Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Attorney

Pine Tree Legal Assistance

Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Attorney

Location: Presque Isle; Hybrid remote

Presque Isle Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) attorney provides high-quality, low-barrier services to survivors of sexual assault, including child sexual abuse victims and their non-offending parents and caregivers, primarily located in Aroostook County.

This attorneys primary focus will be providing direct legal services to survivors of sexual assault. Depending on the candidates qualifications and organizational needs, this position may become a supervisory attorney position with management responsibilities, which are accompanied by additional compensation.The attorney may also be expected to provideoccasional coverage for Family Law and Victim Rights (FLVR) cases in other areas of Maine on an as needed basis. The attorney will use case-referral systems and case acceptance protocols within Pine Trees family law unit and will work closely with other staff in the referral and intake processes.

This attorney position will involve collaboration with advocates at Hope & Justice Project, AMHC sexual Assault advocates, AMHC Child Advocacy Center (CAC), the Micmac Domestic and Sexual Abuse Advocacy Center and the Maliseet Domestic and Sexual Abuse Advocacy Center. The position will be based in the Presque Isle office of Pine Tree LegalAssistance. Frequent travel related to work activities (including trainings) is requiredand evening or weekend time may also be requiredon occasion. This position also involvescollaboration with our Presque Isle office team to providecommunity outreach atthree (3) clinics currently held by Pine Tree Legal twice a month in Fort Kent, Madawaska and Houlton, Maine. The position may involve some client meetings at locations outside the office, as well as travel to other courts and offices of partner agencies as appropriate to provide low-barrier legal representation.

The attorney will work under the direction of theirsupervisor and collaboratively within theirunitsto provide the highest quality legal representation in appropriate cases. Legal advocacy will range from advice and limited representation to full legal representation in the cases in which representation will have the greatest impact. The advocacy will focus primarily on protection from abuse, custody, and education cases, although Pine Tree uses a holistic approachto providecomprehensive assistanceto families that can include screening and representation or referral for related housing, consumer, benefits, and other common civil legal needs. The priorities of the project are serving survivors of sexual assault, including child victims through representation of their protective caregivers, but the position may involve representation of clients who are victims of domestic violence,and of other family law clients,as attorney capacityand local resources allow.There may be additionalflexibility in the priorities for the attorneys case work in the future.

The attorney will assess and triage cases in consultation with the FLVR Managing Attorneysand team members, provide consultations to partner agency staff in appropriate case-related issues, consult and collaborate with other service providers, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, the Department of Health and Human Services, and others involved in the community response team, and put in place systems to most effectively address the holistic legal needs of survivors of sexual assault and non-offending parents of child sexual assault victims. As appropriate, the attorney may also participatein working groups and coalitions focused on improving the systems that address issues relevant to sexual assault survivors,victims of child sexual abuse, andvictims of domestic violence.

The attorney will have the opportunity to collaborate and consult with other Pine Tree staff whose expertisecovers a range of relevant areas, including public benefits, consumer law, education law, and housing, and provide appropriate referralsinternally to other Pine Tree projects. Dependent upon the needs of the local office, and resources available, the attorney may also be responsible forprovidingdirect service in related civil legal matters.The attorney must also be responsive to requests from Pine Trees administrative office related to grant reporting and prioritize cases to respond to specific grant deliverables.

The attorney is also responsible for community engagement and networking to strengthen Pine Trees reputation and access to legal services by eligible individuals, consistent with other work and time commitments. These activities can include the provision of outreach and/or trainings to community agencies and other groups that serve victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, or low-income individuals, or work on collaborations or other initiatives designed to address specific legal needs of sexual assault victims. Specific decisions about how to prioritize amongthese time commitments are made in consultation with other colleagues and the attorney supervisor.

