Staff Attorney, Real Estate Clinic - Grant Funded

The Real Estate Clinic of St. Mary's University School of Law provides civil legal services to income-limited individuals, while educating students enrolled in the Clinic. These services include title clearing, simple estate planning, homestead and tax counseling, drafting real estate documents, negotiating heirship disputes, and advice and counsel on housing matters. The Clinic works with community partners to identify potential clients and to educate the community about homeownership protections. The duties and responsibilities of the Real Estate Staff Attorney are described as follows, with variation based on the needs of the Clinic.

The position is a full-time position. This position is funded in whole or in part, by an external grant and is subject to immediate termination if the grant funding ceases. No employee who is in such a position may file a grievance over the termination of the position. While it is possible that grant funding may be renewed, the current funding for this position ends December 31, 2026.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Represents Clinic clients in cases accepted by the Clinic and assigned to the Staff Attorney
• Plans and conducts community outreach in underserved regions, including along the Texas-Mexico border, other rural areas, or in disaster zones
• Conducts intakes for prospective Clinic clients
• Teaches in the clinic seminar, alone or with the Clinic Faculty or other Clinic attorneys; assists Clinic Faculty in case or class activities such as mock hearings or simulations
• Assists in the supervision of teaching and research assistants and in representation of clinic cases under the direction of clinic faculty
• Provides administrative supervision to Clinic students on office-related tasks such as time-keeping and file maintenance
• Assists in supervising the process of interviewing, intake, acceptance, and/or referral of potential clients and cases, including the operation of the Housing Hotline
• Assists in supervising the management of the Clinic case docket, including calendaring, closing, storage, and record-keeping
• Assists with grant reporting in coordination with the Clinic Director and administrative staff
• Preforms other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

• J.D. degree from an ABA accredited law school required.
• Must be licensed to practice law in Texas or seek licensure in Texas upon being hired
• Must be an active member of the bar in good standing
• Three (3) or more years of law practice preferred
• Must have a valid driver's license, motor vehicle liability insurance, and personal injury insurance, or have a self-reliant source of transportation to conduct business on a daily basis
• Must clear and maintain a favorable background investigation and clearance
• Must not be a "relative" including a former or current spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, first cousin, nephew, niece, in-law, step relative, domestic partner (persons whose lives are interdependent and who share a common residence), or domestic partner's daughter or son of a member of the University Board of Trustees, CLSJ Executive positions, University or Law School Finance Executive positions, University Human Resources Executive positions or comparable positions within the University with different working titles yet performing substantially similar functions
• Must have the ability to demonstrate intermediate level skills in MS Office (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook and PowerPoint) including experience with virtual platforms such as Zoom, and applicable case management software
• Must be able to work some nights, weekends, travel, and attend special events as needed.
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills; strong public relations and customer service skills with an ability to implement diplomacy and discretion at all times; ability to work effectively with communities across the university
• Must have high ethical standards and a strong sense of confidentiality; ability to prioritize and manage multiple deadlines, thrive in a complex work environment, display solid problem solving and interpersonal skills, and work well independently and as part of a team
• Must have ability to demonstrate attention to detail and be able to organize