Careers - CARPLS

CARPLS Legal Aid was established as the first legal aid hotline in the country in 1993 and has been a national innovator ever since. The organization’s mission is to ensure that anyone in need can access legal help. Through its committed staff and continued technological development, CARPLS has grown into a lead partner on four statewide programs and serves Cook County as the largest provider of free legal services.

Community Engagement Manager

CARPLS, one of the country’s most innovative legal aid programs, is seeking an attorney level professional to serve as our Community Engagement Manager. This new role will deepen the breadth of CARPLS’ work with community organizations and stakeholders. This is an exciting change maker position in the service of access to justice and equity.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Serve as the CARPLS ambassador / primary contact with the greater community
Lead education and advocacy for our brand and mission; be adept at relationship building
Develop and implement outreach and community engagement plans
Coordinate legal education presentations, know-your-rights workshops, and other CARPLS presentations for community members, service providers, and courts.
Assist with the delivery of direct legal services in new community-based programs with other CARPLS legal staff and pro bono volunteers
Train, plan, schedule, and manage volunteers and community based volunteer projects

Document measurable outcomes for you and the staff, such as tracking of community meetings, community member conversations, relationship building, and volunteer efforts
Participate in meetings with community organizations and groups throughout Chicago and Suburban Cook County, and Illinois for select projects.
Other duties as assigned
This position reports to the Executive Director and works with the Legal Director, Development Director, Supervising Attorneys, Marketing & Communications Director and other staff as required

QUALIFICATIONS:

Juris Doctor from an accredited law school
Other degrees in public policy, social work, communications, psychology, or related field helpful
Prior experience managing community outreach for a community-based organization required
Prior legal practice and legal aid experience preferred
Ability to point to specific achievements developing community-based strategies in the prior position(s)
Experience working with people living in poverty or other vulnerable populations
Have established relationships with the Chicago African-American and/or Latinx communities
Excellent oral and written communication skills including public speaking, one on one interactions and listening, the ability to work well under pressure, and to quickly learn and retain new information
Computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office
Must have a car and valid driver’s license and willingness to travel to and participate in in person meetings with community leaders and members
Flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends for community events and meetings
Fluency in oral and written Spanish helpful

COMPENSATION:

Dependent on experience $75-80,000 range; senior attorney level compensation with benefits, including PTO and health insurance.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit a cover letter and resume to info@carpls.org with a subject line of “Community Engagement Manager–Your Name.”

CARPLS is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to having a diverse workplace.

New Leaf Cannabis Expungement Project Supervisor

CARPLS seeks a full time Supervising Attorney, who, after a period of orientation to CARPLS and its work processes, will work primarily on our cannabis criminal records expungement project (New Leaf Illinois).

The Supervising Attorney will analyze and review cannabis related court and police records, from throughout Illinois, working closely with a team of staff attorneys and paralegals helping and advising persons seeking to expunge their Illinois cannabis criminal background. As both a manager and working supervisor, the candidate will oversee the gathering and review of criminal
records, and will make determinations of the statutory relief available, the best strategy and course of action to address the cannabis record, give legal advice via telephone to clients with more complex situations, including making referrals to other legal aid providers for direct
representation in court, as well as assisting clients with pro se petitions for expungement as needed. The candidate will also supervise attorneys and paralegals doing this important work.

The candidate will report to the Legal and Executive Directors, and interface with the greater legal aid partner community working on this restorative justice effort throughout Illinois. This position also involves outreach and promoting the availability of these important expungement services to the community and clients who could benefit from the process.

As part of the CARPLS supervisory staff, the candidate will also work as needed in the general CARPLS program, giving brief legal advice and counsel to clients in all subject matters on our legal aid hotline, and/or our other projects. In time, the candidate would take on general program supervisory duties as well.

The full time salary for this position is commensurate with other legal aid agencies, and CARPLS also offers other employee benefits. All CARPLS staff work on a hybrid home/office work schedule.

Candidates with background in, passion for or dedication to the mission of the project
(restorative justice/second chances) and criminal justice are encouraged to apply.
CARPLS is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to having a diverse workplace.

