SUMMARY

STCL Houston is seeking a public interest attorney with experience in Bankruptcy Law and debtor rights. The client base is drawn from Harris County—indigent and economically disadvantaged individuals. The attorney will oversee program offerings that will include bankruptcy cases and debtor relief cases in Federal and local courts, as well as community outreach and education services.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Perform bankruptcy and debtor relief related legal services through client representation;

Observe and monitor student intern in the performance of their duties and skills development in such functions as: client interviewing and counseling, factual investigation, document drafting, case/hearing preparation and development, timeliness, court/administrative appearances at hearings, post-hearing follow-up, and the provision of timely, appropriate feedback. This includes clinical settings, pro bono projects, and post graduate internships or fellowships;

Model an ethical and professional approach to the practice of law to enhance and to ensure high quality student educational experience, client representation, and community service;

Develop legal education programs by assessing current, new, and expanded subject matter for potential representation; provide in-service and continuing legal education to clinic staff; and educate the community at public speaking engagements;

Assist with client intake, screening, and document gathering;

Set appointment, manage cases, and communication with interested parties;

Occasionally travel to off-site locations, as needed, to accomplish the above tasks;

Represent the Clinics at partnership or collaborative meetings;

Utilize case management and data aggregation software(s) to:

· maintain program reports, complete surveys, and enter of statistics data

· assist with client intake, screening, and document gathering

· set appointments, organize and track cases, and communicate with clients; and

Perform other duties as assigned.

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SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

Monitor and supervise the work of student/graduate interns, Clinics staff assigned to the Debtor Rights initiative, and paralegals as directed by the Senior Director, Legal Services.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required

1. Licensed to practice law in any state or territory of the United States;

2. Two (2) years legal experience or more;

3. Experience with Bankruptcy Law and debtor rights;

4. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate with cultural competency, to all levels of constituencies;

5. High level of business and professional ethics;

6. Flexible and adaptive in meeting the needs of the Clinics’ client base, student interns, faculty, and staff;

7. Excellent verbal and written communication skills;

8. Reliable transportation;

9. Minimum computer and technology skills required: Microsoft Windows and Office, telephone, fax, email, and copying/scanning.

Preferred

· Licensed to practice law in Texas;

· Licensed to practice in Federal Bankruptcy court.

· Prior public interest or volunteer experience serving low-income persons;

· Language proficiency other than English;

· Prior experience in teaching, training, or mentoring others;

· Experience with case management software.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Graduate of an ABA accredited law school.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to define routine problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions to solve routine problems and manage a variety of variables in situations, especially when department head may be out of office or unavailable. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

Licensed to practice law in any state or territory of the United States;

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is regularly required to stand and walk. Occasional light to moderate lifting from floor level, at waist, and above shoulders required. Infrequent bending and stooping necessary. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision in order to accurately input data and proofread; distance vison in order to recognize and assist visitors to the department.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Fast-paced, multitasking oriented, and non-smoking work environment. Must be able to work the general business schedule of the College ranging from a start time of 9:00 to 5:30, depending on scheduling needs, plus occasional evenings and weekends as necessary.

Application Instructions

Applications must contain a CV or resume and a cover letter describing the applicant’s interest in public interest law and clinical legal education.

Competitive Benefits Package for full-time staff

· All Health/Dental/Vision Insurance Coverage Effective on your date of hire

· CIGNA Plus Medical & Prescription Coverage (Employee Only Semi-Monthly $71.92)

· CIGNA Dental & Vision (Employee Only Semi-Monthly $3.56)

· HSA/FSA Medical Savings Accounts

· Pet Insurance.

· Life Insurance covered by the law school at two times your basic annual salary.

· Optional Life Insurance for employee and spouse

· Short & Long Term Disability coverage no cost to employee

· 403(b) employee only contribution; auto-enrolled at 2%

· 401(a) Employer contributes 8% of your salary after 1 year and worked 1,000 hours.

· Paid Leave Time, New Employees earn 1 day (7.5 hours) per month

· Sick Leave Time, New Employees Sick leave will be prorated based on the hire date at 9.375 hours per month for the first partial year of employment. On January 1st, staff employees are eligible for 15 days sick leave at full pay.

· 18 Paid Holidays 2024

· Employee and Dependent Tuition Remission options

· FREE Downtown Employee Parking

· Discount Tickets to STCLH Sporting Events for Employee and Family

· On Campus Cafe

Required Skills

Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in business administration or related field
• Experience with database systems; experience with Tableau a plus
• Demonstrated communication skills with ability to effectively deliver messages in concise and friendly manner over the telephone
• Excellent written communication skills with strong attention to detail
• Basic Microsoft Excel skills, such as creating workbooks, formatting cells, inputting and sorting data, highlighting, and basic use of simple formulas
• Demonstrated ability to quickly establish rapport over the phone during a cold call
• Ability to think logically and apply sound reasoning to solve simple to moderate problems
• Demonstrated enjoyment in sourcing and developing new customers