Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor at East Bay Community Law Center – Berkeley, California

HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS ADVOCACY PRACTICE

Description:

East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is a non-profit legal services organization, the community-based clinical program for U.C. Berkeley Law School, and one of the Bay Area’s largest and most effective systems disrupters. With a dual service and teaching mission, EBCLC is a racial justice organization committed to building a culturally diverse workplace, centered on equity. With about 50 staff, 90 law students a year, and a $7 million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal services in Alameda County, providing multimodal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 4,000 clients annually and engaging in legislative and policy advocacy at the state and local level.

The Opportunity:

The Housing & Homelessness Advocacy Practice Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor represents low-income tenants in eviction lawsuits, advocates for tenants and unhoused community members encountering a broad range of housing-related legal problems and contributes to the creation of more just and humane housing policies for Alameda County tenants, while simultaneously supervising and training law students. This position requires a strong, client-centered advocate with excellent writing and organizational skills who works well in a fast-paced, high-volume litigation setting, has experience providing direct legal services to low-income people, and is committed to mentoring the next generation of legal advocates.

The Staff Attorney will also be a Clinical Supervisor affiliated with Berkeley Law’s clinical program. This means that, in addition to working directly with clients, they will co-teach a Berkeley Law clinical seminar each semester, supervise law students and receive a partial appointment as a UC Berkeley Lecturer.

Primary Responsabilities:

• Represent low-income tenants in unlawful detainer cases, subsidized housing hearings, rent board hearings, and other civil proceedings. Ensure that all advocacy is done in a zealous and client-centered manner.
• Advocate for our unhoused community through litigation, client counseling, and policy initiatives. This may require meeting with clients at encampments or other offsite locations.
• Supervise students in our weekly Tenants’ Rights Workshops, providing tenants with legal consultation on a broad range of housing issues.
• Assist unrepresented tenants in settlement negotiations at our monthly Courthouse Clinic located at the Hayward Hall of Justice.
• Conduct outreach and provide legal consultations to tenants in the community.
• Teach, train, and closely supervise law students.
• Work collaboratively with other staff at EBCLC to provide holistic, wrap-around services.
• Maintain accurate and detailed records concerning client services in accordance with EBCLC policies and funding requirements.
• Complete all administrative tasks required for client work, since staff attorneys do not have administrative assistants or paralegals.
• Participate in ongoing professional development to improve client services and student supervision.
• Additional tasks as assigned by Supervisor.

Workplace Expectations:

Office Presence: EBCLC is a hybrid workplace. The Housing & Homelessness Advocacy Practice Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor is expected to work at our Adeline office in Berkeley at least 3 days per work week from 9am-5pm (in person) to meet the needs of our Housing team and the community. In addition, the Housing & Homelessness Advocacy Practice Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor is expected to work with clients in the field - meeting with clients in their homes, as well as various other locations throughout Alameda County including the Hayward Hall of Justice, public housing authorities, social services agencies etc. The Housing & Homelessness Advocacy Practice Staff Attorney/Clinical Supervisor remote schedule will be determined by their supervisor, based on programmatic and client needs. EBCLC will provide the necessary equipment to fulfill the job responsibilities of working from home.

Salary and Benefits:

Starting salary for this exempt position is $85,000-$108,000, based on law school graduation date, as dictated by the EBCLC salary scale.

Benefits include fully paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision) for employees and their dependents, life and disability insurance. EBCLC has a generous paid leave policy including 27 paid holidays, sick time, and 20 vacation days accrued per year as a new staff that increase with seniority. EBCLC also offers flexible spending accounts for qualified health, dependent care, and commute expenditures; and retirement options.

Working at EBCLC

EBCLC is a unionized workplace and members of the bargaining unit are represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20, IFPTE. This position is part of the bargaining unit. EBCLC is strongly committed to advancing justice through education and advocacy, and the need to transform legal services and legal education. Please take time to review EBCLC’s mission, vision, programs, and website, and ensure that your cover letter reflects how your background, experience, and expertise have prepared you to be successful in performing the responsibilities of the position.

Additionally, EBCLC is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. To achieve this goal, EBCLC works actively to improve our office climate, systems and structures, communications, and community engagement to create an inclusive and respectful workplace where differences are acknowledged and valued.

We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. EBCLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior contact with the criminal legal system, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Application Process:

Application materials should include:

• A cover letter that addresses the following:

o Your alignment with EBCLC’s mission, including how your personal background and experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural responsiveness and diversity amongst our staff;

o Your commitment to and/or lived/work experience with advocating for housing justice; and

o Your ability to thrive in a fast-paced workplace requires frequent feedback and communication.

• Resume
• Names and contact information for three professional references, with at least 2 supervisors.
• Please submit your complete application as one single pdf file by uploading it under “Upload your Resume.”

Timeline

EBCLC will review applications on a rolling basis. Priority review will be given to applications received by April 17, 2026.

Minimum Qualifications

• Member of the California State Bar in good standing
• Ability to manage a demanding case load. Candidate must have excellent time management skills, ability to manage diverse activities and meet critical deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Experience with, or strong interest in, law student supervision and training.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial justice.
• Humility in working with colleagues and clients, and individuals of all identities, experiences, and perspectives.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proof-reading skills, with ability to be detail oriented.
• Strong oral advocacy skills; thoughtful and attentive to client communication.
• Curious and self-directed with an ability to anticipate what needs to be done.
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse range of groups, including people of color, immigrants, non-English speakers, people with mental disabilities, law students, service providers, government employees, community partners, elected officials, and law school faculty.
• Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, and demonstrated ability to work well independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to learn-on-the-job and work successfully in a high-volume, dynamic environment.
• Ability to travel to visit clients, attend court and engage with the community in-person in Alameda County, as needed to perform responsibilities of this position. Comfortable working in a variety of environments, including Single Room Occupancy Hotels, shelters, homes with excessive belongings, and environments with pets.
• Demonstrated ability to receive and incorporate constructive feedback

Preferred Qualifications

• Unlawful detainer, landlord-tenant, or other relevant litigation experience preferred.
• Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin language fluency is highly preferred.