Professor of Practice, Housing Rights Legal Clinic

5680

The USD Law Housing Rights Clinic, founded in 2022, provides low-income community members with assistance with housing instability and related issues. Unfortunately, the Housing Rights Clinic cannot assist community members with housing issues not listed below.

• Homelessness
• Eviction
• Foreclosure
• Threats to housing like uninhabitability and harassment

The Housing Rights Clinic provides students with opportunities to represent clients facing housing instability, including homelessness, eviction, foreclosure, and threats to housing like uninhabitability and harassment. Students will get hands-on experience interviewing clients, drafting pleadings, propounding and responding to discovery, motion practice, negotiation, and trial experience. Students will also have the opportunity to conduct outreach and education and help tenants organize and pursue their housing rights. The class will meet once a week as a group to learn about housing law and advocacy and to discuss case management and strategize on negotiation, litigation, and trial. The class meets a second time each week during set office hours to receive one-on-one training from the professor and litigation team on their caseload.

The University of San Diego, an engaged and contemporary Catholic institution, was founded by the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1949. Governed by an independent board of trustees since 1972, USD remains committed to a liberal arts education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Inspired by this centuries old tradition of Catholic higher education, the University welcomes people of all faith traditions and any, or no, religious background. The future success of USD relies on the contributions of those who seek to foster the development of engaged global citizens and an earnest confrontation of humanity’s urgent challenges.

The overall purpose of this Professor of Practice position is to provide direct client representation, case management, and legal intern supervision for the Housing Rights Legal Clinic (“HRLC”) of the University of San Diego Legal Clinics program (a working law office). The University of San Diego Legal Clinics program provides upper-division law students with the opportunity to use learned skills under the supervision of a practicing attorney while representing real clients. The Professor of Practice serves as the supervising attorney for the HRLC and shares responsibility with other clinic professors and staff for overall case management and risk management in the Legal Clinics. In addition to client representation and law student supervision, the Professor of Practice is also responsible for determining the course syllabus, assigning course materials, and providing weekly instruction to law students in a seminar-style class on relevant substantive law, procedure, and policy.

The HRLC is designed to address legal issues causing housing instability. The HRLC provides full-scope legal representation, including eviction defense and other tenants’ rights assistance in landlord-tenant disputes. The HRLC also provides legal services to enforce tenants’ rights, including habitability, anti-harassment, and retaliation laws; prevent unfair debt collection practices; and seek relief for wrongful evictions. In addition to eviction defense, the HRLC offers advice and consultation, mediation, training, renter education, and advocacy. Finally, the clinic seeks to increase affordable housing, ensure receipt of eligible income or benefits to improve housing stability, and render legal help for persons displaced because of domestic violence.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The responsibilities described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

 I.Client Cases

A. Maintain an individual caseload of client cases providing direct client contact and support,              representing and advocating on behalf of clients, and determining appropriate legal                      strategy to best assist clients.

B. Supervise law student interns handling client cases to ensure competent and ethical                      representation.

II. Instruction

 A. Create the curriculum for the HRLC to provide instruction on substantive law,                               legal procedure, and public policy related to the HRLC’s focus of providing full-                             scope legal representation to indigent and underserved clients in eviction defense                         and other tenants’ rights assistance in landlord-tenant disputes.                    

 B. Provide instruction to law student interns in fundamental lawyering skills                                     necessary for the successful practice of law including: written and oral advocacy,                         client management, case management and strategy, and legal ethics.

III.Law Office Management and Operation

A. Provide supervision for paralegals, support staff, and legal interns.

1. Develop orientation and other training programs for legal interns.
2. Supervise and evaluate substantive casework provided by legal interns.

B. Provide administrative and operational supervision of Legal Clinics program.

     1. Monitor law office procedures, including opening and closing cases, record-keeping, and file           maintenance.

     2. Provide for the continuous representation of clients during non-academic periods when law           students are not available.

IV.  Grant Application and Administration

A. Assist the Academic Director in completing and submitting annual grant applications.

     1.  Organize case data for reporting and publicity.

     2.  Compile and submit reports as required by grantors.

     3.  Analyze and report year-to-year trends in case management.

     4.  Monitor case diversity.

V.  Outreach & Education

A. Coordinate, develop and provide educational outreach presentations at community partners’ events throughout San Diego County.

B. Identify and engage new community partners to increase the referral network for eligible program clients.

C. Create and distribute informational handouts and posters for community partners to share with clients.

D. Coordinate continuing education (MCLE) events at the USD Legal Clinics.

 VI.  Additional Responsibilities 

       Other tasks as required/assigned.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

Current membership in good standing in the California State Bar

Special Conditions of Employment:

Must be able to work evenings and weekends as needed

Must be able to travel as needed

Background check:  Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes. 

Minimum Qualifications:

J.D. degree

Active membership in the California State Bar (in good standing)

Three years of housing law experience

Familiarity with computerized case management systems for legal practice

Demonstrated skills in customer service, including problem-solving

Ability to communicate effectively both in person and in writing

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience supervising junior attorneys or law student interns

Familiarity with grant application process and grant administration

Experience dealing with community-based organizations and volunteer groups

Fluent in Spanish and English (both written and verbal)

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The employee will frequently sit; talk; hear; use hands to operate objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms. The employee will occasionally walk and must occasionally lift and/or move objects up to 25 pounds. The employee must be able to see closely and be able to adjust focus for use of computer and distance visibility.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

The work environment is primarily in an office setting; the facility is air-conditioned. The noise level can vary from quiet to moderate, depending upon circumstances at any given time.

$9,166 to $10,833/Monthly; Excellent Benefits

The University of San Diego offers a very competitive benefits package including; medical, dental, vision, a retirement contribution given to you by the University, and access to on-campus Fitness Centers.  Please visit the benefits section of our website to view all of the perks and benefits that USD has to offer.  USD: Human Resources: Benefits

The salary range provided in this posting reflects what we reasonably expect to pay for this position.  Actual compensation offered or earned is dependent on experience, education and other factors including departmental budget.