Employment - SLLS

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (SLLS) is a non-profit law firm serving the 22 parishes east of the Atchafalaya basin. We provide free civil legal aid to low-income households.

Our attorneys serve this region from offices in Baton Rouge, Covington, Gretna, Hammond, Houma, and New Orleans. SLLS has received national and local awards for its outstanding work.

STAFF ATTORNEY - General Law

The position will handle Family Law, Consumer, Wills, and Successions. This position will serve clients living in Assumption, Lafourche, or Terrebonne parishes. Open to flexibility in the staff member working in our New Orleans or Gretna office a portion of the week and in our Houma office a portion of the week.

The ideal candidates will be able to demonstrate:

Proficiency in written and oral communication, client counseling, advocacy, and social service referrals.
Dependability, ability to respond to emergencies, good work habits, self-motivation, dedication to serving vulnerable people, and the capacity to work well with others.

Full-time staff attorney positions require admission to practice law in Louisiana. Starting salary is based on years of experience, e.g., 0-1 years is $50,000 and increases on candidates’ experience. Additional compensation may be granted for fluency in one or more languages other than English which is regularly used in the position and program. SLLS full-time employees are prohibited from engaging in the outside practice of law. Compensation for mileage may be provided along with a generous benefits package.

To apply, send a resume to Shannan Latino, Human Resources Manager, at slatino@slls.org.

CINC Contract Staff Attorney

SLLS is seeking CINC contract attorney(s) for up to 15 hours per week to represent children in court in abuse/neglect proceedings in the following parishes:

Terrebonne (Houma), Lafourche (Thibodaux), Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. John, St. Charles, St. James, Ascension, and Assumption.

Contract attorney positions require admission to practice law in Louisiana and for the attorney to be in good standing with the Louisiana State Bar Association. The selected candidate must be certified to handle CINC cases which requires a six-hour training offered online and on-demand before any cases can be assigned. Additional training will be offered by SLLS and/or other partners. CINC cases are different from any other area of law and are governed by the children’s code. CINC attorneys directly represent the wishes of the child to the other parties/stakeholders in cases.

Contract attorneys are paid for time spent in training, handling cases, reporting information, time spent on administrative duties, and time spent for travel back and forth to court. The hourly rate is $35 per hour for CINC attorneys. Mileage is excluded from the hourly rate.

When applying, please indicate which parish(es) you will accept CINC case referrals per the above list in the email.

To apply, please send a resume to Shannan Latino at slatino@slls.org.

SOCIAL WORKER – CHILD IN NEED OF CARE (CINC) UNIT

The social worker will assist with client visits, perform client assessments, identify service gaps and assist with providing input about the recommended case plan. The social worker will be instrumental in working through cases with complicated issues. The social worker may be responsible for establishing and supervising CINC peer support staff member(s). The office will be in Gretna.

Some major duties include:

Assisting clients in the CINC Unit by conducting assessments to identify problems.
Interview clients to assess their situational needs and develop individual needs assessments.
Review proposed case plans and do individual assessments and recommendations.
Serve as a social worker resource in CINC cases.
Plan/conduct regular follow-up meetings to assess progress and needs of clients.
Review and modify recommended plans as circumstances change for the client.
Identify and report on emerging or changing client needs.
Work collaboratively with the CINC staff in a team like manner and community agencies to facilitate the delivery of quality legal services.
Assist clients in navigating challenges/placement changes for foster care cases and/or challenges for family services cases.
Work with the attorney / team to assist clients with avoiding or reducing the negative impacts of trauma.
Attend court hearings and work with an attorney in the handling of the case.

Qualifications required:

Must have a master’s degree in social work from an accredited school of social work and preferred two years of professional direct social service experience. The position requires Licensure as a Licensed Master’s Social Worker (LMSW) or licensed as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) by the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners.

Preferred qualifications:

Familiarity with the array of community-based services and resources in southeast Louisiana to support at-risk families and children

Law office experience, judicial, or other legal experience

Salary range for Licensed Social Worker $46,000 - $64,000 or Licensed Clinical Social Worker $50,000 - $68,000

To apply, please send your resume to Shannan Latino, Human Resources Manager, at SLatino@slls.org.

HOUSING STAFF ATTORNEY, Gretna

The Housing Staff Attorney will handle a caseload of landlord-tenant cases, eviction, providing advice, brief service, and extended representation to support advocacy goals and other duties as needed. These new positions will have a streamlined referral process directly from Humana. This process will require training and working with Humana and its members who are identified as needing legal assistance.

The ideal candidates for Staff Attorney positions will be able to demonstrate:

Proficiency in written and oral communication, client counseling, advocacy, and social service referrals.
Dependability, ability to respond to emergencies, good work habits, self-motivation, dedication to serving vulnerable people, and the capacity to work well with others.

Full-time staff attorney positions require admission to practice law in Louisiana. Starting salary is $50,000 - $77,000, based on years of experience, e.g., 0-1 years is $50,000 and increases on the candidate’s experience. Additional compensation may be granted for fluency in one or more languages other than English which is regularly used in the position and program. SLLS full-time employees are prohibited from engaging in the outside practice of law.

To apply, send a cover letter and resume to Shannan Latino, SLLS Human Resources Manager, at slatino@slls.org.

Intake Paralegal, Baton Rouge

Duties will include client eligibility screening and intake for clients from telephone, scheduled in-person appointments, and walk-ins.

This position is under the direct supervision of the Baton Rouge Directing Attorney.

This position will be full-time with a salary range of $29,250 - $41,250, depending on relevant work experience, additional compensation for bilingualism, commissioned notary, a paralegal certificate, and a college degree (Associate/Bachelor).

To apply for this position, send your resume to Shannan Latino, Human Resources Manager, at slatino@slls.org.

SLLS is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or veteran status.