Alpine Legal Services in Colorado seeks a full-time Staff Attorney who will specialize in domestic violence and sexual assault cases. This is a new position in response to increased demand for legal services from survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. The attorney will work closely with survivor advocates in our community who refer clients to us for civil legal services such as protection orders, divorce, custody, modifications, and child support orders.
The Staff Attorney is responsible for litigation and providing legal advice to our clients. The Staff Attorney will also provide support to the Executive Director, work with our staff on a team executing our newly adopted strategic plan, and will participate in fundraising, general operations, and community relations.
We are located on the Western Slope of Colorado and have offices in Glenwood Springs and Aspen. Our service area covers a large geographic area. The region offers a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities as well as a diverse arts and culture scene. Our community has some of the greatest wealth in the nation and with that comes large disparities in socio-economic backgrounds. Housing in our region is expensive but the quality of life is high.
While this position is specialized and focused, Alpine Legal Services handles a variety of cases, including immigration and housing, at no fee for our clients who must qualify for our services. We are funded by grants and donations.
We are looking for highly motivated candidates who are passionate about making the justice system more equitable and who are willing to work as part of a team to improve our organization’s effectiveness and operations.
You can read about our mission, values, and vision here.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Direct Litigation (with an emphasis on protection order cases): Prepare and litigate cases at both the trial and appellate level (if necessary). Perform legal research, draft pleadings, motions, and briefs; engage in discovery, make oral arguments, and try cases.
2. Represent Alpine Legal Services at county Domestic Violence Coalition team meetings: Actively participate to assess needed services and how to best improve of delivery of services for domestic violence and sexual assault (DV/SA) survivors in partnership with other community service agencies.
3. Work closely with Advocate Safehouse and Response: Participate in joint staff trainings and meetings and staff cases as needed to ensure a close working relationship with our local DV/SA advocates.
4. Volunteer Attorneys: Assist in the recruitment of volunteer attorneys to assist clients in need; monitor progress of cases handled by volunteer attorneys; and provide assistance to volunteer attorneys as needed.
5. Update client information, enter notes in client management system, and assist when appropriate with data collection for grant reports.
6. Public Advocacy: Engage in public speaking and make presentations to community and client support groups as needed.
7. Supervision: Assist in the supervision of volunteers and administrative staff as needed.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED
Works under general supervision of Executive Director. Supervise administrative staff as needed.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education: JD from an accredited law school and eligibility to be licensed in Colorado.
Experience: A minimum of two years of experience as a practicing attorney or equivalent. Should have a demonstrated ability to analyze and understand the laws protecting victims of crime, especially those protecting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Skills: Strong leadership, management, litigation, and organizational skills. Requires excellent interpersonal and communication skills, good judgment, and professional demeanor. Must be able to work independently within a team setting. Ability to speak Spanish strongly preferred.
Equipment to be Used: Personal computer and other office equipment such as telephone, typewriter, calculator, fax machine, copying machine, etc.
Typical Physical Demands: Sitting, standing, bending, stooping, and reaching. Frequent lifting up to 20 pounds. Manual dexterity sufficient to operate standard office machines. Normal range of hearing and vision. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Typical Mental Demands: Able to deal with stress associated with fast-paced work environment and multi-tasking. Formulate decisions and act upon them. Adapt to changing work situations. Grasp and apply new ideas. Communicate with various personalities at all levels. Maintain confidentiality of all sensitive information. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Working Conditions: Alpine Legal Services offers a flexible work environment that is designed to meet the needs of our clients and allows staff to work remotely throughout the year. Hybrid work (i.e., working from home) is allowed, although a typical workday may require being in one of our offices. Often called upon to work hours in excess of 40 in a given work week in order to meet deadlines. Travel will be required to get to our offices in Aspen, Glenwood Springs, or Rifle, CO
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