Tenant's Rights Attorney

Position: Tenant's Rights Attorney

Reports to: Asset Building Programs Director

Compensation: $100,000-$115,000

Location: San Francisco, CA.

This is a hybrid position, and candidates must be able to work three days per week in our San Francisco office.

Apply Here: https://medasf.bamboohr.com/careers/220

JOIN OUR MEDA TEAM

Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting economic development and job creation in San Francisco's Mission District. Founded in 1973, MEDA has a long history of serving the community by providing access to capital, technical assistance, and training programs for entrepreneurs and small businesses. We also partner with individuals and families to build lasting prosperity through housing stabilization, small business support, workforce development, financial coaching, and education support. Rooted in San Francisco’s Mission District, we’ve seen how economic opportunity transforms lives—and we’re expanding that impact to communities nationwide.

YOUR CAREER OPPORTUNITY

In 2022, MEDA formed Housing Stabilization & Eviction Defense (HSED) to appropriately serve the Mission Community with culturally competent legal services for housing conflicts. To further our impact, MEDA is hiring a Tenant Rights Attorney to join our HSED legal staff. The position requires a candidate who will actively work with clients facing tenants’ rights issues and eviction lawsuits to avoid displacement. They will join HSED counsel to carry out the daily operations of the eviction defense service line, bolstering the existing housing stabilization resources we provide, which include rental applications, post-lottery services, homeownership counseling, and rental relief. The Tenant Rights Attorney will support and represent clients to understand and navigate their current housing situations, determine and explain their rights and contractual obligations, and help them make well-informed decisions to best protect their household interests. The attorney will provide legal counsel and be responsible for performing trial representation, discovery collection, legal research, drafting motions and other documents, handling depositions, and keeping client files up to date. The attorney will handle a wide range of landlord/tenant disputes, including issues related to rental rates, late or unpaid rent, nuisance situations, no-fault evictions, disagreements about the habitability of rental units, subtenancy challenges, and other tenant and landlord rights matters. Trial experience in representing tenants against unlawful detainer claims is a requirement for the role.

Job Responsibilities:

• Work with low and moderate income clients on legal matters related to staying in their home
• Legally represent defendants at trial in unlawful detainer actions.
• Analyze conflicts in legal matters, advise clients on solutions, and negotiate on behalf of clients
• Create legal documents, including correspondence, briefs, motions, pleadings, contracts, affidavits, and settlement agreements for contract negotiations and proceedings
• Collaborate with clients and senior associates and other stab to move cases toward resolution efficiently.
• Attend court hearings or other legal proceedings, perform legal research, and work with partner agencies to provide legal advice
• Prepare correspondence and legal documents such as contracts, pleadings, briefs, affidavits, motions, and settlement agreements for contract negotiations and proceedings
• Communicate with other staff and clients to ensure cases are handled efficiently.
• Conduct consultations, update clients on matters, communicate with court, conduct court appearances, argue motions before court, and negotiate settlements.
• Establish and refine operating procedures and policies to ensure appropriate handling of client cases, files, and other aspects of legal service delivery.

YOUR KEYS TO SUCCESS

To perform successfully in this role, you will need to leverage these key qualifications:

• Bilingual Spanish and English required.
• 1-2 years of trial experience as an attorney.
• Professional or lived experience working with communities of color required.
• Active membership in good standing in the State Bar of California.
• Juris Doctor Degree from an accredited college or university.
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills are required to work with clients, staff  members, and senior attorneys.

YOUR MEDA EXPERIENCE

Do meaningful work in an innovative workplace, while being challenged for your professional growth.

Joining MEDA means having meaningful experiences that develop achievers – from across the Mission neighborhood and within our organization. We find meaning and fulfillment in our work as we see our community thrive and are driven to achieve better outcomes by challenging ourselves to innovate in our ways of working.

We offer a market-leading benefits program that reflects MEDA's values and mission. We invest in people's lives and support our own people's health and financial well-being.

Our core benefits include:

• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance for employees and their dependents – 100 percent covered by MEDA
• 401(k) plan for employees
• Generous paid time off, a minimum of 20 days for new employees
• Employee Assistance Program that offers free financial or legal counseling to employees or their families
• Other forms of voluntary benefits

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.