Staff Attorney - Housing Law Unit (Boston, MA)

Staff Attorney - Housing Law Unit

GBLS is an AA EO accessible employer committed to diversity in the workforce and regards differences as assets.Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) seeks an attorney with up to 10 years of experience preferred for a community lawyering and transactional law position in the Housing Unit. The attorney will be part of a team working with tenant leadership groups community-based organizations public housing authorities city agencies private developers and others on major initiatives to preserve the affordability and habitability of thousands of deeply affordable units at risk of permanent loss and to create additional affordable housing. The attorney will have the opportunity to learn and work on all aspects of mixed-finance mixed-income redevelopment process including permitting financing and other key public approval processes and to ensure that existing protections and rights of low-income tenants and applicants continue and are reflected in key contracts. The work currently prioritizes redevelopment of deteriorated public housing into mixed-finance mixed-income housing over the next decade in Boston and gateway cities.With the objective of preserving thousands of aging and deteriorated deeply affordable housing at risk of permanent loss the work currently focuses on collaborations at public housing developments in Charlestown Roxbury Jamaica Plain East Boston Chelsea and Somerville. In person and or virtual attendance at meetings (including some evening meetings) several times per week with residents is anticipated. This position also may involve working with the Boston Housing Authority Resident Advisory Board on resident participation policy changes elections and training. This attorney position may also involve housing work including some litigation and eviction defense. Qualifications Admission to or comity with the Massachusetts Bar is required. Prior housing law experience is preferred. Experience working with community organizers and organized client groups is preferred. Attorneys with lived experience of displacement or housing instability are encouraged to apply. This position is for an attorney with up to 10 years experience. Fluency in one or more of the languages in addition to English spoken by GBLS clients such as Spanish or Haitian Creole among others is helpful. Should funding for this position change attorney may be required to change to other areas of housing law or legal work at GBLS. Annual salary is based on a union scale with a range from 60 000 for an attorney with less than 1 year of experience to 73 500 for an attorney with 10 years of experience. GBLS offers a generous benefits package and paid time off policy. This is a hybrid work environment including remote community and in the office work. Candidates should submit cover letter resume and a brief writing sample to the GBLS Human Resources Team via e-mail at jobs(at)gbls.org. Please refer to Job Code HU-ATTY when applying for this position. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled but applicants are encouraged to submit applications by November 13 2022. GBLS values diversity and encourages applicants from a broad range of backgrounds.