St. Louis, Missouri
Job Number: 01-251205-03: Staff Attorney - Consumer Law Program
Company Name: Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
The Staff Attorney’s work will be legal and non-legal in nature, focused
on solving problems common to Tornado survivors and especially those
problems that involve obtaining monetary benefits or avoiding monetary
or housing losses. The work will primarily involve low-income St. Louis
City households and individuals who were living in the seven zip codes
impacted by the May 16th Tornado. For those City residents in Tornado
recovery, services will include: legal counseling, full or partial
representation to residents related to landlord-tenant issues, including
evictions and lease disputes; legal assistance to eligible homeowners
to avoid and combat construction repair scams and other unfair and
deceptive actions by construction contractors; outreach and education to
disaster survivors about their legal rights and available resources;
coordination with local government agencies, housing providers, disaster
recovery organizations, and disaster case management to ensure
comprehensive support; assistance with claims against landlords and
property managers who may have violated tenant rights; to the extent
need is not met by another LSEM program, assistance with deed/heirship
challenges, property title clarifications, and other property-related
legal issues caused or exacerbated by the disaster; and assistance and
representation for civil legal problems faced by a client in the tornado
zip codes as of May 16, 2025, that are directly or indirectly related
to the tornado.
Responsibilities
· Handling all aspects of
litigation including drafting pleadings, discovery, motion practice,
trial preparation and trials, and administrative hearings in substantive
areas of civil law, particularly consumer and housing law.
·
Providing direct representation of clients in state and potentially
federal civil litigation and administrative hearings, which may include
FEMA applications or appeals or other applications/appeals regarding
public Tornado relief funds.
· Working on Title clearance as
needed so that a Tornado survivor in a home can establish a clear title
to the home, which is necessary to receive most aid available for
Tornado survivors.
· Working on projects that provide systemic
advocacy on issues adversely affecting the health and well-being of City
Tornado survivors (i.e. utility issues, benefits, and similar issues).
·
Conducting a variety of community outreach and presentations focusing
on education, meetings, and trainings with and for City residents
impacted by the May 16th Tornado, St. Louis City disaster case managers,
United Way, and other social service agencies and partners, about the
many legal issues that Tornado survivors may face to recover.
·
Working collaboratively with other internal Legal Services programs and
external community partners serving Tornado survivors.
· Supervising law student interns
·
Drafting grant reports about Tornado grant activities and monitoring
spend down of the grant, along with Finance and Development.
Requirements
· JD in good standing, and admitted to practice in Missouri
·
Prefer 2 years of experience as a practicing attorney and/or experience
with disaster victims but not required. New graduates may apply.
·
Demonstrated commitment to public interest law work or to legal
services for people living with low-income is strongly preferred
· Strong litigation and advocacy skills or willingness to learn these skills
· Ability to relate well and work with low-income clients and collaborate with community stakeholders
· Strong communication and organizational skills, self-directed and efficient
· Public speaking experience and/or comfort engaging large groups
· Knowledgeable in Microsoft Office, familiarity with legal case management software preferred
· Team oriented, and highly flexible to meet the needs of clients
· Open to creative and innovative ways of fulfilling the legal aid mission
What we do
LSEM
advances justice through legal representation, education, and
supportive services. We partner with the community to improve lives,
promote fairness, and create opportunities for those in need. Since
1956, LSEM has provided high-quality civil legal assistance and equal
access to justice for low-income people in 21 counties in Missouri. We
accomplish our mission through systemic advocacy/impact litigation and
individual case work in a wide range of substantive civil areas which
are in our priorities, e.g., family law for victims of domestic
violence, prevention of homelessness/housing, health, public benefits,
consumer, education, disability, community economic development, and
immigration. As part of our community education/outreach efforts, LSEM
works with over 150 agencies and participates in over 35 task
forces/coalitions and has a vibrant Volunteer Lawyers Program.
Who we are
At
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, we embrace a culture that
celebrates and promotes the many backgrounds, heritages, and
perspectives of our colleagues and clients. We seek to hire individuals
from a variety of backgrounds, who are professional, collaborative, and
creative thinkers with a passion for our mission, and create an
environment where everyone can thrive. We strongly encourage
applications from all qualified individuals and will make employment
decisions based on merit.
Salary & Benefits Information
The
annual salary range for this position is $66,000-$99,000. Specific
salary offered to a candidate will be based on their relevant years of
experience. There are opportunities for advancement, including raises.
Excellent benefits including medical, dental and vision insurance, a
generous time off policy (starting at 4 weeks per year), 11 paid
holidays, 12 weeks paid parental leave, 403(b) and 401(a) retirement
plans, long-term disability and life insurance, employee assistance
plan, and flexible spending accounts.
Submission Deadline Applications will be considered until the position is filled.
Interested Parties/How to Apply:
Upload your resume and cover letter through our online application here:
Employment - Legal Services of Eastern Missouri.
Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
Submission Deadline: Applications will be considered until position is filled.
Equal access to Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s office is available.
Those applicants requiring accommodation to the interview/application process should contact Human Resources at the e-mail:
hr@lsem.org.
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s is an equal opportunity employer.
At Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, we value diversity, equity, inclusion, and mutual respect. We encourage people of color, women, LGBTQ+, people of all abilities, and those who have been historically disadvantaged to apply.
Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that represents our community and to be an inclusive environment for all employees.