Staff Attorney
The Neighborhood Development Office of Legal Aid of Western Missouri is seeking a full-time attorney for its Paseo Office in Kansas City. In this role, you will serve as counsel to neighborhood associations to revitalize and strengthen Kansas City's neighborhoods. Your clients are the organizations closest to the ground, and your legal work directly advances blight remediation, affordable housing preservation, and community reinvestment. It is a chance to use a transactional and litigation practice to help neighborhoods reshape their own blocks. Because the work is rooted in the community, the role involves significant time in Kansas City neighborhoods, including local travel and some evening and weekend work.
Key Responsibilities
- Represent neighborhood associations and work with nonprofit community development corporations in real estate transactions that advance blight remediation, affordable housing preservation, and community reinvestment.
- Handle civil land-use litigation on behalf of community clients, including matters related to distressed and vacant property.
- Advise community partners on the legal aspects of targeted improvement initiatives, from acquisition and title issues through project completion.
- Draft and negotiate transactional documents such as purchase agreements, deeds, leases, and related real estate instruments.
- Build and maintain working relationships with neighborhood associations, community development corporations, and other local partners in the neighborhoods served.
- Work directly in and with Kansas City neighborhoods, including local travel and some evening and weekend availability for community meetings, outreach, and events.
- Collaborate with colleagues across the Neighborhood Development Office and Legal Aid to deliver high-quality, coordinated legal services.