General work expectations:

• Handle legal work in accordance withPine Trees written Standards of Practices and other relevant ethical and professional responsibilities;
• Observe Legal Services Corporation regulations,other relevant funder requirements, and internal program policies and protocols;
• Maintain accurateand contemporaneous timekeeping for all work activities;
• Address administrative responsibilities as a Pine Tree employee in a prompt and thorough manner (including payroll and reimbursement requests, as well as grant inquiries and other funder needs);
• Maintainclient files insuch a way that other staff can providecoverage during leave or in an emergency;
• Review and close all case files in a timely manner, documenting the level of service providedand all appropriate outcomesof legal representation;
• Actively participatein regular case meetings, and other office discussions;
• Utilize training opportunities that will strengthen trial and client skills on an ongoing basis;
• Share responsibility for general office needs including mail, faxes, facilities issues including insuring that maintenance issues are addressed, trash collection, and other needs that may arise;
• Contribute to and maintainPine Trees high standardsfor excellence, support colleagues in their work, and otherwise act in accordance withPine Trees Statement of Core Values.

Specific work expectations:

• Providelegal assistancethat accurately addresses and responds to the legal needs presented by an eligible client in all ofthe substantive law areas required by their position;
• Based upon experience, providefull legal representation in a minimum of 100 cases/year on behalf of service area residents, includingprotection from abuse matters and holistic legal services prioritized by program funders;
• Provide advice and limited representation in a minimum of 25 cases/year on behalf of non-offending parents of child victims of sexual assault and adult victims of sexual violence as prioritized by Pine Tree in consultation with program funders;
• Work closely with the family law supervisor and paralegal to supervise rejection or brief advice in cases outside the priorities for this project;
• Provide outgoing outreach and, if appropriate based on the attorneys experience, presentations to organizations and collaborations that work with child sexual abuse victims and their non-offending caregivers and adult survivors of sexual violence in order to promote increased enforcement of legal rights and appropriate referrals to Pine Tree Legal Assistance, especially in areas involving basic human needs and other areas that reflect significant unmet needs within local communities;

• As requested, participate in presentations, trainings, consultations and other appropriate servicesto eligible individuals, partner agencies, private attorneysandother stakeholders in the service area, and document these activities appropriately;
• Be alert to activities or practices that might be inconsistent with the goals of equal justice for low-income individuals, survivors of sexual assault, and child sexual abuse victims and their non-offending caregivers and bring those concerns to the attention of appropriate staffwithin Pine Tree on an ongoing basis;
• The priorities of the project are serving survivors of sexual assault, including child victims through representation of their protective caregivers, but the position may involve representation of clients who are victims of domestic violence, and of other family law clients, as attorney capacityand local resources allow;
• Utilizes opportunities to engage with the private bar and public sector attorneys through activities or initiatives that will strengthen understanding and support of equal justice issues and/or the work of Pine Tree;
• Work with other Pine Treestaff to produce grant reports in a timely mannerand/or assistin the development of grant or funding opportunities to strengthen staffing and legal services in the area.

Basic job requirements:

Applicants must reside in, or be willing to relocate to, the state of Maine. This is an exempt position under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The attorney must be admitted to the practice of law in Maine or be eligible to practice under MRCP 89(c) while working at Pine Tree. Previous litigation experience and work with individuals who are low income, and/or who have experienced domestic violence and/or sexual assault is also helpful.

Compensation and Benefits:

The salary range for the position will be $67,140 - $104,140, depending on experience.

In addition, PTLA is proud to offer the following: Employer-paid health insurance with a generous HRA contribution, generous health insurance opt-out benefit, employer-paid dental insurance, employer-paid life and disability insurance, and an annual contribution to a 403(b) retirement plan. Other voluntary optional benefits include vision and expanded life insurance. Staff enjoy 12 paid holidays, paid parental leave, and generous vacation, floating holidays, and sick leave.

Pine Tree Legal Assistance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to employing and supporting individuals who are passionate about social justice and have relevant work experience, regardless of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, physical or mental disability, religion, familial status or experience with poverty, receipt of public assistance, or homelessness.