Qualifications
-Juris Doctor degree
-Currently licensed to practice law in Illinois
-At least ten years of legal experience
-Prior substantial experience in criminal law, criminal defense, and/or criminal records and expungement
-Some prior experience is other legal aid practice areas desirable, including family law, consumer law or housing law being most helpful
-Prior experience working in a legal aid or other public interest setting helpful
-prior experience supervising a team of paralegals and attorneys helpful
-Bilingual in English and Spanish a plus but not required

Please visit our website at www.carpls.org to learn more about CARPLS. Please send your resume and cover email to info@carpls.org with the subject line “Cannabis Supervising Attorney”.

Compensation
Annual salary, $87224 – $87224

Position type
Full-time

Hotline Attorney-Eviction and Consumer Debt-Full or Part time

CARPLS is seeking several full time or part time staff attorneys to work on our special project legal aid hotline focused on eviction and consumer debt cases. The staff attorney’s responsibilities include advising low and moderate income clients over this busy legal aid hotline devoted to these two important areas. The staff attorney will focus on these two subject areas, though over time, expanding to other projects or areas is possible. The staff attorney may also do legal drafting of letters and pleadings for the client’s pro se use. Staff attorneys also do legal research and writing by contributing to CARPLS’ knowledge management library of over 2000 legal issues. Staff attorneys work closely with CARPLS’ supervising attorneys and paralegals. Attorneys who have expertise and experience in residential eviction and consumer debt collection defense are encouraged to apply, but CARPLS will provide training in these areas.

Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, all CARPLS staff members are working a hybrid schedule between working at home, and in our brand new downtown Chicago office.

CARPLS is open to full or part time candidates (minimum of 16 hours a week if part time).
All applications are confidential. CARPLS offers a competitive salary for legal aid programs, and a full package of benefits for full time employees, including health insurance, 401K, paid time off, paid holidays, life and disability insurance.

Salary:

$66,545.00 – $77,564.00 per year

Benefits (depends on full or part time employment):

401(k)
Dental insurance
Health insurance
Life insurance
Paid time off
Vision insurance

Qualifications:

-J.D. from an accredited law school

-Current Illinois bar admission

-One year of legal experience, but will consider newly licensed attorneys

-Prior legal experience in either core legal practice areas (consumer debt, landlord tenant/eviction) helpful

-excellent technical skills, easily adapting to new softwares, and comfort with troubleshooting of tech issues required

-Team player and ability to work with other colleagues on all levels, as well as able to work well alone with minimal supervision

-Flexibility, likes to contribute, and creative problem solver

-Strong people skills and ability to work with all types of clients necessary

-Passion for helping low and modest income clients

-Bilingual in Spanish and English in a professional legal setting a plus.

CARPLS is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workplace. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply.

How to apply:

Please send a cover letter and resume to info@carpls.org.

Staff Attorney

CARPLS is seeking several full-time or part-time staff attorneys to work on our legal aid hotline and other program projects. The staff attorney’s responsibilities include advising low and moderate income clients over our busy legal aid hotline. Some projects involve client consultations by video conferencing. CARPLS gives legal consultations in all legal subject areas, including family, consumer and housing. The staff attorney will also do legal drafting of letters and pleadings for the client’s pro se use. CARPLS also has in person advice desks. Staff attorneys also do legal research and writing by contributing to CARPLS’ knowledge management library of over 200 legal issues. Staff attorneys work closely with CARPLS’ supervising attorneys and paralegals. While all our attorneys are generalists across all subject areas, we are currently looking for attorneys who have expertise and experience in residential eviction, consumer debt collection defense, and/or criminal defense/records/expungement/sealing who can work on some of our special projects.

Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, all CARPLS staff members are working a hybrid schedule between working at home (4 days per week), and in our brand new downtown Chicago office (one day per week).

CARPLS is open to full- or part-time candidates (minimum of 16 hours a week if part time).
All applications are confidential.

CARPLS offers a competitive salary for legal aid programs, and a full package of benefits for full time employees, including health insurance, 401K, paid time off, paid holidays, life and disability insurance.

Qualifications:

– J.D. from an accredited law school

– Current Illinois bar admission

-At least five years of legal experience, preferably in a legal aid setting

-Substantial prior legal experience in any of CARPLS’ core legal practice areas (family, consumer, housing) helpful