Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, Inc. (SMRLS) is Minnesota’s largest public interest law firm and
provides free, high-quality legal help in critical civil matters to low-income people in southern Minnesota, as
well as to agricultural workers throughout Minnesota and North Dakota. For more than 110 years, SMRLS has
helped individuals and families secure and protect their basic needs, maintaining freedom from hunger,
homelessness, sickness, and abuse.

The Agricultural Worker Project (AWP) provides free civil legal aid to agricultural workers in Minnesota and
North Dakota. The AWP is focused on improving workers’ living and working conditions through legal
representation, outreach, and education. The AWP advises and represents agricultural workers regarding a
variety of issues that specifically impact them including: the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Migrant and
Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the regulatory provisions of the H-2A agricultural worker visa
program, wage theft, workplace health and safety violations, employer-provided housing issues, labor
trafficking, employment discrimination and/or retaliation, and public benefits. The AWP provides legal rights
education to agricultural workers in Minnesota and North Dakota through extensive outreach and presentations
to agricultural worker communities.

The AWP is looking for a motivated, creative, and flexible staff attorney who is professionally proficient in
English and Spanish to join its team of dedicated attorneys and paralegals to address and resolve the myriad
legal issues that negatively impact the working and living conditions of agricultural workers. The AWP
currently has staff in SMRLS’ offices in Moorhead, Minnesota and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The candidate
selected for this position will be based in SMRLS’ Saint Paul office and will be supervised by the AWP Lead
Attorney. In addition to maintaining a case load, the staff attorney is expected to travel throughout Minnesota
with other staff members to conduct outreach to agricultural workers, provide legal rights presentations, and
meet with clients.

Responsibilities:

• Resolve legal matters on behalf of agricultural worker clients through advice, negotiation, administrative
advocacy, and state and federal litigation
• Conduct outreach with other AWP staff to agricultural workers throughout Minnesota from approximately
May through October annually. One evening of outreach per week is typical for attorney participation.
• Provide legal rights presentations to agricultural workers and to the organizations that support them
• Participate in case acceptance and other regular meetings with the AWP staff
• Attend trainings and maintain current knowledge of laws impacting agricultural workers
• Supervise law students/temporary staff on occasion
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor

Qualifications:

• Plans to sit for the Minnesota bar exam, admission to the Minnesota bar, or eligibility for admission on
motion without examination
• Fluent in oral and written Spanish
• Demonstrated commitment to serving the needs of low-income communities
• Ability to work with individuals from diverse economic, cultural, educational, and social backgrounds
• Willingness to work irregular hours, including some evening outreach and limited overnight travel, in
order to meet the needs of the AWP’s client community
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Willingness to work as part of a team
• Ability to take initiative and independently handle a case load
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, and Microsoft systems
• Possession of a current driver’s license; access to a vehicle is preferred but not required

Position Open: Immediately.
Compensation: Annual salary of $53,509+ DOE, pursuant to SMRLS’ salary scale, plus good fringe benefits.
To apply, please visit www.smrls.org or submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references to:

John Joachim
Southern MN Regional Legal Services
55 East Fifth Street, Suite 800
Saint Paul, MN 55101-1473
john.joachim@smrls.org
SMRLS IS COMMITTED TO DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE. WOMEN, MINORITIES, AND
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ARE ESPECIALLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY