Housing Rights Legal Clinic Staff Attorney

Job Description

Housing Rights Legal Clinic Staff Attorney | University of San Diego

The Tone:
This is a full-time temporary role at the University of San Diego, located in San Diego, CA, with an anticipated end date of December 31, 2027. The University’s School of Law operates Legal Clinics that serve as working law offices, providing critical legal services to the community and offering invaluable practical experience to upper-division law students. This position directly supports individuals facing housing instability by providing comprehensive legal representation, primarily in eviction defense, tenant rights enforcement, and addressing issues of habitability, harassment, and wrongful convictions. The work ensures vulnerable clients receive necessary legal aid and helps train the next generation of attorneys through direct supervision and mentorship.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Temporary (Anticipated end date of December 31, 2027, renewable)
• Location: In-person, San Diego, CA
• Pay: $6458–$7917 monthly
• Team: Legal Clinics
• Mission: Provides full-scope legal representation, case management, and legal intern supervision within the Housing Rights Legal Clinic to address housing instability through eviction defense and tenant rights enforcement.
• Tech Stack: Computerized case management systems

What You’ll Actually Do
• Client Representation: Manage a reasonable individual caseload of housing rights cases, providing direct client contact, support, representation, and advocacy, while consulting with supervising attorneys on legal strategy. This includes full-scope legal representation in eviction defense and other tenant rights assistance.
• Legal Supervision: Provide secondary supervision for paralegals, support staff, and legal interns, including developing orientation and training programs, supervising substantive casework, and evaluating intern performance.
• Program Operations: Monitor law office procedures such as opening and closing cases, record-keeping, and file maintenance, and ensure continuous client representation during non-academic periods. Also shares responsibility for overall case management and risk management.
• Grant Management: Assist the Professor of Practice in completing annual grant applications and reporting requirements, organizing case data for reporting, compiling interim and annual reports, and analyzing year-to-year trends in case management and diversity.
• Community Engagement: Coordinate, develop, and provide educational outreach presentations in both English and Spanish at schools and community partners’ events, identify new community partners, and create informational handouts.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and active membership in good standing with the California State Bar.
• Experience: A minimum of one year practicing law specifically in housing rights or eviction defense, along with familiarity with computerized case management systems for legal practice.
• Skills: Demonstrated proficiency in customer service, including effective problem-solving, and the ability to communicate effectively both in person and in writing.
• Bonus: Experience collaborating with community-based organizations, demonstrated analytical skills utilized in budgeting and grant reporting, and fluency in both written and verbal Spanish and English.