POSITION OVERVIEW

The Staff Attorney will: 1) be a part of the L.U.N.A. legal team that establishes policies and procedures to create a new legal program for survivors; 2) provide linguistically and culturally appropriate legal services to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including but not limited to civil protective orders, divorce, and child custody; and 3) evaluate the effectiveness of program implementation and delivery with the L.U.N.A. legal team.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Services

• Work jointly with the L.U.N.A. legal team to establish policies and procedures for its in-house legal services program.
• Work collaboratively with L.U.N.A. advocates and Legal Assistance Program Coordinator to offer victim-centered and trauma-informed legal assistance and representation to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence in civil protective orders and family law cases.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date case files and other required reports and documentation required by grant funders.
• Utilize L.U.N.A.’s legal database and timekeeping systems and comply with all applicable regulatory requirements and reporting needs.
• Educate and empower victims and survivors to exercise their legal rights in civil protective orders and family law matters.
• Ensure all activities align with the compliance and reporting standards of applicable L.U.N.A. funders, provided these are consistent with V.A.W.A. and attorney ethical and professional responsibilities.
• Develop collaborative working relationships with a statewide network of attorneys working with victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
• Complete and maintain domestic violence and sexual assault certification from the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) within one year of hiring.

Other Activities:

• Travel as part of work responsibilities, including state and national conferences, training, and presentations.
• Participate in individual supervision meetings, training sessions, conferences, and webinars related to victims of crime.
• Other duties and projects as determined by L.U.N.A.’s Executive Director.

Required:

• Iowa State Bar Association membership in good standing, the ability to acquire admission by motion, or registration for and passage of the next Iowa bar exam is required.
• Willingness and ability to travel as needed to serve survivors throughout the state of Iowa.

Preferred:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills, including the ability to multitask, prioritize workload, work under pressure, and meet deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage with racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse communities.
• Ability to engage and work collaboratively with diverse partners and client communities.
• Fluent in Spanish with excellent written & verbal communication skills preferred.
• Lived experience and/or experience working with the Latin@ community.
• Demonstrated ability to provide culturally specific services and build connections with Latin@ victims/survivors
• Experience representing clients in family law or housing law.
• 3 years of legal experience in legal aid/civil litigation or comparable practice.

About Latinas Unidas Por Un Nuevo Amanecer (L.U.N.A.)

Latinas Unidas por un Nuevo Amanecer (L.U.N.A.) is a statewide culturally specific service agency that serves Latin@ victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. L.U.N.A. was created by Latina survivors in 1999 that realized there were no services available to them in Iowa. The organization was developed as a community-based pilot program that supported victims through a holistic and grassroots approach. We offer a variety of services including information referrals, personal advocacy, such as accompaniment to law enforcement interviews and safety planning; emotional support including crisis intervention, one-on-one counseling, support groups, emergency financial assistance, and legal services to obtain protection orders, assist with family law matters, and immigration assistance. L.U.N.A. also provides a 24-hour crisis intervention hotline.

Connections working at Latinas Unidas Por Un Nuevo Amanecer (L.U.N.A.)