Job Opportunities at Kansas Legal Services

STAFF ATTORNEY - STATEWIDE AGRICULTURAL LEGAL ADVOCACY

Location: Statewide Coverage (May be based out of any KLS office, e.g., Topeka, Salina, Hays, Manhattan, Dodge City, or Wichita)

Position Type: Full-Time

Position Overview

Kansas Legal Services seeks a dedicated, organized, and mission-driven attorney to work in our statewide Agricultural Legal Advocacy initiative. Agriculture is the economic heartbeat of Kansas, but low-to-moderate-income farmers, ranchers, and rural families face increasingly complex legal hurdles that threaten their land and livelihoods.

This unique role involves traveling and serving clients across all 105 Kansas counties. You will provide legal representation and counsel to help rural families protect their assets, navigate economic distress, and preserve family farms for the next generation.

This role will be supported by all 11 KLS offices around the state and the attorney will be part of our larger team of 50 attorneys statewide. KLS offers a professional and friendly work environment with integrity as our guiding principle. We are an equal opportunity employer with recruitment efforts focused on ensuring a diverse workforce.

Key Responsibilities

The attorney in this position will handle a diverse, civil caseload focused strictly on the intersections of agricultural law and poverty law, including:

Wills, Trusts, & Estate Planning: Drafting wills, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives tailored specifically to farming families to facilitate smooth, intentional farm succession and keep generational land intact.
Contracts & Leases: Reviewing, drafting, and negotiating farm leases (cash rent, crop-share), equipment agreements, and agricultural production contracts.
Financial Distress & Bankruptcies: Advising agricultural clients on debt restructuring and navigating Chapter 12 (family farmer) or Chapter 7 bankruptcies to protect core operations.
Real Estate & Division of Land: Representing clients in property disputes, partition actions, quiet title actions, easement negotiations, and zoning/land-use challenges.
Statewide Outreach: Traveling across Kansas to partner with local offices, and educate agricultural communities on their legal rights.

Qualifications

Licensure: Active license to practice law in the State of Kansas (or eligibility forimmediate reciprocal admission).
Experience: Prior experience in agricultural law, real estate, estate planning, orbankruptcy is strongly preferred, but a demonstrated capacity to learn these specializedareas will be considered.
Travel Capability: The willingness to travel extensively across the state to meet clients,attend court hearings, and conduct outreach.
Skills: Exceptional communication skills, independence to manage a broad geographicalcaseload, and a collaborative spirit to work with regional KLS offices.

Benefits & Compensation
Kansas Legal Services offers a supportive, team-oriented professional environment with an excellent benefits package, including:

Paid health, life and disability insurance.
13 paid holidays annually
Generous paid vacation and sick leave and 13 paid holidays annually.
Paid family leave
A collaborative and professional work environment
Travel and mileage reimbursement.
Eligibility for federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Note: This position may qualify for the newly passed Attorney Training Program for Rural Kansas Act. This act provide certain incentives for working in rural Kansas including possible student loan benefits.

Application Process

Send resume and cover letter to:

Micah Tempel, Director of Legal Operations at tempelm@klsinc.org.

EEO & Affirmative Action Employer

ATTORNEY - HAYS

Kansas Legal Services – Hays seeks a Kansas-licensed attorney to practice general poverty law representing low-income Kansans. Casework will focus on solving civil legal problems that will increase the social and economic stability of the individual. Focus practice areas will include family, elder and housing law as well as work with victims of crime. The office serves Ellis and surrounding counties.

KLS offers a professional and friendly work environment with integrity as our guiding principle. We are an equal opportunity employer with recruitment efforts focused on ensuring a diverse workforce.

The qualified candidate must have the following: a Kansas law license; excellent written and oral communication skills; and a desire and commitment to assist in the delivery of high-quality legal assistance to low-income people. Recent law school graduates preparing to take the bar exam are encouraged to apply.

Excellent paid employee benefits include: 13 paid holidays, extensive sick/vacation time, health and life insurance, long term disability insurance, paid medical leave, malpractice insurance, bar dues, and CLE.

KLS is a qualifying employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness and eligible to apply for loan repayment assistance through Legal Service Corporation’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program.

Minimum salary for this position is $65,000/year with adjustments made based on experience.

Email a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to: