Maine Equal Justice is hiring a Staff Attorney to help us increase economic security and opportunity in Maine!

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Maine Equal Justice (MEJ) is seeking an attorney to join our team. This position may be filled at either the Staff Attorney or Senior Staff Attorney level, depending on the candidate’s experience and qualifications. Title and compensation will be commensurate with experience.

The attorney will provide civil legal representation to low-income Maine residents with a focus on eviction defense and public benefits matters. This position will work with MEJ paralegals on resolving cases and will be responsible for supervising the collaborative case work.

In addition to direct representation, the attorney is responsible for supporting MEJ’s systemic advocacy through impact litigation and legal support on administrative advocacy with state agencies and legislative advocacy.  The attorney is also responsible for co-leading community outreach, trainings, and education on housing rights and public benefits to increase access to legal services by eligible individuals. 

Maine Equal Justice is a nonprofit legal aid and economic justice organization located in Augusta, Maine that represents the interests of people with low income in the state legislature, before the courts and administrative agencies, and through outreach and education in the community. Maine Equal Justice works to increase economic security, opportunity, and equity in Maine, ensuring that people can access adequate health care, food, income security, and higher education and training.

Representative Tasks: 

• Handle legal work in an organized and timely manner in accordance with MEJ relevant ethical and professional responsibilities; 
• Develop special expertise on tenant rights and housing-related matters and public benefit programs and serve as a resource for program staff and volunteers in this area; 
• Represent clients at eviction court assistance projects across multiple courthouses and handle cases before state agencies, state courts, and federal court;
• Accept cases consistent with program priorities and funder requirements; 
• Maintain client files with clear notes on progress and next steps so that other staff can provide coverage during leave or in an emergency; 
• Ensure that all work-related communications (including correspondence and email) are handled with adherence to confidentiality standards in a professional manner; 
• Act as a valued contributor and supportive colleague to other members of the Legal Services Team and to the organization as a whole; 
• Collaborate with paralegals to determine next steps, needed documents, provide legal assessment and collaborate on client communication on shared cases;
• Update or develop client education materials in plain language for use by the general public within areas of focus;
• Identify and communicate effectively with individuals seeking legal assistance, including people in crisis and those who are at risk because of cultural, racial, medical or communication barriers (including those with limited English proficiency, who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, who are blind, or visually impaired, those who are illiterate or have low literacy levels, and those with mental health challenges); 
• Work with and provide legal support to MEJ community organizing and policy staff, and other community partners to identify opportunities for litigation as part of broader advocacy efforts;
• Support the policy team with drafting legislation and commenting on agency rulemaking to ensure that MEJ’s policy efforts are legally enforceable.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Commitment to and clear analysis of economic and racial justice and the ability to incorporate that analysis into their work. 
  
• Strong knowledge base in tenant rights and eviction defense and other housing-related matters.
  
• Ability to build a strong knowledge base and expertise in the areas of tenant rights, eviction defense and other housing-related matters, and public benefit law and policy.
  
• Knowledge of additional programs and resources throughout the state that provide services or benefits to low-income people.
  
• Ability to evaluate a community member’s issues and concerns (sometimes beyond what they indicate that they are calling about) and make appropriate referrals.
  
• Strong problem-solving skills and professional judgment, including the ability to recognize when to seek guidance or support. 
  
• Knowledge of applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations and ability to research through statutes, program manuals, and/or consulting with appropriate experts.
  
• Strong organizational and case-management skills to manage competing priorities and deadlines, track next steps, and ensure timely follow-through on client matters. 
  
• Ability to work in a collaborative, rapid-paced environment, including communicating proactively and reliably with clients and colleagues about responsibilities, availability, and follow-through. 
  
• Ability to work sensitively and respectfully with individuals/families with low income. 
  
• Demonstrated cultural humility and ability to communicate effectively and respectfully across differences, including experience or comfort working with interpreters and people with limited English proficiency. 
  
• Ability to work with a variety of individuals in coalition and as a team, including seeking and providing support and contributing reliably to shared work. 
  
• Commitment to ethical practice, accountability, and applicable professional responsibilities. 
  
• Knowledge of computer programs including Microsoft Office and G-Suite. Salesforce experience is helpful but not required.  
  

Minimum Qualifications: 

A six (6) year combination of education, training, and/or experience in working on issues that affect low-income people, including direct client contact. At least two (2) years representing people in evictions and/or public benefit matters. Knowledge and experience of the legal system and substantive and procedural law. Law degree required. Knowledge of a spoken language in addition to English is preferred but not required. 

Licensing/Registration/Certification Requirements: 

Admitted to practice law in Maine or ability to waive in under the Maine Bar Admission Rules.

Location:

This is a hybrid position. There is an expectation to work some days from Portland or Augusta with flexibility to work some remotely as well. Travel throughout the service area should be expected, as well as to court hearings, statewide trainings and meetings.

Salary and Benefits:

he position may be filled at the Staff Attorney or Senior Staff Attorney level, depending on the candidate’s experience and qualifications. The salary range for this role is $68,000 – $82,000, commensurate with experience and final title.

Health and dental insurance are provided, with premiums and deductibles mostly covered by the employer, as well as employer-paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability insurance. MEJ offers retirement accounts with an annual employer contribution, generous vacation time (five weeks in the first year of employment), generous sick time, and 14 paid holidays per year.

To Apply:

Submit your resume in pdf format, with your first and last name as the file name and responses to the two screening questions (see below) through our application form here.

If you have questions about the position please direct them to Ben Gaines, Legal Director, at staffattorney@mejp.org. 

No cover letter required. Instead, we're ask candidates to answer the following questions. These are designed to help us get to know your leadership approach, values, and alignment with what we see as must-haves for this role. Please keep your responses to no more than 300 words per question.

Please do not use AI to write the answers to the screening questions below; we want to hear directly from your perspective. 

1. Maine Equal Justice works closely with low-income communities and partners to advance both individual advocacy and systemic change. What motivates you to do the work and how do you ensure your clients feel supported and empowered while working together?
2. Which public benefits programs (for example, SNAP, TANF, MaineCare, General Assistance, or housing assistance) have you worked with, studied, or are you most interested in learning more about, and why?

Applications will be accepted until October 19 or until the position is filled.

We encourage people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, and those with lived experience of poverty to apply. Maine Equal Justice is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Thinking about applying? Research shows that people from historically excluded communities tend to apply to jobs only when they check every box in the posting. If you’re currently reading this and hesitating to apply for that reason, we encourage you to go for it! Let us know how your lived experience and passion set you apart.

Download this job description.

Our organizing team works to build the power of people, especially those living in poverty, to create positive change for Maine. They connect with people around the state through online community meetings, story collection, and strong relationships to build a movement for greater economic and racial justice in Maine.

We work  on impact litigation in the courts and with administrative agencies to create lasting positive change on systemic issues that affect groups of people with low incomes. MEJ typically has an internship available for a law student each semester. We receive referrals for legal internships from the University of Maine School of Law and Northeastern Law School. We will consider candidates from other schools.

We provide legal aid to Mainers with low incomes on state-level public benefits issues. We work to ensure Mainers are being treated fairly in accordance with the laws within these programs. Some of the programs h we provide help with are MaineCare, SNAP, and TANF. We typically have an internship available for a Master's level Social Worker to work with our legal services team from September to May. We get referrals from the University of Maine. We will consider candidates from other schools.

Our policy team advocates for laws at the state legislature and within governmental agencies that will help people with low income meet their basic needs and improve their financial circumstances.