Position Summary:
The Injunction for Protection Project (IFP) Attorney position exists to ensure the delivery of legal representation to victims of domestic, dating, and sexual violence and stalking throughout the injunction for protection process. The IFP Attorney is employed by YWCA of Palm Beach County to provide direct representation to survivors of domestic, dating, and sexual violence and stalking in temporary and final injunction for protection proceedings and prosecutions of violations of injunctions, however the IFP Attorney will report to both YWCA and DCF's Managing Attorney for all legal matters. The IFP Attorney will represent survivors of domestic violence seeking temporary injunctions for protection, completing ex parte petitions, survivors who filed injunctions for protection on their own, survivors who have a final injunction, and survivors whom their respondent has violated the injunction for protection. The IFP Attorney will also conduct extensive outreach to develop and build collaborative partnerships.
Position Duties & Functions
Facilitation of Direct Services
- Provides direct legal representation to survivors of domestic, dating, and sexual violence and stalking in temporary and final injunction for protection proceedings and for violations of injunctions
- Assesses other needs of survivors and make appropriate referrals for services
- Conducts Outreach throughout Palm Beach County to develop at least 3 collaborative partnerships with other providers and/or agencies annually
- Ensures all services provided are in line with a survivor-directed, victim-oriented, empowerment-based philosophy
- Participates in mandatory trainings annually and achieves at least 16 hours of training every year between July 1 and June 30
- Maintains accurate program participant files, case notes, daily logs; facilitation of participant surveys; and all other requirements to ensure accurate statistical data
- Completes monthly and quarterly reports required by DCF and/or VOCA
- Ensure YWCA IFP Project is viewed as the expert on domestic violence legal representation in Palm Beach County and remains a well-established and well-known program by:
- Collaborating and partnering with providers, agencies, businesses and/or networking in the community
- Communicating with the Director of Domestic Abuse Programs and Chief Programs Officer consistently and as needed
- Maintaining consistent themes in line with YWCA Branding by posting to promote initiatives through multiple media platforms such as YouTube, Podcasts, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
- Promoting and advancing YWCA USA advocacy initiatives including inclusion and gender issues in the areas of domestic violence
- Attending weekly staff meetings facilitated by the Director of Domestic Abuse Programs and monthly Management meetings with Chief Programs Officer to ensure the best services and service delivery for program participants
- Obtaining at least 16 hours of training annually related to domestic violence or injunctions for protection and maintaining CEU's as required to maintain license
Skills & Abilities
- Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Must be prompt; timely and responsive to needs of fast-paced organization
- Must be able to handle confidential information discretely
Education
- Juris Doctor (JD) form an accredited law school
- Florida Licensed- in good standing with no prior Florida Bar disciplinary proceedings that resulted in the imposition of any penalty
Experience
- Two years; professional litigation experience, preferably representing survivors of domestic, dating, and sexual violence and stalking in injunction for protection proceedings; other civil legal matters; or prosecuting batterers in criminal proceedings; or experience providing direct legal representation while a law student in a supervised legal clinic or internship