Senior Attorney - Youth Practice Group

About the role

The Senior Attorney plays a leading role in our administrative hearing practice and systemic advocacy to enforce and expand the rights of children and youth with disabilities. The position requires a combination of legal advocacy, policy advocacy, and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop, lead, and/or participate in administrative hearings that are responsive to the urgent needs of children and youth with disabilities.
• Represent individual clients in negotiations, mediations, and judicial and administrative proceedings.
• Develop, lead, and/or participate in policy advocacy at the state level, including commenting on and drafting legislation and regulations, and participating in stakeholder workgroups or committees.
• Supervise and/or mentor the work of attorneys, fellows, and/or interns, as assigned.
• Prepare or coordinate training materials, publications, reports, or special projects, or make presentations about legal work as necessary.
• Provide technical assistance and substantive training to other Disability Rights California staff in areas of expertise and participate in the identification and development of substantive and skills-based training for staff.
• Collaborate with other agencies and organizations to address new or recurring problems and issues in the provision of services to clients.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor degree (JD) plus seven (7) years of experience practicing law or internal candidates who have worked at DRC for three (3) continuous years and have six (6) years of experience practicing law.
• Excellent advocacy skills (such as research, writing, analytic).
• Demonstrated ability to lead multiple and complex advocacy projects, build strong relationships, and work well in collaboration with others.
• Demonstrated commitment – through lived experience and/or employment history – to working with people with disabilities, people of color and low-income clients, and incorporating race equity and community lawyering principles into their work.
• Expertise in one or more substantive areas of law of importance to children and youth disabilities (i.e., Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Due Process Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, etc.).
• Experience in two or more practices involving policy advocacy, administrative proceedings, community organizing, discovery, motion practice, class action litigation, trial advocacy, or appellate practice related to the position.
• The ability to work independently with appropriate supervision.

Desirable Qualifications

• Knowledge of laws, rights, and services as they pertain to people with disabilities, and/or direct representation of people with disabilities.
• Able to communicate fluently and write effectively in Spanish or an Asian language; or able to communicate using American Sign Language.
• Experience working with and/or sensitivity to persons with disabilities and/or experience working with and/or sensitivity to persons from multi-ethnic communities.
• Experience in the disability rights movement and/or extensive contacts in the disability community.
• Experience with and/or extensive contacts in ethnic or language distinct communities.
• Experience with and/or extensive contacts with one or more of the following: homelessness, foster youth, immigration, criminal justice, substance abuse or Lesbian/Gay/Bi- Sexual/Transgender/Queer/Intersex (LGBTQI+) communities.
• Life experience as a person with a disability OR direct experience as a caregiver of a family member with a disability.
• Experience representing clients in judicial or administrative proceedings, negotiations, and/or mediations.

Benefits

We offer excellent benefits including:

• An 8% match on 401K
• Health benefits (HMO options)
• Additional Benefits: dental, vision, basic life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance, flexible spending accounts (medical, dependent care and commuter).
• Health Reimbursement Accounts for some HMO Plans.
• Pet Insurance, Employee Assistance Program, Teladoc
• Affordable vacation, Sick / Self Care time and holidays (including the last week in December)
• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) - eligible employer.

Pay

$89,435 – $130,958 annually (band 12)

Schedule

Exempt, Full time, Regular