In hiring,
wages, promotions or other terms or conditions of employment, Pine
Tree Legal Assistance does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, sex, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, age, religion,
political affiliation or belief, disability, or marital, parental,
military or financial status, including educational indebtedness.
Pine Tree seeks suitably qualified applicants for a 17.5 hours/week
job-share paralegal position based in our Portland field office,
probably involving Tuesday afternoons, and full days on Wednesday and
Thursday each week. The new employee will share an office with a second
paralegal who is also working a 17.5 hour schedule each week. The
hourly wage for this salaried position starts at $13.46 and is adjusted
upwards for relevant experience. The position is eligible for sick and
vacation leave benefits. Because Pine Tree's current health insurer does
not allow the provision of health and dental insurance benefits to
employees working 17.5 hours/week, job-share employees also receive a
cash stipend to acquire insurance elsewhere.
The paralegal will share daily responsibility for initial intake and
legal services for low-income individuals who either contact the Portland
office by phone or request legal services as walk-ins to the office. Intake
responsibilities will include initial contacts and client interviews,
eligibility screening, computerized data entry of clients in the case
management system, and the provision of legal information and referrals
when appropriate. The paralegal may also provide complex legal services
to eligible clients under attorney supervision, including client counseling
and negotiations with opposing parties. Depending on workload, the
paralegal could also handle administrative hearings from time to time.
While most of this work is expected to involve general legal services ,
some specialized referrals pursuant to specific funding sources or grants
at Pine Tree may be required from time to time. Housing and benefits issues
are especially important areas of concern for the Portland office and
previous experience with advocacy in those areas is desirable.
In addition, the paralegal will provide support with general office tasks
(including office accounts and bills, photocopying, filing, maintaining ticklers,
mailings, and program or commercial use of the office videoconferencing equipment)
from time to time. Other responsibilities may include work with clients to gather
appropriate authorizations or records significant to a legal proceeding, service of
subpoenas and related litigation support. The paralegal will work closely with local
staff in tracking and managing requests for service.
Pine Tree recently marked its 40th anniversary as Maine's oldest and largest legal aid
provider. The program is nationally recognized as a creative, effective advocate for
poor Mainers and all staff are expected to meet the program's high standards for legal
advocacy. Successful applicants should bring an energetic commitment to justice for
low-income individuals, the ability to relate to diverse clients, strong legal skills,
and a valid driver's license. Pine Tree is highly computerized: a good comfort level
with word processing and the Internet will make the transition to Pine Tree easier.
Interested applicants should write to Frank D'Alessandro, Pine Tree Legal Assistance,
PO Box 547, Portland, ME 04112 (or via email to
describing their interest in the position and enclosing a resume and list of three references.
Finalists will be interviewed initially by phone or in person. The position is open until filled,
but applicants are encouraged to submit their materials by October 24th.
Pine Tree is an Equal Employment/Equal Opportunity employer.
Volunteer Lawyers Project Staff Attorney, Bangor
Posted Fall 2008
The Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project is seeking a staff attorney at its offices in Bangor for a two-year
pilot project to expand pro bono services in a six-county area of northern Maine. If the project
is successful, it is anticipated that the position will be made permanent.
VLP has two offices, one in Portland where VLP intake operations are located, and the other in Bangor
where this currently advertised position will be based. VLP's mission is to provide quality legal information,
assistance and representation in civil legal matters to low-income people by utilizing the volunteer
efforts of the private bar and community members. Founded in 1983, VLP is one of the nation's premiere
statewide pro bono projects, matching low-income clients with volunteer attorneys throughout Maine
for full and limited representation, and providing information and advice to thousands of others with the
help of trained community volunteers. Between 4,000 and 7,000 low-income individuals receive some form of
legal assistance from the VLP every year. The VLP is operated by Pine Tree Legal Assistance for the Maine
Bar Foundation and all VLP staff are Pine Tree employees. Detailed information about the VLP and its services
is provided at www.vlp.org.
