Staff Attorney, Criminal Defense Program - Cabrini Green Legal Aid

About Cabrini Green Legal Aid

Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA) was established in 1973 to serve the legal needs arising from the lack of opportunity, criminalization of poverty, and racial inequity experienced within Chicago"s Cabrini Green public housing community. Since then, CGLA has grown beyond a single neighborhood to become a citywide, countywide, and statewide leader in proactively filling the void of legal representation, wraparound services, legal information and resources, and advocacy exclusively for low-income individuals negatively impacted by the criminal legal system. Any engagement with the criminal legal system can greatly disrupt an individual, family, and community"s quality of life.

CGLA is distinguished among legal aid service providers locally, throughout Illinois, and nationally as having expertise in legal matters related to the direct and collateral consequences of the criminal legal system. Since 2014, we have been the sole legal aid services provider serving Cook County with the distinction of focusing exclusively on individuals and families who have been adversely impacted by the criminal legal system in all legal program areas: criminal records, emerging adults, criminal defense, housing law, and family law. We provide direct legal services, advocate for policy reforms, and provide legal information and resources to other legal aid organizations, pro bono attorneys, and the general public. We also support our clients holistically with wraparound social services from our social workers. Our policy and advocacy work is not performed as a separate entity; rather it is informed by our legal services and the lived experiences of our Leadership Council, an Advisory Group made up of former CGLA clients and community members directly impacted by the criminal legal system.

CGLA's Mission, Purpose and Vision

• Mission: We provide holistic legal services that include social support services and advocacy for individuals and communities negatively impacted by the criminal legal system.
• Purpose: CGLA exists to remove barriers to equity in the criminal legal system.
• Vision: A more just and equitable criminal legal system.

• Provide legal representation to low-income individuals facing adult criminal charges, including parole violations, as assigned, maintaining a manageable caseload proportionate to other responsibilities.
• Work with the Client Support Services Program to ensure clients with social services needs are served in meaningful ways that support or strengthen the legal case.
• Attend and actively participate in weekly client intake meetings, representing the criminal defense team in the civil matters intake meeting as assigned.
• Maintain up-to-date client information in CGLA's case management system to ensure accurate data collection and statistical tracking including timely reporting of outcomes, recording case notes for each client, maintaining calendars, and completing case closing notes and documentation.
• Follow procedures established for case handling, follow-up services and internal referrals to address client needs during and after representation.
• Provide education and training to staff and participants of partner agencies and attend relevant meetings in the community at large to further CGLA's mission of providing access to justice for CGLA's client population.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with workforce development agencies and other organizations that have formal partnerships with CGLA to provide holistic legal services to clients.
• Schedule and conduct periodic visits at partner organizations to conduct staff training and on-site legal services when applicable.
• Collaborate with CGLA's attorneys in other program areas to identify criminal defense clients who have civil or criminal records needs and advocate for these clients in non-criminal defense legal matters, assisting with housing law, family law, and criminal records cases as co-counsel with supervisory approval when caseload capacity allows.
• Assist with developing educational materials relating to criminal defense matters and conduct classes for clients, volunteers, courts, partner organizations and other personnel as assigned.
• Provide advice, support, training, and supervision at community and countywide summits and at community outreach and educational events as assigned.
• Keep abreast of changes in the law and participate in trainings to further legal knowledge and skills.
• Work with the CGLA leadership team to ensure all program goals are met each fiscal year.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Juris Doctor from ABA-accredited law school.
• Licensed to practice law in Illinois by date of employment.

• 0 to 3 years practice experience in criminal law.

• Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Be self-driven, highly energetic and innovative.
• The ability to work collaboratively with staff, interns and volunteers.
• Ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines and produce quality results.
• Superior interpersonal skills; comfortable working with a diverse population.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both in writing and orally.
• Exemplary organizational skills and keen attention to detail.

• None.

• Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
• Understand the speech of another person.
• Must be able to occasionally work well under stress.

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