SHORT-TERM TEMPORARY ATTORNEY Employment Law Unit – Unemployment Benefits Practice Group

GBLS is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Accessible Employer and strives to ensure that our staff members reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.

GBLS is seeking an attorney, or recent law school graduate, to fill a short-term temporary position in its Employment Law Unit, focused on unemployment benefits work. The attorney will be part of the Employment Law Unit team responding to the job losses and economic devastation in low-wage communities as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. This is a full-time position for 3 months, with probable extension to 6 months and possibility of further extension.

The attorney will work on evaluating, troubleshooting, and resolving legal, factual, and other issues causing delays and denials in unemployment benefits claims. The Employment Law Unit’s work prioritizes workers with limited English proficiency, lack of access to or familiarity with technology, or other barriers to navigating the unemployment benefits system. The attorney also will represent workers in administrative hearings (“mini-trials”) to appeal wrongful denials of benefits, and will be part of the team of attorneys who identify cases and issues to support policy advocacy with the goal of obtaining broad, systemic fixes to widespread problems.

The attorney will receive training and handle cases under the supervision of experienced attorneys in the Employment Law Unit.

Qualifications: Candidates must have a commitment to working with low-income clients. Experience with unemployment or other government benefits, or workplace rights issues, is preferred. Excellent oral and written communication skills are required, and bilingual ability in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese or Cantonese is preferred. 

Salary is based on a union scale with a starting salary of $60,000. GBLS offers a generous benefits package.

GBLS encourages applicants from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences.