled.

(NEW02212025)