Work With Us - Legal Aid Chicago

Thank you for your interest in working at Legal Aid Chicago.

You can find information here on full and part-time employment opportunities, as well as law student internships and fellowships currently available.

Current Opportunities:

Legal Aid Chicago will be pausing our fall class hiring for 2024. If you are interested in joining Legal Aid Chicago’s team of high quality attorneys, we encourage you to check our website regularly throughout the year for open positions. If you are a 3L, there may be fellowship opportunities available through your law school. We encourage you to discuss with your law school and reach out to us at humanresources@legalaidchicago.org.

INTERNSHIPS:

Our attorneys, paralegals, and intake specialists work in the following groups:

The Client Screening Unit is the central entry point for applicants seeking our legal assistance. Staff members screen applicants for eligibility, perform triage of legal issues and determine the appropriate level of service for clients including referral, advice, or connecting clients to Legal Aid Chicago Practice Groups for more extensive analysis and representation.

The Children and Families Practice Group advocates for students whose right to an education is threatened, represents survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in protective order or domestic relations cases against their abusers, and defends parents against unwarranted intrusions by the State into their right to parent.

The Consumer Practice Group litigates in state and federal courts to protect our client’s most valuable financial assets including their homes, cars, savings, income, and utility services. Our work involves defending against mortgage foreclosure and other types of debt collection cases, combating consumer fraud and filing bankruptcy to eliminate debt and protect critical assets.

The Immigrants and Workers’ Rights Practice Group is a multi-disciplinary team focused on the areas of Employment, Immigration, Migrant Farmworker Law, and Human Trafficking. The team serves migrant and agricultural workers by addressing housing, health and safety, immigration and trafficking claims, wage theft, and other illegal actions related to their work. The Trafficking Survivors Assistance Program (TSAP) provides comprehensive services to human trafficking survivors, including immigration, victim advocacy with law enforcement, and civil damages claims for survivors. Our Immigration Team specializes in the representation of non-citizen crime victims seeking special humanitarian visas, and a variety of other immigration-related applications. The Practice Group’s Employment Law team represents individuals in unemployment proceedings, wage theft, claims under the Family Medical Leave Act and Americans with Disabilities Act, and challenges employment discrimination in all forms through administrative and court proceedings.

The Housing Practice Group defends tenants against unwarranted evictions, challenges unfair terminations of rental assistance, forces landlords to make necessary repairs, and fights unlawful discrimination.

The Long-Term Care Practice Group advocates for residents of long-term care facilities on a wide variety of issues, including care issues, involuntary discharges, and Medicaid issues.

The Pro Bono and Community Partnerships Group (PCG) manages over twenty volunteer-based projects, including adult and juvenile criminal record relief (expungements, sealing and related relief), four community-based legal clinics, several virtual legal clinics, and advance directives (such as powers of attorney and transfer on death instruments). Attorneys in our other practice groups also work with pro bono attorneys on individual cases, under the direction of Pro Bono & Community Partnerships. PCG also oversees Legal Aid Chicago’s community engagement work through building and maintaining relationships with a broad spectrum of community partners to benefit our clients and the community at large.

The Public Benefits Practice Group challenges wrongful denials, terminations, calculations, overpayments, and sanctions concerning benefits from the Department of Human Services including SNAP, TANF, AABD Cash, and Medicaid. The group also challenges wrongful denials, terminations, and overpayments concerning benefits from the Social Security Administration including SSI and Social Security Disability benefits. The group also assists veterans to obtain benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and homeless individuals obtain disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.