Financial Empowerment Attorney Fellow (Lansing)

POSITION: Legal Services of South Central Michigan (LSSCM) seeks diverse and dynamic applicants for a 24-month full time attorney position in the Lansing office of LSSCM as an Equal Justice Works Fellow in the Financial Empowerment Project. 

Equal Justice Works is the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law. The Equal Justice Works Financial Empowerment Project is a pilot initiative that embeds attorney Fellows with Financial Empowerment Centers to protect and transfer generational wealth through both financial and legal guidance. An Equal Justice Works Fellowship is an opportunity to transform your passion for equal justice into a career. As a Fellow, you will help close the racial wealth gap by providing free legal services that focus on estate planning, title clearing, and other asset preservation legal needs. 

FELLOWSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Provide direct legal services to Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) clients in the areas of estate planning and asset preservation, including but not limited to resolving fines and fees, title clearing, and addressing heirs’ property issues in the Lansing area. 
• Develop and conduct training and outreach initiatives for Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) clients, including workshops and clinics developed in partnership with local FECs and community-based organizations.

• Building meaningful relationships with community members, with a focus on underserved populations, to support their long-term financial goals and promote intergenerational wealth transfer.
• Participating in collaborative learning and professional development through active engagement with the Equal Justice Works Financial Empowerment Project cohort. This includes contributing to resource exchanges, attending mandatory webinars and conference calls, and participating in training events such as the Equal Justice Works Leadership Development Training.

• Exercising leadership competencies as an Equal Justice Works Fellow.  

• Contributing to required programmatic reporting and overall program evaluation. 

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM: LSSCM is a division of the Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP). MAP works to advance the safety, independence, and economic stability of those most affected by poverty, racism, and other structurally oppressive systems by increasing access to justice and working for systemic solutions. MAP has provided civil legal aid for those unable to afford an attorney for more than 50 years. Today, MAP’s Legal Services of South Central Michigan (LSSCM) has five legal aid offices in south and central Michigan serving 13 counties with an emphasis on homelessness prevention, domestic violence and elder abuse prevention, and assistance in accessing health care, food, and needs-based income programs.

QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants must have a Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and be licensed to practice law in Michigan or be registered for the July Michigan bar exam. Applicants must possess excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills as well as a demonstrated commitment to serving low-income individuals and underserved populations through lived or learned experience. Legal aid and/or litigation experience is a plus.  

BENEFITS:  The starting salary range is from $63,672 to $92,548; salary is determined by the union pay scale based on the candidate’s experience.  MAP offers a generous benefits package including life, short and long term disability, health, vision, dental and flexible spending accounts.  If an applicant does not require health benefits, they have the option to take an annual $1,500 payout in addition to the base salary paid over the course of the year.  MAP also has a generous leave policy allowing staff to accrue 3 weeks paid vacation the first year and 15 paid holidays, as well as a 401K retirement plan including employer match for eligible staff after 6 months of employment.  MAP is a qualifying employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.  MAP is a unionized program.

TO APPLY: Please complete this application and submit your resume and cover letter. You can also access the application by copying and pasting the following web address into your browser: https://miadvocacy.bamboohr.com/careers/309.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. 

The Michigan Advocacy Program is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.