JOB ANNOUNCEMENT - MANAGING ATTORNEY- STEUBENVILLE
Southeastern Ohio Legal Services (SEOLS) seeks individual with a demonstrated ability to work with staff and community to make a difference in the lives of indigent people and their communities to manage its Steubenville office and be a part of its management team. SEOLS, serving 30 counties in southeastern and central Ohio, is one part of Ohio State Legal Services Association (OSLSA) which fights poverty and its impact through its field programs, SEOLS and The Legal Aid Society of Columbus, and its statewide advocacy program, the Ohio Poverty Law Center. Our managing attorneys are encouraged and supported in being creative, effective advocates in federal, state, and local judicial, administrative, legislative, and community advocacy forums. Additional information about OSLSA is available at www.seols.org; www.columbuslegalaid.org;and www.ohiopovertylawcenter.org.
In addition to aggressive direct client representation in areas of family, housing, consumer, benefits, health, utility law and individual rights, OSLSA attorneys have:
- Established the right to counsel for indigents in Ohio’s juvenile custody proceedings and are pursuing the right for parents defending against involuntary adoptions.
- Established due process rights for indigents in their dealings with utilities, rights of tenants not to be evicted extrajudicially by landlords shutting off their utilities, women not to be denied service due to ex-spouses unpaid bills, tenants’ rights to service in their own name, etc.
- Organized law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, medical providers and shelters into domestic violence councils and successfully pursued federal litigation to ensure effective enforcement of Ohio’s domestic violence laws.
- Played a leading role in successful efforts to pass Ohio’s Domestic Violence Act and to restrict payday lenders’ abuses in Ohio.
- Gone to federal court to get Ohio Dept. of Medicaid to comply with federal law and due process resulting in 180,000 low income Ohioans having their medical coverage reinstated.
JOB DESCRIPTION: SEOLS Mission is “to search out the patterns, causes, and solutions for the repetitive and fundamental legal problems affecting its client community and then seek whatever legal recourse is necessary to redress the grievances of our clients”. The Steubenville office serves Jefferson, Belmont, Carroll, Harrison, and Monroe counties. The managing attorney, in addition to handling a reduced caseload, is responsible for overseeing the field office’s operations, consistent with program policies and procedures, supervising its staff of 2 attorneys and 1.5 secretaries, ensuring its effective multi-forum advocacy in pursuit of our Mission, implementing program priorities, building strong community and legislative relations, and seeking funding opportunities. All of our managing attorneys are part of the SEOLS and OSLSA’s management team, which includes a litigation director, finance director, who, along with LASC’s managing attorneys and deputy director, meets every two months to help coordinate, plan, and carry out the program’s work.
In addition to a salary of $ 53,300+ DOE, excellent benefits/leave package and LRAP through our state funder, OSLSA provides excellent ongoing training opportunities for its advocates at bi-annual programwide retreats, state, multi-state, and national trainings and expectations to participate actively in internal substantive law teams and statewide task forces and advocacy efforts.
QUALIFICATIONS: Licensed to practice in Ohio, eligible for admission by reciprocity, or willing to take the next available bar examination; demonstrated management and leadership abilities; commitment to serving the indigent; at least three years of relevant experience, including progressive advocacy experience; capable in and appreciative of the use of technology, excellent verbal/written communication and interpersonal skills; ability to think and plan strategically and to demonstrate and promote a positive work ethic and work environment; and a readiness to travel throughout the office’s service area.
If interested, submit resume, cover letter, writing sample, and references to James Daniels, Director, SEOLS, .