Health Justice Clinical Fellow/Supervising Attorney

The Health Justice Project (HJP) is medical-legal clinic housed in the Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. The HJP partners with health care providers to address the health harming legal needs of vulnerable patients in the Chicago area while educating law students in legal practice and interprofessional collaboration. The HJP’s Maywood Legal Clinic, launched in February 2021, partners with Loyola Medicine and Loyola’s Stritch School of Medicine to address the health harming legal needs of vulnerable patients in the near western suburbs of Cook County. The HJP and Maywood Medical Legal Clinic provide direct client representation and engage in policy advocacy to improve access to health care and healthy housing and to support people living with disabilities. The HJP is an interprofessional clinic which collaborates with faculty and students from social work, public health, medicine, nursing, and other university programs.

The Clinical Fellow/Supervising attorney will work within the HJP to assist in managing the Maywood Medical Legal Clinic and case load of the HJP, engage in direct representation of clients and systemic advocacy, and supervise other staff and students. The clinical fellow/supervising attorney will develop and maintain collaborative relationships with the Loyola Medicine Community Health & Well-Being staff, health science faculty, and health care providers at the Maywood Family Health Center and other Loyola Medicine outpatient clinics in western Cook County; engage in outreach and training for health care providers, students, and patients; develop internal and external resources and materials; manage referral and information exchange protocols; and provide direct service representation and policy advocacy to low-income patients and their community. The supervising attorney will also work in collaboration with faculty from law, social work, medicine, nursing, and public health to develop opportunities for students to engage in interprofessional advocacy.

The ideal applicant has 2 or more years of legal practice experience in an MLP or other public interest law setting, has experience supervising other staff and students, has experience collaborating across professions, is an excellent public speaker and writer, is licensed in Illinois (or bar eligible) and has experience in one or more of the following areas of law: public benefits, health care access, disability, housing, advance care planning, guardianship, immigration, and/or family law. Clinical Teaching fellows may be eligible for renewal beyond the three year term, contingent on approval.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following.
1. Engage in direct legal representation, research, and policy work to improve access to health care, access to healthy housing, and to advocate on behalf of patients with disabilities and chronic health challenges in civil legal matters impacting health and well-being.

2. Develop and provide training and resource development for health care providers, patients, community, and students;

3. Engage in outreach in Maywood, Illinois and surrounding communities and maintain office hours at the Maywood Family Medicine Clinic and other Loyola Medicine clinic sites in western Cook County;

4. Maintain referral, filing, and case management system, and monitor cases for the HJP and its Maywood Medical Legal Clinic project;

5. Draft reports to funders, partners, and the broader community as needed,

6. Collaborate with University and Loyola Medicine development and advancement teams to seek future funding for the Maywood Medical Legal Clinic and HJP;

7. Supervise and mentor staff, volunteers, and students; and

8. Maintain relationships with health care, university, and other partners.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s and J.D. required. Demonstrated interest in public interest law, social justice, racial justice, health equity, and/or health justice. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret legal sources (including regulations, statutes, case law, administrative decisions, and legislative history), law periodicals, professional journals, and agency procedures. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and legal manuals in a variety of subjects.

Three or more years of experience in one or more of the areas of law practiced in the HJP including public benefits, disability, housing, advance care planning, guardianship, immigration, family law and/or health law. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from partners, health center staff, clients, students, and the general public.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize tasks. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, and as part of an interdisciplinary team. Experience in supervising and providing collaborative constructive support to new attorneys, other support staff, and students. Detail oriented. Flexible work attitude, ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with a small staff, and ability to work collaboratively with a diverse group of professionals.
Ability to interact with a variety of people of various socio-economic backgrounds and education levels demonstrating strong client-centered lawyering skills. Excellent judgment, including sensitivity to client needs, cultural nuances, and confidentiality.
Interest in serving low-income people and addressing poverty and health disparities. Fluency in written and spoken Spanish is strongly preferred. Access to a car or willingness to use public transportation to multiple clinic sites in the near western suburbs of Chicago is required.

Computer Skills:
Adept user of Internet, case management systems, e-mail, and other office automation systems. Will be expected to oversee the maintenance of case management and data collection system LegalServer.

Certificates and Licenses:
Juris Doctor
Admission/eligibility for admission to the Illinois Bar

Please apply here: https://www.careers.luc.edu/postings/28022