Employer: Blue Ridge Legal Services – Staunton, VA
Legal Aid Staff Attorney
About Blue Ridge Legal Services
Blue Ridge Legal Services (BRLS) is a nonprofit legal aid organization that has provided free civil legal services to low-income residents of Virginia's Shenandoah and Roanoke Valleys since 1977. BRLS operates offices in Harrisonburg, Lexington, Roanoke, and Winchester, staffed by 18 attorneys and supported by a network of more than 130 pro bono attorneys. Our attorneys help clients with urgent legal issues involving housing, family safety, access to health care and public benefits, consumer protection, and elder rights, with the goal of helping clients achieve stability and, in many cases, break the cycle of poverty.
About the Program
Legal Bridge to Recovery is a newly funded BRLS program addressing a well-documented but often overlooked barrier to opioid recovery: civil legal instability. Individuals in recovery frequently face eviction, loss of child custody, suspended driver's licenses, criminal records that block employment, and difficulty accessing public benefits — problems that directly undermine treatment engagement and long-term stability. This position will provide free civil legal services to low-income residents of Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County who are in recovery from opioid addiction, while building a referral network with treatment providers, drug courts, the Community Services Board, the Department of Social Services, and other community partners.
Position Summary
The Staff Attorney will spend the first several months of the grant assessing community legal needs, conducting outreach to partner organizations, and developing a Medical-Legal Partnership or similar collaboration with local treatment providers and hospitals. Once a referral network is established, the attorney will transition to direct service delivery — advising and representing clients referred through these partners — while continuing ongoing outreach and partnership development throughout the grant period. The attorney will also engage BRLS's network of pro bono attorneys to extend service capacity as needed.
Key Responsibilities
- Assess the civil legal needs of individuals in recovery from opioid addiction across Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County.
- Build and maintain referral relationships with treatment providers, drug courts, the Community Services Board (CSB), the Department of Social Services (DSS), probation offices, hospitals, and other community partners.
- Develop a Medical-Legal Partnership or similar collaboration with treatment providers and hospitals to support warm hand-offs and coordinated care.
- Provide direct legal advice and representation to referred clients in areas including:
◦ Housing stability (eviction defense, unsafe housing conditions, homelessness prevention)
◦ Family and child welfare (custody, guardianship, domestic violence protection, child support)
◦ Access to healthcare and public benefits (Medicaid, disability benefits, SSI)
◦ Economic stabilization (criminal record expungement, driver's license restoration, bankruptcy assistance, obtaining identification documents)
- Conduct informational sessions and trainings for healthcare and court-related professionals on the role of civil legal aid in supporting recovery.
- Coordinate with and support BRLS's pro bono attorney network to extend service capacity as caseloads require.
- Maintain accurate, timely case records in BRLS's case management system to support outcome tracking and grant reporting.
- Participate in program evaluation, including identifying gaps in services and modifying service delivery based on ongoing assessment.
Qualifications
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) and license to practice law in Virginia, or eligibility to waive into the Virginia Bar.
- Experience in poverty law or civil legal aid preferred, particularly in housing, family law, or public benefits.
- Understanding of, or willingness to develop expertise in, substance use disorder, recovery-oriented systems of care, and the civil legal barriers facing individuals in recovery.
- Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with treatment providers, courts, and social service agencies.
- Demonstrated commitment to access to justice and to serving low-income clients with compassion and professionalism.
- Valid driver's license and ability to travel within the Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County service area.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary is commensurate with BRLS's established pay scale for staff attorneys, with a generous comprehensive benefits package including health insurance and retirement contributions, short and long-term disability, paid holidays, sick leave and annual leave. Employees of Blue Ridge Legal Services with qualifying student loan debt are eligible to enroll in the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) funded by the Legal Services Corporation of Virginia, which provides annual assistance of up to $7,500 for attorneys, paid directly to student loan servicers. Starting salary for a newly licensed attorney without prior practice experience would be $75,384. This position is funded through the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority's Cooperative Partnership grant, matched by the Legal Services Corporation of Virginia, and is renewable annually through FY2031 contingent on continued funding.
To Apply
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and list of three professional references to John E. Whitfield, Executive Director, at [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Blue Ridge Legal Services is an equal opportunity employer.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $75,384.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Loan forgiveness
- Paid time off
- Relocation assistance
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
License/Certification:
- Bar license in Virginia or another state? (Required)
Work Location: In person
