Education Staff Attorney or Senior Attorney - Alliance for Children's Rights

The Alliance for Children’s Rights is seeking a dedicated individual to join our Education Program as a Staff or Senior Attorney. This is an exempt, full-time paid position

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist children with disabilities in the child welfare and juvenile justice system, and their families, to secure the early intervention and special education services they have identified as necessary to their success in school by providing zealous advocacy in IFSP and IEP meetings, informal dispute resolution, mediations, and by filing compliance complaints with the California Department of Education
• Train and supervise pro bono attorneys, interns, and law clerks
• Assist in the development and delivery of community trainings and tools to support clients, caregivers, and other stakeholders (e.g., CASA, social workers, probation officers) n understanding special education and early intervention rights
• Work with the education team to identify and creatively problem solve issues related to ableism, racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. as it arises for our clients and within our internal systems and processes

WHAT YOUR IMPACT WILL BE

The Education Program prides itself on providing its team members with the support and resources necessary to be successful. We believe that education (including early intervention) services are essential in creating opportunity for youth, especially those facing systemic barriers to success, including those who face multiple barriers such as children of color and children with disabilities – both of whom are disproportionately overrepresented in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. We ground our advocacy in our clients’ goals and our vision for creating education equity from an intersectional perspective.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL POSSESS

• J.D. Degree
• 0-3 years of legal experience for the staff attorney position or 4-7 years of legal experience for the senior attorney position.
• California bar admission in good standing
• Personal, educational, or professional experience in: regional center early intervention advocacy, school district special education advocacy; child welfare, juvenile justice, and/or education systems (e.g., former teacher or social worker, CASA,); and/or working with diverse populations, towards goals of equity and racial justice.
• Bilingual Spanish language skills highly preferred.

This job description is of a general nature and is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties of the position.

Experience and skills

• Excellent written and oral communication, active listening, and presentation skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with clients, attorneys, medical staff, child welfare professionals, the judiciary, and members of the public
• Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to work independently and manage competing tasks in a fast-paced environment
• A strong work ethic, dedication, and enthusiasm for taking on responsibility
• Demonstrated ability to work as team member with a pleasant and collegial approach.
• Commitment to social justice
• Experience and comfort building rapport and working effectively with families, children, and young adults
• Experience with early education, education, juvenile dependency or delinquency courts is helpful
• Familiarity with law, legal procedures and protocols, and court system
• Proactive and flexible, with the ability to work in an environment with shifting priorities and demands.
  

Salary:

This is an exempt, full-time paid position, target starting salary range for the staff attorney is $75,000-$79,000, and the senior attorney position ranges from $83,00 to $93,000. Final starting salary offered is contingent on years of relevant experience. Benefits include generous vacation and paid holidays; comprehensive health plans covering 100% of the employee cost of medical, dental and vision insurance; life insurance; flexible spending accounts for childcare and health expenses; generous retirement savings plan with company contributions to your 403(b) after one year of employment, and discounts on fitness memberships and other activities.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, this position worked full time from our Los Angeles office. However, since the pandemic, this position has worked remotely from home with travel into the office or to schools for advocacy meetings as needed. This position may be asked to return to work in the office at any time and at the employer’s discretion. Preference may be given to candidates who live in (or plan to relocate to) Los Angeles county.

Vaccination Requirement 

The Alliance is committed to prioritizing and safeguarding the health and wellbeing of our employees, their families, our clients, and members of our community against the COVID-19 coronavirus. In response to COVID-19 and the increased transmissibility with recent variants, and to support a safe environment for everyone, all new Alliance employees must provide original documentation confirming they are fully vaccinated, and or evidence of an approved qualifying medical exemption or religious held belief exemption at the time of hire.

To be considered, please send a cover letter and resume to our Education Program Director, Jill Rowland, at Jrowland@alliancecr.org. Please include in your cover letter any relevant experiences, background, or perspective, professional or otherwise, you have in working with diverse populations and/or towards goals of equity and racial justice.