Staff Attorney

Job Description - Staff Attorney

Legal Council for Health Justice (Legal Council) seeks a staff attorney to work on behalf of individuals and families facing barriers due to chronic, disabling, and stigmatizing health and social conditions. The staff attorney will conduct outreach, intake, advocacy, and case handling activities.

About Legal Council for Health Justice

Founded in 1988, Legal Council is a non-profit law office that finds legal remedies for discrimination, disadvantage, and disparities in health equity and well-being across the lifespan of Illinoisans impacted by life-changing medical conditions. Legal Council’s attorneys and legal advocates use a Medical-Legal Partnership model to provide legal services. We partner with safety-net hospitals, medical clinics, and social services agencies working with low-income communities to provide legal services. Legal Council operates on a hybrid work policy with a minimum of two days on site.

Legal Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law. People of color, women, persons with disabilities, older adults, LGBTQ+, and veterans are welcomed and strongly encouraged to apply. Legal Council believes that having a diverse staff is an organizational strength and recognizes and values the identities that staff members bring to our organization. We are enriched by the diverse experiences, beliefs, and ways of thinking that employees of different backgrounds bring.

Core Competencies:

• Provide legal representation on a variety of legal issues including but not limited to eligibility for public benefits (e.g. Social Security Disability (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SNAP, Medicaid, and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP); private insurance denials; HIV discrimination and confidentiality issues; estate planning; access to gender-affirming care; and expungement and sealing of criminal records.
• Perform outreach to and engage people experiencing homelessness, including those living with complex behavioral health conditions, and facilitate connection to housing, health and other stabilizing resources consistent with the Chicago Continuum of Care and the City’s One System Initiative.
• Advocate for clients seeking relief from federal and state administrative agencies, Illinois Courts, and other institutions as appropriate;
• Learn and practice trauma-informed approaches to client services;
• Provide in-person legal services one day per week at partner health clinic serving people living with HIV;
• Participate in regular internal and external meetings to advance agency-wide health justice goals;
• Conduct trainings for agency partners and the general public on a variety of health-related legal issues;
• Assist with program development duties, such as entering data in our case management system and maintaining case files with funder-required content;

Job Requirements:

All applicants must demonstrate a commitment to Legal Council’s mission and have:

• J.D. degree and be admitted to the Illinois Bar or be eligible for admission through reciprocity;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Excellent organizational skills; and
• Spanish/bilingual skills a plus.

Relevant experience includes not only professional advocacy on behalf of others, but

personal experience with poverty, chronic illness, HIV, mental illness, racism and its

consequences, public housing or other issues affecting our client population.

Note: We know that very few people truly meet every single qualification for open positions. We

are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and to considering a broad array

of candidates, including those with diverse work experiences and backgrounds. If you feel like

you have valuable skills and experience to be successful in this position, we encourage you to

apply and mention your strengths and plans for professional growth in a role like this.