This new position has been created in order to support and expand pro bono services and projects
in Bangor and the six northern counties. The VLP has maintained an office in Bangor since 2000 to
support local referral of cases to private attorneys and this effort has been tremendously successful in
harnessing volunteer support for VLP clients. The new attorney position is expected to continue to
oversee pro bono referrals in eastern and northern Maine by supporting the Bangor "lawyers of the
day" who help refer cases to participating attorneys. The attorney also will provide substantive and
logistical support to local attorneys who have accepted VLP cases. In addition, the staff attorney will
work closely with the VLP Director on development and operation of new pro bono projects in the
service area, including those that recruit and train attorneys to provide limited pro bono
representation to low-income clients. Many of these will be modelled on successful projects already
underway in southern Maine, including a pro bono domestic violence project that provides legal
representation with protection from abuse proceedings for victims who would otherwise not have access
to counsel, and courthouse-based 'forms clinics' that help self-represented litigants complete Court forms
for various family law proceedings. As part of the statewide team of advocates working for the VLP, the
staff attorney will also serve as a resource on legal issues to VLP paralegals and volunteers staffing VLP's
statewide hotline and will, as needed, provide supervision to non-attorney volunteers and interns. Because
of VLP's unique role in serving multiple parties to a case, the staff attorney will not provide direct
representation to individual clients.
It is strongly encouraged that interested applicants be a licensed member of the Maine Bar with experience in one
or more areas in which the VLP provides legal services (family, consumer, administrative, benefits, property
and/or contracts.) Successful candidates should also have an understanding of and commitment to serving VLP's
low-income client population, and a familiarity with the private bar and pro bono services. The ability to
organize and handle multiple projects, careful attention to detail, and strong writing and communication
skills are essential qualifications. The successful candidate will be a self starter who is able to work
collaboratively and creatively in a fast-paced environment with fellow staff members, partner agencies, and
a large and diverse group of volunteers. Travel within Maine and some weekend and evening hours are anticipated
as part of this position. The Search Committee will consider applications for a part-time or flexible schedule
in appropriate circumstances and if the goals for the project can be met.
The staff attorney will report to and be supervised by the VLP Project Director, Juliet Holmes-Smith, who
is based in the VLP office in Portland. There is an entry level salary of $41,000 for this position, which
will be adjusted upwards for experience and is currently capped at $72,000 for individuals with 31 years of
legal service experience. Placement on the scale reflects previous experience at legal service programs and
with other legal employers. Pine Tree provides excellent benefits and generous leave provisions, and
participates in a student loan repayment program administered by the Maine Bar Foundation for which the VLP
staff attorney would be eligible.
Resumes will be accepted until the position is filled.The initial application should
include a resume, a list of three references, and a letter addressing the
applicant's particular interest and qualifications for this position. For more information about this
position, please contact VLP Director Juliet Holmes-Smith at (207) 400-3270. E-mail applications are
preferred and should be directed to both
and
Other applicants should write to:
VLP Staff Attorney Search Committee
PO Box 547
Portland, ME 04112
with a copy to Executive Director Nan Heald, Pine Tree Legal Assistance, at the same mailing address.
Pine Tree is an equal opportunity employer.
Possible ABA Tax Section Fellowship
Posted August 11, 2008
The ABA Section of Taxation announced a new Public Service Fellowship award program, developed to address
the need for tax legal service assistance around the country, and to foster an interest in tax-related
public service for those lawyers who participate.
Pine Tree Legal Assistance welcomes the opportunity for interested applicants to consider Pine Tree's
Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC). Funded by the IRS since 2001, the LITC was created to provide focused
legal services for low-income individuals, including those for whom English is a second language, who have
a controversy with the IRS. The Clinic is based in Bangor, but for the right candidate, the fellowship could
be negotiated for Augusta, Lewiston, Machias or Presque Isle.
Pine Tree's LITC opened 139 cases for taxpayers in 2007 from around the State. The clinic places major
emphasis on providing qualified representation to taxpayers in tax controversies with the IRS and on targeted
ESL taxpayer education activities in areas of the state in which ESL taxpayers are readily accessible through
existing organizations and coalitions. Thousands of taxpayers have benefited from bilingual tax materials on
the Pine Tree and HelpMeLaw websites, from LITC workshops on basic tax rights, and from Pine Tree’s participation
in the I-CAN EIC project, which provides online access to free interactive tax preparation software for EIC
filers in English, Spanish and Vietnamese via a link on the Pine Tree website. The LITC program handles tax
controversy cases which span from one-time advice to complete and thorough representation, which could take
several years from start to resolution of the client’s matter. The LITC also has a working relationship with
the U.S. Tax Court and is present at each Portland docket call to assist unrepresented low-income taxpayers.
