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Eviction Right to Counsel Implementation Specialist (Remote Work Position)

September 2023

About the Project

The National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (NCCRC) was created in 2003 as a project of the Public Justice Center (PJC). The PJC uses legal advocacy tools to pursue social justice, economic and racial equity, and fundamental human rights for Marylanders who are struggling to provide for their basic needs. The NCCRC is the PJC’s only project with a national focus.

The NCCRC’s mission is to ensure individuals have a right to effective counsel when facing the loss of
their basic human needs in the civil legal system. We work nationally to accomplish this by:

We have assisted the NCCRC’s 600 participants and partners across 45 states in efforts to establish a right to counsel for cases involving adoption or guardianship of children, termination of parental rights, evictions, suspension of driver’s licenses, civil incarceration, domestic violence, truancy, guardianship of adults, and civil forfeiture.

About the Position

The movement to establish the right to counsel for tenants facing eviction (“RTC”) has seen dramatic growth in the past six years: with our support, four states, seventeen cities, and one county have enacted such a right. We therefore are looking to hire an Implementation Specialist so that we can fully assist jurisdictions working to ensure their enacted rights to counsel are effective and empowering. While the position has clear responsibilities, we’re looking for someone who can bring fresh perspectives, ideas, creativity, energy, and humor to the position.

The Implementation Specialist is a new, full-time, exempt, professional, and remote position (all NCCRC employees work remotely), and will report to the NCCRC Coordinator, who works from Montgomery, Alabama. The Implementation Specialist will initially travel to Montgomery for a week of training and will later travel on occasion to other locations as needed.

Core duties

Desired skills and experience

Compensation

Salary range for an attorney with 1-15 years of experience is $65,000-95,000 and increases with experience. An excellent cafeteria benefit package in the annual amount of $15,600 is also provided. This package offers health, vision, dental, disability and life insurance, and retirement options. Cafeteria benefits packages give employees flexibility to choose how to direct their benefits. For example, this package can cover 100% of employee healthcare premiums, but an employee can choose to direct those funds towards retirement if they already have health insurance and/ or the excess can be taxed and added to salary. PJC employees receive at least 20 days of paid leave, with increases based on length of tenure, 10 paid holidays, and 15 days of sick leave annually.

Applications

Applications should be submitted by Friday, October 13, to be assured of consideration but will be accepted and interviews conducted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To apply, please submit a cover letter explaining your interest, resume, one short legal writing sample, and the names and telephone numbers of three references. Please send applications to John Pollock, jpollock@publicjustice.org with “NCCRC Implementation Specialist Position” in the subject line.

Physical/Mental Demands and Office Environment

The physical/mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may
be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Public Justice Center is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer that encourages all interested persons to apply regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, age, religion, genetic information, physical or mental disability, marital status, or any other legally protected status. We strongly encourage Black, Latine, Indigenous, and other applicants of color, people with disabilities, and other people historically underrepresented in the practice of law to apply.

September 2023

About the Project

The National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (NCCRC) was created in 2003 as a project of the Public Justice Center (PJC). The PJC uses legal advocacy tools to pursue social justice, economic and racial equity, and fundamental human rights for Marylanders who are struggling to provide for their basic needs. The NCCRC is the PJC’s only project with a national focus.

The NCCRC’s mission is to ensure individuals have a right to effective counsel when facing the loss of their basic human needs in the civil legal system. We work nationally to accomplish this by:

We have assisted the NCCRC’s 600 participants and partners across 45 states in efforts to establish a right to counsel for cases involving adoption or guardianship of children, termination of parental rights, evictions, suspension of driver’s licenses, civil incarceration, domestic violence, truancy, guardianship of adults, and civil forfeiture.

About the Position

The movement to establish the right to counsel for tenants facing eviction (“RTC”) has seen dramatic growth in the past six years: with our support, four states, seventeen cities, and one county have enacted such a right. We therefore are looking to hire an Enactment Specialist to ensure we can meet this growth. While the position has clear responsibilities, we’re looking for someone who can bring fresh perspectives, ideas, creativity, energy, and humor to the position.

