"Staff Attorney, Housing Justice Clinic (HJC)"

Position Summary

The UCLA Housing Justice Clinic (HJC) seeks a Staff Attorney to begin in late 2025 or early 2026. The position is intended for an attorney with at least two to five years of experience as a practicing attorney, with at least some of that experience in housing law. The position is a two-year contract with the possibility of extension. The law school recently launched the HJC to help address the ongoing housing crisis in greater Los Angeles and to train students to become skilled, thoughtful litigators and public interest attorneys. The HJC will be based on a community-lawyering model and work closely with tenant unions and community organizations to protect vulnerable individuals and communities from displacement. The clinic will provide representation to tenants in eviction defense cases and employ other strategies—including affirmative litigation and legislative advocacy—to defend tenants' rights and further the efforts of our community partners. The clinic's clients will predominantly be people with lower incomes, people of color, recent immigrants, and/or individuals who speak languages other than English. The Staff Attorney will be primarily based at UCLA's downtown location, 433 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, though the Staff Attorney will also spend time in court and at community meetings in and near Los Angeles. The Staff Attorney will supervise law students in casework connected to the clinic and will do standalone casework of their own, especially when students are on vacation or unavailable. The Staff Attorney will handle directly or in a supervisory role all aspects of litigation, including drafting pleadings, propounding and responding to discovery, and conducting trials and appeals. The Staff Attorney will also assist with providing legal advice to members of tenant unions and other community partners, and will assist the Clinic Director in developing and managing the clinic docket.

Salary & Compensation

*UCLA provides a full pay range. Actual salary offers consider factors, including budget, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business considerations. Salary offers at the top of the range are not common. Visit UC Benefit package to discover benefits that start on day one, and UC Total Compensation Estimator to calculate the total compensation value with benefits.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 Years Legal Practice Experience (Required)
• Demonstrated experience with or substantive knowledge of housing law. (Required)
• Demonstrated experience and interest in working with low-income individuals or groups, immigrants, and/or other vulnerable populations. (Required)
• Demonstrated ability to read, write, and speak fluently in Spanish. (Preferred)
• Familiarity with eviction defense / unlawful detainer cases. (Required)
• Ability to work flexibly with changing priorities and deadlines. (Required)
• Ability to work in a busy and dynamic office setting shared by numerous people. (Required)
• Demonstrated skill in working independently, organizing work flow, establishing a productive work environment, and following through on assignments with minimal direct supervision. (Required)
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively to individuals and groups from a variety of social contexts, including members of immigrant communities. (Preferred)
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work effectively under conditions of heavy workload, frequent distractions, and deadlines. (Required)
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to exchange ideas, information, and opinions with others to arrive jointly at decisions, conclusions, or solutions. (Required)
• Effective oral and written communication skills. (Required)
• Skill in conducting complex legal analysis, problem solving, and critical thinking. (Required)
• Skill in using Lexis, Nexus, Westlaw and / or other electronic legal databases, law library, and people-search databases, and standard office software. (Required)
• Ability to draft moderately complex legal documents including editing and proofreading documents with close attention to detail. (Required)

Education, Licenses, Certifications & Personal Affiliations

• Juris Doctor (JD) Degree from a state bar-accredited or American Bar Associate-approved law school or equivalent combination of education and experience (Required)
• Must be a member in good standing of the State Bar of California and maintain that standing through continuing legal education credits required by the State Bar. ALL (Required)

Special Conditions for Employment

• Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation.
• Live Scan Background Check: A Live Scan background check must be completed prior to the start of employment.
• Age Requirement: Candidate(s) must be 18 years or older to be eligible to be hired.
• Ability to commute to the downtown UCLA office, 433 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, and as-needed to other offsite locations for community meetings, meetings with community partners, court appearances, and other events. (Required)

Schedule

Monday - Friday | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.