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At Mass Law Reform Institute, we work hard to advocate for justice — and we need a diverse and committed team to fulfill that mission.

CURRENT OPEN POSITIONS

Housing Staff Attorney
Director of Training: MA Legal Aid & Community Education (LACE) Project
Housing Staff Attorney

MLRI seeks an experienced, dynamic, and strategic attorney with a background in housing law and policy to join its Housing Practice Group and advocate on behalf of low-income and marginalized people statewide. 

About MLRI:

Founded in 1968, MLRI is a nationally recognized nonprofit poverty law and policy center that provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities. We pursue systems change through impact litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, coalition building, community lawyering, and other strategies that address systemic harm to low-income people. MLRI’s approach is based on a racial justice and anti-racist framework and uses community-driven and collective impact strategies to advance high impact change. MLRI also serves as the statewide multi-issue poverty law support center for the civil legal aid delivery system; our advocates provide substantive expertise and technical assistance and support to frontline legal aid field programs and advocates and to many serving low-income people. 

MLRI’s housing advocates have played a significant role in advancing systemic solutions and policy reforms that achieve housing justice, prevent displacement, empower communities, prevent eviction and homelessness, and preserve housing affordable to lowest income residents. We work in multiple forms through multiple strategies in areas including homeless prevention, public and subsidized housing, tenants’ rights, fair housing, and housing preservation, gentrification and displacement.

Primary Responsibilities: 

Coordinate and co-lead statewide advocacy on the Emergency Assistance family shelter system and other related programs, including legislative and administrative advocacy and trainings. Coordinate and oversee development and updating of community legal education on housing and homelessness topics. These priorities may change based on the experience and qualifications of the applicant.

Ongoing Responsibilities:

Together with the Housing Practice Group (HPG), coordinate and facilitate statewide housing coalitions; provide technical support for legal services advocates and community groups on housing and homelessness issues; provide analysis and public comment on housing-related state legislation, budget, and policy; lead ongoing efforts with housing legal services advocates on court reform; and work with HPG to take on specific advocacy and other projects as they arise.

Desired Experience & Qualifications:  
  • J.D. and licensed (or eligible to become licensed) to practice law in Massachusetts.  
  • Minimum 5 years legal experience preferred.  
  • Experience or background in housing law and policy including shelter and emergency assistance issues and landlord-tenant issues.
  • Demonstrated litigation and/or policy advocacy experience. 
  • Project management experience is highly desirable. 
  • Demonstrated ability to work with clients, client groups, community-based organizations and coalitions.  
  • Excellent research and writing skills.  
  • Ability to work independently and collaboratively.  
  • Excellent oral communication and interpersonal skills.  
  • Strong organizational skills, strategic thinker, creative, and collaborative. 
  • Commitment to MLRI’s mission to serve low-income and vulnerable populations and to advance an anti-racist, community-driven advocacy agenda.
Salary and Benefits:  
  • MLRI offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment that emphasizes work-life balance.  
  • MLRI provides a very generous benefits including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 403(b) plan employer contribution of 5% after 6 months of employment, as well as vacation, holiday, and family leave.
  • MLRI’s Staff Attorney salaries are based on salary scale range and are commensurate with skills and years of relevant post-JD attorney experience. For example, the approximate salary range for a staff attorney with 0-9 years of experience is: $70,000-105,000 depending on applicant level of experience. Internal equity considerations and average salary of the peer range will be reviewed and taken into consideration.
  • MLRI is currently operating on a hybrid schedule.
How to Apply:

Please email the following required application materials: 1) a cover letter outlining interest, experience and qualifications for the position, 2) a resume, and 3) 1-2 legal writing samples to humanresources@mlri.org.  Please note that all required application materials must be submitted in order to be considered for the position. No phone calls please.

 
Deadline for Submission: 

Application materials will be reviewed and interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis; this is a fast-track hire and qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to submit their application materials as soon as possible.

Director of Training: MA Legal Aid & Community Education (LACE) Project

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) seeks a creative, experienced and entrepreneurial leader to develop, implement and manage a statewide civil legal aid training program at MLRI, which will be called the Massachusetts Legal Aid & Community Education (“LACE”) Project. The Director of this project will play a strategic and leading role in developing a statewide training program and curriculum to build the legal skills and substantive expertise of civil legal aid attorneys and advocates across various practice areas. This person will eventually be managing and supervising a team of 2-3 people, including a Staff Attorney and Training Coordinator. This is a management position that will report directly to the Executive Director.

