Education Staff Attorney

About the role

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

Responsibilities

• Aid 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.
• Aid in the development and delivery of community trainings and tools to support clients, caregivers, and other stakeholders (e.g., CASA, social workers, probation officers) in 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.

Requirements

• At least 1-3 years of legal experience.
• 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.

Qualifications

• Degree.

Skills

• Bilingual Spanish language skills highly preferred.
• 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.
• 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 a 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.

Pay

This is an exempt, full-time paid position with a target starting salary range is $79,000-$85,000. Final starting salary offered is contingent on years of relevant experience. A monthly bilingual pay differential of $167/month is offered to employees in this role who are Spanish speaking and pass the language assessments.

Benefits

• 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.
• Discounts on fitness memberships and other activities.

Apply

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.