Manage CareerEdge Alerts Position: AmeriCorps Legal Advocate
Reports To: ALA-Massachusetts Host Partner Site Supervisor
Coordinates With: ALA-Massachusetts Program Director and Coordinator
ALA-Massachusetts advocates serve at partner organizations throughout Massachusetts to provide legal assistance and advocacy to low-income individuals, families, and vulnerable populations throughout the Commonwealth.
RESPONSIBILITIES
ALA-Massachusetts advocates are placed in a variety of legal nonprofit organizations, and the responsibilities of the position vary among our site partner placements. AmeriCorps Legal Advocates of Massachusetts (ALA-Massachusetts) will place 24 AmeriCorps advocates to serve in 2026-2027. They are closely supervised by an onsite legal professional in all activities. This is a full-time service position, requiring 1,700 hours over 46 weeks from September 2, 2026, to July 17, 2027. Applications will be accepted starting April 1, 2026 until the positions are filled. Instructions for how to apply are at www.ala-mass.org. Selected candidates must pass a criminal background check to serve.
Advocates will be selected based on interviews with individual partner sites and an assessment of their ability to perform the following functions. While not a prerequisite to serve, some activities may depend on whether the member is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts. Regardless of educational level, each ALA-Massachusetts member can expect to engage in many of the following activities:
- interviewing potential clients for legal assistance in civil matters, in person, on the phone, or by email;
- assisting in making eligibility determinations;
- assisting legal professionals in providing counsel, brief service, or full representation to clients;
- providing legal information and referrals;
- preparing court pleadings, documents and forms;
- attending administrative meetings and court proceedings;
- representing clients in court and at administrative hearings;
- using available language skills to assist clients;
- engaging with non-AmeriCorps volunteers;
- creating educational materials; and
- attending and presenting at community outreach events.
All ALA-Massachusetts advocates are required to:
- adhere to professional responsibility rules that govern the practice of law, including maintaining confidentiality of client information;
- participate in case development, including legal research, writing, and gathering factual documentation for client’s cases;
- communicate patiently with clients of different cultural backgrounds and varying English speaking abilities, relevant public agencies, and opposing parties;
- participate in case review meetings and practice area coalitions;
- perform case management, including client data collection, recording of case activity, and related administrative tasks;
- Travel to and attend administrative meetings in courtroom, agency, and a variety of office settings.
- participate in an average of 150 hours of training;
- attend periodic program-wide events either in person or virtually
- use the ALA-Massachusetts data collection system to provide client information and outcomes;
- perform administrative tasks, such as logging of service hours and activities; and
- write periodic reflection logs and program evaluations.
Most programs will provide a hybrid of remote and in-person service. While some partner sites offer hybrid and remote service, selected candidates must be living in Massachusetts or a neighboring state by September 2026. Members must have the ability to come to the partner site as directed by their supervisor throughout the service year.
Placements are made in a variety of civil law practice areas, including, but not limited to:
- Housing
- Public Benefits
- Employment and worker’s rights
- Mental Health and Healthcare Law
- Elder Law, and
- Family Law.
Under federal rules, AmeriCorps members cannot engage in political, union or religious activities during service hours. ALA-Massachusetts members cannot be enrolled in college or a graduate program while serving and are strongly discouraged from studying for a bar exam during the service year. Licensed attorneys who serve with ALA-Massachusetts cannot engage in the practice of law outside of service hours.
Additional Responsibilities of the Position
ALA-Massachusetts advocates may occasionally undertake the following activities:
- creating working relationships with social service and governmental agencies;
- assisting the Program Director to plan program-wide events and trainings;
- assisting the Program Director in recruiting for future service members;
- fundraising in connection with a specific program or event; or
- developing a working knowledge of community needs and resources.
AmeriCorps Legal Advocates of MA prohibits all forms of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, gender identity or expression, disability, political affiliation, marital or parental status, reprisal, military service, pregnancy, genetic information, or submission of a complaint. The program is committed to the inclusion of people with disabilities as members and will provide reasonable accommodations for interviews and service placements upon request.
AmeriCorps service is not employment. ALA-Massachusetts is not able to offer financial relocation assistance for those who need to move to Massachusetts to participate. ALA-Massachusetts does not place applicants who are simultaneously pursuing a graduate or law degree, or who have other full-time employment.
This program is available to all, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, religion, age, national origin, genetic information, disability, military status, familial status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law.
AmeriCorps Legal Advocates of Massachusetts is a program of the Justice Center of Southeast MA, a subsidiary of South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. (SCCLS), a non-profit law firm providing legal assistance to low-income clients in Southeast Massachusetts. ALA-Massachusetts is funded through AmeriCorps, administered by the Massachusetts Service Alliance, and housed at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts, a subsidiary of SCCLS.