Interested applicants should coordinate with Executive Director, Nan Heald and
or (207)774-4753. Pine Tree is an Equal Employment/Equal Opportunity Employer.
The Public Service Fellowships are open to recent J.D. and LL.M. graduates and judicial clerks who commit
to working in tax-related public interest, non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations for two years. Applicants
must select and arrange employment with those organizations prior to applying for the Fellowship, and must
confirm that their work will involve taxation or the administration of tax law. Up to two Fellowships will
be awarded each year, and the Section will fund the salary, benefits and law school debt service (when
applicable) for each award recipient. The Section is now accepting applications for the 2009 Fellowships,
with a deadline of October 15, 2008. Detailed information, and a downloadable application, are available here
http://www.abanet.org/tax/awards/publicservice
.
WHY SHOULD I WANT TO WORK AT PINE TREE?
Because our staff are the best of the best:
For forty years, Pine Tree has built its reputation as a creative,
effective advocate for poor Mainers with an extraordinarily talented staff:
Our alumni include the former Governor of the State of Maine, judges
who now serve or have served on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, Superior
Court and District Court, individuals in leadership positions in
State government, and attorneys in prominent private firms around the State.
All staff are expected to meet the program's high standards for legal advocacy.
Because we provide great staff support:
Pine Tree’s diverse staff includes several
attorneys with 15 – 30 years of experience as legal service advocates;
new and continuing funding has allowed the hire of
several new attorneys at entry-level positions. Pine Tree is committed to
strong support and mentoring of its entire staff, and relies on its existing
managers in local offices as well as its Director of Training and Litigation
to provide this support. The program offers ongoing in-house training
and access to formal CLE programs on a regular basis. Pine Tree
advocates are encouraged to develop effective working relations with community
organizations and client groups in their service areas and to pursue issues
of special interest that will strengthen their ability to serve our clients.
Because of our healthy funding situation:
Pine Tree currently receives
funding from a wide variety of sources, helping to insulate the program
and its staff from funding cuts to any one program or grant stream.
Funding sources include the Legal Services Corporation, the Maine Civil
Legal Services Fund, an annual appropriation from the State of Maine, IOLTA
funding administered by the Maine Bar Foundation, and a variety of special
grants including United Way, US Department of Justice, and other sources.
Because of our great work environment:
Our
desks and bookcases may be hand-me-downs from other sources, but our legal
research materials and computers are top-quality, reflecting our program's
commitment to providing effective tools to maximize the efforts of each
individual. Local offices offer a warm collegial atmosphere which
encourages collaboration and promotes respect for each individual's contribution
to expanding justice for poor Mainers. Pine Tree also enjoys good
relationships with Maine's other legal service providers: our staff regularly
train and confer with our counterparts at Legal Services for the Elderly,
the Maine Equal Justice Project, and the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic.
Because our salary and benefits package is very competitive within the public
sector:
Salary levels are currently under review.
All full-time and part-time (60% or more) employees are eligible
for health and dental insurance coverage for themselves and their family
members, with a small co-payment. Pine Tree annually contributes a
flat percent of salary for each eligible employee into a tax-sheltered
annuity program. The Maine Bar Foundation also operate a loan repayment fund
for which our attorney staff members are eligible.
Who are we looking to hire?
Job applicants must demonstrate an energetic commitment to justice
for low-income individuals, the ability to relate effectively to diverse
clients, and very strong legal skills. Past experience in a legal
service setting, and special skills such as bilingual language ability (including
ASL for our hearing-impaired clients), are also valued highly.
Pine Tree is an equal employment/equal opportunity employer and we honor
diversity in our work force. Because Pine Tree is highly computerized,
a good comfort level with Word, LEXIS, and the Internet will make the transition
to Pine Tree easier. Attorney applicants must be members of the Maine
bar or be prepared to take the next Maine bar examination.
