POSITION: Staff Attorney in the Farmworker Legal Services Kalamazoo office.
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM: Farmworker Legal Services, (FLS) provides free civil legal aid to immigrant, migrant, and seasonal agricultural workers throughout the state of Michigan. FLS case priorities include wage theft, discrimination, sexual harassment, workplace health and safety violations, unsafe housing conditions, civil rights abuses, and immigration. The FLS bilingual advocacy team includes four attorneys, three support staff, and numerous seasonal interns and outreach staff and works closely with the Immigrant Worker division of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. FLS is a statewide division of the Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP), which is a non-profit law firm that provides free civil legal as described at https://miadvocacy.org/.
RESPONSIBILITIES: The Staff Attorney will provide effective legal services to enforce agricultural workers’ rights. Advocacy tasks will include direct representation of individuals and groups in the full spectrum of local, state, and federal forums; community education and know-your-rights presentations; and participation in local, state, and national task forces.
QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants who are able to communicate effectively in Spanish will receive priority, as most of our clients speak Spanish as their primary language. Applicants must be licensed to practice law in Michigan, qualified to be admitted by waiver, or able to take the next available bar exam in Michigan. Applicants must possess excellent communication, analytical and problem-solving skills as well as a demonstrated commitment to serving workers, immigrants, low-income individuals, and underserved populations. Legal aid and/or litigation experience is a plus.
BENEFITS: This is a unionized position with an excellent health, disability and fringe benefits package. The union salary range is $46,000 to $68,000 based on years of relevant experience. Kalamazoo is a college town in southwest Michigan, located 35 miles east of Lake Michigan and two hours from Chicago and Detroit. The Kalamazoo Promise (an independent scholarship program that provides up to four years of college tuition) is available to students who graduate from Kalamazoo Public Schools.
TO APPLY: Complete the FLS Attorney Application Form and then send your current resume, a list of three professional references, and a cover letter that confirms your qualifications to [email protected] with “FLS Staff Attorney” in the subject line.
MAP is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.