Eviction Defense Program Counsel/Program Administrator

Position: Eviction Defense Program Counsel/Program Administrator

Agency: Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid

Job Type: Permanent Full-Time

Salary: $115,000 - $120,000

Location: Washington State (location flexible; hybrid work/remote arrangements available)

Open: May 29, 2026

Close: June 21, 2026, or open until filled. Review of applications will begin on June 22, 2026.

Preferred start date: August 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter

Agency

The Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid (OCLA) is an independent judicial branch agency. Created with an understanding that the provision of legal aid services to indigent persons is an important component of the state’s responsibility to provide for the proper and effective administration of justice, OCLA’s mission is to secure, invest and oversee the use of public funding for civil legal aid to low-income people in Washington State and to ensure accountability for public funds dedicated to the purpose.

Since 2005, OCLA has administered and overseen general civil legal aid in Washington. Today the agency also supports legal aid to victims of crime and domestic violence, children in foster care, kinship caregivers, indigent tenants facing eviction, and individuals reentering society following completion of their terms of incarceration. 

Consistent with The Washington State Supreme Court’s June 4, 2020 Statement to the Legal Community, OCLA acknowledges that it and its contracted civil legal aid providers operate in a law and justice system historically grounded in racism and that time and again has administered justice differentially depending on the racial identities of those involved. OCLA was an initial subscriber to the Washington Race Equity and Justice Acknowledgments and Commitments.  As outlined in its Race Equity and Justice Statement of Purpose, OCLA is committed to being an active partner in carrying out the Washington State judicial branch’s commitment to ensuring equity and justice for people and communities throughout our state.  

Find out more about OCLA here

The Eviction Defense Programs

OCLA’s eviction defense programs support legal help for low-income tenants across Washington who are facing eviction or are at risk of losing their housing. Together, these programs serve more than 13,000 low-income Washingtonians each year through court-appointed counsel, pre-filing eviction prevention legal services, and related housing stability support.

Washington’s appointed counsel program for indigent tenants is the only fully functional statewide appointed counsel program for tenants facing eviction in the country. Through this program, OCLA funds and oversees legal aid providers who represent eligible tenants in unlawful detainer proceedings and helps ensure that tenants have meaningful access to the legal protections created by the Legislature.

OCLA also supports pre-filing eviction prevention services and foreclosure prevention legal aid. These programs help stabilize housing before a court case is filed, connect people to legal information and resources, and support a broader statewide system of housing-related legal assistance for people with low incomes.