The Enactment Specialist is a new, full-time, exempt, professional, and remote position (all NCCRC employees work remotely), and will report to the NCCRC Coordinator, who works from Montgomery, Alabama. The Enactment Specialist will initially travel to Montgomery for a week of training and will later travel on occasion to other locations as needed.

Core duties

Desired skills and experience

Compensation

The salary is dependent on experience and background. An excellent cafeteria benefit package in the annual amount of $15,600 is also provided. This package offers health, vision, dental, disability and life insurance, and retirement options. Cafeteria benefits packages give employees flexibility to choose how to direct their benefits. For example, this package can cover 100% of employee healthcare premiums, but an employee can choose to direct those funds towards retirement if they already have health insurance and/ or the excess can be taxed and added to salary. PJC employees receive at least 20 days of paid leave, with increases based on length of tenure, 10 paid holidays, and 15 days of sick leave annually.

Application process

Applications should be submitted by Friday, October 13, to be assured of consideration but will be accepted and interviews conducted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To apply, please submit a cover letter explaining your interest, resume, a short writing sample, and the names and telephone numbers of three references. Please send applications to John Pollock, jpollock@publicjustice.org with “NCCRC Enactment Specialist Position” in the subject line.

Physical/Mental Demands and Office Environment

The physical/mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Public Justice Center is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer that encourages all interested persons to apply regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, age, religion, genetic information, physical or mental disability, marital status, or any other legally protected status. We strongly encourage Black, Latine, Indigenous, and other applicants of color, people with disabilities, and other people historically underrepresented in the practice of law to apply.

Melanie Babb

Melanie Babb is honored to serve as the 2023-2024 Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr. Appellate Advocacy Fellow at the Public Justice Center. In this role, she represents parties and files amicus briefs in civil rights cases related to poverty law and racial equity issues in state and federal courts.

Prior to joining PJC, Melanie clerked for the Honorable Christopher B. Kehoe on the Appellate Court of Maryland and former Special Family Magistrate Andrea F. Kelly for Baltimore City Circuit Court. She earned her law degree from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, where she worked as a student attorney for the Consumer Protection Clinic and was the Articles Editor for the Journal of Health Care Law and Policy. During law school, Melanie drafted the Baltimore City Wage Commission’s first procedural bylaws. Prior to law school, Melanie graduated from the University of Rhode Island summa cum laude in 2017.

In her spare time, Melanie enjoys watching women’s soccer and attending games.

Phone: (410) 625-9409 x222
Email
she / her

Brendan Byrne

Brendan is originally from Rochester, NY, and graduated from Fordham University in 2023 with a B.A. in History and Economics. He is a voracious reader, and enjoys running, hiking, and visiting art galleries and museums in his spare time. 

Brendan joined the PJC in August 2023 as a paralegal in the Human Right to Housing Project through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. 

Phone: (410) 625-9409 x235
Email
he / him

Nadrat Amos

Nadrat Amos is a paralegal in the PJC’s Human Right to Housing Project. 

Phone: (410) 625-9409 x230
Email
she/her

David is the paralegal for the Public Justice Center’s Health and Benefits Equity Project, which supports policies and practices that promote the overall health of Marylanders struggling to make ends meet. The Project seeks to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare access and health outcomes. Before joining the Public Justice Center in 2023, David was an organizer with United Workers, working to develop leaders from the ranks of the poor in the fight to end poverty and secure the human rights of everyone, everywhere. He is a coordinator of the United Workers Media Team.

David holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Towson University and a master’s in Anthropology from American University. When he isn’t fighting for social justice, David enjoys travel, paintball, and gaming. He has two very cute dogs, photos of which are available upon request.

