A help wanted sign is posted over the Cherokee Nation’s headquarters seeking four attorneys with a passion to help others.

Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma announced recently that it received a three-year grant from the federal AmeriCorps program as part of the Obama administration’s investment in tribally sponsored AmeriCorps programming. Through this project, LASO AmeriCorps members will deliver civil legal assistance to improve health with the Cherokee Nation.

“A person’s health can be significantly impacted by social problems like domestic violence, denial of public benefits, or unsafe or substandard housing, just to name a few,” Legal Aid director Michael Figgins said. “These are issues that may have a civil legal solution. By partnering with the Cherokee Nation, LASO attorneys can identify issues impacting health that might have a civil legal solution.”

The project is part of a larger, six-state public/private investment in medical-legal partnerships in tribal communities throughout the nation. Building on the success of a pioneer program in Navajo Nation, AmeriCorps made simultaneous investments in Arizona, Nebraska, New Mexico and Utah.

Bud Cowsert, Legal Aid of Oklahoma program director, said the successful applicants will be based in Tahlequah at the Cherokee Nation headquarters to identify and treat Social Security disability and age-related problems.

The positions are open to licensed Oklahoma attorneys or individuals eligible to be licensed in the state, he said. Applicants currently are being interviewed, but more are needed to fill out the job pool.

Successful applicants, with experience in the medical practice preferred, will be working on medical issues, helping clients receive appropriate treatment when needed and must have a passion for poverty law.

The full-time positions require a three-year commitment but could extend longer because Legal Aid of Oklahoma has been successful in getting grants extended, Cowsert said.

This also is an educational award because AmeriCorps also will pay $5,750 annually — $17,250 over three years — toward a law school loan, he said.

Individuals interested in applying should go to the Legal Aid website, legalaidok.org, or email Cowsert at bud.cowsert@laok.org.

Hopefully the four positions can be filled by Jan. 1, Cowsert said.