From an email message that I received recently:
Job Title: Post Graduate Faculty Fellow, MLP Maywood (Attorney)
Description, Duties, and Responsibilities:
The Health Justice Project (HJP) is medical-legal partnership (MLP) 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 and legal aid attorneys 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 provides direct client representation and policy advocacy to improve access to health care and healthy housing and to support people living with disabilities.
The MLP Maywood Post Graduate Fellow will work within the HJP to develop a new MLP in Maywood, Illinois in collaboration with Loyola University Medical Center and Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine. The Fellow will develop relationships with the Loyola Medicine Community Health & Well-Being staff, health science faculty, and health care providers at the Maywood Family Health Center; engage in outreach and training for health care providers, students, and patients; develop internal and external resources and materials; establish referral and information exchange protocols; and provide direct service representation and policy advocacy to low income patients and their community. The Fellow will also work in collaboration with faculty, students, and volunteers from law, social work, medicine, nursing and public health to develop volunteer and curricular learning opportunities for students engaging in interprofessional practice.
The ideal applicant has legal practice experience in an MLP or other public interest law setting, 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, disability, housing, advance care planning, guardianship, or family law. This position is a time limited two year faculty fellow position, possibly renewable dependent on ongoing funding.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following.
- 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;
- Engage in outreach, training, and resource development for health care providers, patients and students;
- Maintain referral, filing, and case management system, monitor case development;
- Assist with report writing and development work;
- Supervise and mentor volunteers and students; and
- Maintain frequent and professional communication with contacts at Maywood Family Medicine Clinic and in the surrounding community; in collaboration with Loyola Medicine Community Health & Well-Being team, proactively ensure all clinicians and other Family Health Center staff are familiar with MLP and associated services available.
Minimum Education/Experience:
Bachelor’s and J.D. required. Demonstrated interest in public interest law. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret legal sources (including regulations, statute, 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, including public benefits, disability, housing, advance care planning, guardianship, and 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 a team. 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 without judgment and strong sense of client-centered lawyering ethics. 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. Car is preferred.
Computer Skills:
Adept user of Internet, case management systems, e-mail and other office automation systems. Will be expected to oversee the installation and maintenance of case management and data collection system.
Certificates and Licenses:
Juris Doctor
Admission/eligibility for admission to the Illinois Bar
Special Instructions:
Review of applications will begin June 30, 2020 and continue until the position is filled. Position to begin September 1, 2020. Applicants are asked to submit (1) a letter of interest, (2) resume, and (3) the names and contact information for three references.
Direct applications to: https://www.careers.luc.edu. Make inquiries to: Kate Mitchell, Director, Health Justice Project, School of Law, Loyola University Chicago, by email kmitchell9@luc.edu.
Loyola University Chicago is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer with a strong commitment to hiring for our mission and diversifying our faculty. The University seeks to increase the diversity of its faculty, staff and student populations because broad diversity contributes to a robust academic environment and is critical to meeting the University’s commitment to excellence in education, research, educational access and services in an increasingly diverse society. As a Jesuit Catholic institution of higher education, we seek candidates who will contribute to our strategic plan to deliver a transformative education in the Jesuit tradition. Candidates should consult our website at https://www.luc.edu/mission/index.shtml to gain a clearer understanding of LUC’s mission. For information about the university’s focus on transformative education, please consult our website at http://www.luc.edu/transformativeed. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.