Phone: (410) 625-9409 x277
Email
he/him

Dan Gugliuzza joined the Public Justice Center’s development team in April 2023. He has been in the non-profit field for over 20 years, most recently as Data Manager for LGBTQ Victory Fund in Washington, D.C. He was born and raised in Baltimore and has worked or volunteered for Village Learning Place, Everyman Theatre, Business Volunteers Maryland, Baltimore Tree Trust, Gaudenzia, France-Merrick Foundation, LifeBridge Health, Maryland Center for History and Culture, Chesapeake Arts Center, and Sheppard Pratt. He has a Masters in Non-Profit Management from Notre Dame of Maryland University and is a proud alumnus of Towson University and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.

Phone: (410) 625-9409 x281
Email
he/him

Elizabeth Ashford

Elizabeth Ashford is an attorney in the Human Right to Housing Project at the Public Justice Center (PJC). Elizabeth comes to the PJC from the Housing Unit of Delaware Community Legal Aid Society, Inc., where she represented tenants in subsidized and fair housing eviction proceedings, and in administrative hearings with the state and local housing authorities. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Brenda A. Sexton in Circuit Court for Cecil County Maryland.

A native Marylander, Elizabeth grew up in North Potomac. She earned a J.D. from the Widener University Delaware Law School, which awarded her Pro Bono distinction. During law school she participated in the Civil Law Clinic and co-authored three publications: one on dignity rights in housing, and two on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Delawareans with disabilities. Elizabeth graduated from La Salle University in 2018, where she earned her B.S. in Political Science.

Phone: (410) 625-9409 x237
Email
she/her

Policy and practice changes to expect following the settlement of Gorres, et al. v. Robinson

On December 7, 2022, a settlement was approved in Gorres v. Robinson, a lawsuit which alleged and sought to address system-wide failures in Maryland’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) system. The settlement strengthens the UI system so that it can better serve unemployed workers in the state.* Please see below for a webinar about the settlement. If you are experiencing problems with UI in Maryland that may reflect a violation of the settlement, please complete the Google Form on this webpage to help us monitor compliance.

*There was no finding of liability by a court in this case.

Note that we cannot provide direct legal representation in UI cases. Below are three places you can contact if you need legal representation in a UI case.

PowerPoint presentation from the webinar below

Press coverage

“Maryland labor department settles lawsuit over unemployment payments, agrees to make changes”, Baltimore Banner

“Attorneys who forced reforms in unemployment claims system win settlement with state”, Maryland Matters

El derecho a los servicios de interpretación y traducción para niños y adolescentes con necesidades de salud mental en el Estado de Maryland

El Centro de Justicia Pública
Centro SOL, Universidad Johns Hopkins

Baltimore, Maryland
Noviembre de 2022

Los niños y adolescentes de familias inmigrantes sufren una crisis de salud mental, que se refleja en las altas tasas de depresión, ansiedad y autolesiones. La solución de esta crisis depende de un mayor acceso a un cuidado de salud mental de calidad.

El acceso a la atención de salud mental depende de que los profesionales de salud mental, los pacientes y los familiares hablen el mismo idioma. Sin la capacidad de comunicarse eficazmente- con profesionales del cuidado de salud o el personal bilingüe o a través de un intérprete-los niños y adolescentes con enfermedades de salud mental o transtornos psicológicos o psiquiátricos están en riesgo.

Este informe es producto de la colaboración entre el Centro de Justicia Pública, una organización de derechos civiles y servicios legales, y los médicos del Centro SOL de la Universidad Johns Hopkins. El informe constata:

Este informe formula cinco recomendaciones para mejorar los servicios de interpretación y traducción en Maryland:

  1. El Departamento de Salud de Maryland debería proporcionar una guía de servicios de interpretación y traducción para los proveedores de salud mental que atienden a las familias inmigrantes.
  2. Todos los proveedores de salud mental deben tener un plan y una política de acceso al idioma.
  3. El Departamento de Salud de Maryland debería proporcionar apoyo financiero para los servicios de interpretación y traducción.
  4. El Estado de Maryland debería adoptar una política de control y aplicación de la interpretación y la traducción.
  5. El Estado de Maryland debe proporcionar educación pública sobre el derecho de las personas a los servicios de interpretación.

Reducir esta brecha en la atención debe ser la máxima prioridad para los proveedores de salud y los responsables políticos locales y estatales.