MLRI for several years had a training unit that merged with a national organization approximately 10 years ago; this created a gap for a Massachusetts-focused, coordinated and responsive training program for the state’s civil legal aid providers. The reestablishment of MLRI’s statewide Massachusetts poverty law training program will help build the capacity, knowledge, and skills of frontline attorneys and non-attorney advocates who provide legal services to low income people. In addition, LACE will also work with non-legal aid community organizations and providers to build their knowledge of poverty law issues, including e.g., conducting Know Your Rights presentations, providing training in effective policy advocacy, and other trainings to enable them to best serve their members and communities. This is an exciting opportunity to develop, launch and lead a project that will have a significant impact on the civil legal aid delivery system in the state and ultimately to the clients served.

About MLRI

Founded in 1968, MLRI is a nationally-recognized nonprofit poverty law and policy center that provides statewide advocacy and leadership in advancing laws, policies, and practices that secure economic, racial, and social justice for low-income people and communities. We pursue systems change through litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, coalition building, community lawyering, and other strategies that address systemic harm to low- income people. MLRI is also the statewide multi-issue poverty law support center for the Massachusetts civil legal aid delivery system; our advocates provide substantive expertise and technical assistance to frontline legal aid field program advocates and to many other advocates and providers who serve low-income people and communities in Massachusetts.

Goals for the First Six Months
  • Obtain and collaborate with a consultant to develop a statewide training program and sustainability plan that includes surveying the training needs and priorities of civil legal aid advocates and non-legal aid advocates and creating a staffing model, project budget and implementation plan.
  • Create an advisory committee of legal aid advocates from partner organizations in the state to advise on curriculum development for the project.
  • Work collaboratively with experts in each practice area to develop training teams and curricula for training.
  • Prepare for launch of the LACE Project.
Job Responsibilities
  • Design, implement, and evaluate training programming for the Massachusetts legal services; delivery system and partner community organizations who work/serve low-income communities
  • Coordinate with MLRI administration and advocacy staff to organize and execute virtual and in-person trainings at the MLRI office;
  • Provide supervision, management, and oversight of MLRI statewide training programming for both advocacy and non-advocacy staff;
  • With the support of the Manager of Administration and Human Resources and partner legal aid organizations, recruit trainers depending on the needs of the advocates in the field;
  • Promote courses broadly to the Massachusetts legal services network;
  • Maintain an understanding of existing training needs to ensure that advocates can receive consistent and appropriate trainings;
  • Design and develop trainings, assemble materials, identify trainers, handle logistics and outreach, and maintain training files;
  • Analyze and prepare reports on training-related questions or issues of interest to the Executive Director, COO/CFO, and advisory committee;
  • Collaborate with the Executive Director and Director of Development in grant writing activities to sustain the project and identify future funding opportunities.
Desired Qualifications & Experience
  • Minimum 7 years experience, including minimum of 5 years post-law school legal experience;
  • Three to five years’ experience supervising and/or leading teams;
  • Experience planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating of online, virtual, in-person, and self-directed/on-demand training programs, as well as the innovative use of technology to support learning;
  • Experience teaching law/legal concepts and/or conducting and facilitating direct training to individuals and small and large groups;
  • Strong interpersonal skills, empathy, and a demonstrated commitment to working with marginalized communities;
  • Demonstrated ability to collaborate with racially, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse community groups and coalitions;
  • Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and coordinate diverse training teams
  • Excellent writing and legal research skills;
  • Ability to develop and manage training budgets;
  • Commitment to MLRI’s mission to serve low-income, historically and presently marginalized, and vulnerable populations by advancing a race equity agenda through a community-driven advocacy lens.
Compensation/Benefits

MLRI offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. MLRI provides a very generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 403(b) plan employer contribution of 5%, as well as vacation, holiday, winter recess and family leave. MLRI’s management salaries are based on scale and are commensurate with skills and years of relevant experience. For example, for this position the salary range is $105K-$117K, depending on applicant level of experience. Internal equity considerations and average salary of the peer range will be reviewed and taken into consideration. MLRI is currently operating on a hybrid schedule and is committed to a fair and equitable workplace that promotes work-life balance.

How to Apply

Please email a cover letter outlining experience and qualifications, a writing sample, and a resume to humanresources@mlri.org. No phone calls please.

Deadline for Submission

Application materials will be reviewed and interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis; interested and qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to submit application materials promptly.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

MLRI is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We believe that having a staff, board, and volunteers with diverse personal and professional backgrounds and lived experience enhances our ability to meet our mission and creates an environment where all members of our community can thrive. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, women, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with lived experience of poverty and/or racism, and people from underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.