Attorney II (Limited Term)

About the role

The Judicial Council of California is accepting applications for a limited term Attorney II position with the Center for Families, Children & the Courts. The Attorney II position is a temporary, full‑time assignment for approximately three years, contingent on fund availability, and is funded through the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) for the Judicial Resources and Technical Assistances (JRTA) grant program to support increased workload for the federal Children and Family Services Review (CFSR). As an attorney on the JRTA team, the incumbent will conduct courtesy review of dependency and delinquency case files, review notes of other file review attorneys, provide guidance to courts on legal compliance and mandated duties, perform written analysis on case law, documentation of reasonable efforts, and judicial determinations, and maintain substantial telephone and email communication with court partners (county counsel, social workers, probation officers) to discuss findings and advise on improving procedures. The role also includes creating, modifying, and updating bench cards and other documents for key hearings, providing direct legal assistance and trainings to individual courts or groups of courts, and supporting the JRTA project’s legal informational materials.

Responsibilities

• For 8-12 counties, perform site visits as a Judicial Resources and Technical Assistance (JRTA) liaison to analyze and evaluate local juvenile court (dependency and delinquency) practice and procedure, and thereafter prepare a memorandum with legal guidance to ensure that judicial officers and juvenile court professionals comply with current federal regulations and state law.
• Review and analyze court files to determine compliance with federal and state juvenile law and best practices. This involves examining documentation of findings and orders, written reports from the social services department and/or probation department, and any other relevant documentation in the court file. The attorney must determine whether the county is in compliance with title IV-E of the Social Security Act; and if not, to provide legal advice and counsel to judicial officers to avoid possible fiscal