Staff Attorney - CASLS (HousingBenefits) (Cambridge)

Staff Attorney - CASLS (HousingBenefits)

GBLS is an AA EO accessible employer committed to diversity in the workforce and regards differences as assets. GBLS has an opening for a staff attorney at its Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services (CASLS) office which serves Cambridge Somerville Arlington Belmont Woburn and Winchester. The anticipated start date is the end of July 2019. The staff attorney s responsibilities will include the full range of housing and state and federal public benefits work at CASLS. The housing work will include representing tenants facing eviction in local district and housing courts representing tenants facing Section 8 terminations and representing tenant groups seeking to preserve the affordability of their housing. The staff attorney will also handle some EA shelter terminations denials SSI SSDI hearings and denials and terminations of SNAP EAEDC TAFDC and MassHealth. The responsibilities will involve administrative advocacy and maybe legislative work on housing and or public benefits issues. Qualifications Candidate must be admitted to the Mass. Bar with between 3 and 10 years of legal experience. Knowledge of housing law is required and some eviction trial motion experience is preferred. Experience in federal (SSI SSDI) and or state benefits (TAFDC EAEDC SNAP EA shelter MassHealth) is required. Fluency in Spanish or Haitian Creole is preferred but not required. Salary is based on a union scale. Generous benefits package. Candidates should submit cover letter resume and a brief writing sample to Sonia Marquez Director of Human Resources via e-mail at jobs(at)gbls.org. Please refer to Job Code CASLS-Atty when applying for this position. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled but applicants are encouraged to submit applications by May 20 2019.