Staff Attorney 2

About the role

The Equal Access and Housing Practice Group seeks an attorney who will lead and work collaboratively on various advocacy initiatives to end discrimination against people with disabilities and increase access. The Staff Attorney 2 will handle client cases and advocacy projects, from intake to case conclusion. The work will range from providing legal advice which will enable clients to self-advocate, to leading individual client litigation, impact litigation, writs, administrative practice, and policy advocacy.

Responsibilities

• Develop and/or participate in litigation—including class action lawsuits, complex litigation, and/or appeals—that is responsive to the needs of individuals with disabilities.
• Represent individual clients in negotiations, mediations, administrative proceedings, and/or judicial proceedings.
• Identify and participate in key internal and external stakeholder workgroups and/or committees that align with EAH’s goals and priorities.
• This will include engaging with other legal services agencies and/or community-based organizations to identify and address emerging or recurring systemic issues impacting DRC’s clients.
• Expand the delivery of DRC’s services to underserved populations through strategic community outreach activities, including workshops and know-your-rights trainings.
• Prepare and/or coordinate training materials, publications, reports, or special projects, or make presentations about legal work as necessary.
• Mentor attorneys, advocates, fellows, clerks, and/or interns/externs, as assigned.
• Participate in other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor degree (JD) and admitted to the California State Bar, plus five (5) full years of legal experience.
• Demonstrated commitment – through lived experience and/or employment history – to working with people with disabilities and low-income clients and incorporating race equity and community lawyering principles into their work.
• Experience in one or more substantive areas of law of affecting the rights of and services for people with disabilities (such as Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Due Process Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Unruh Civil Rights Act, the Disabled Persons Act, CA Gov. Code Section 11135, etc.).
• Experience in one or more of the following: litigation, administrative practice, working on complex legal matters, or community organizing.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully lead multiple advocacy projects such as intake/outreach projects, administrative proceedings, writs, eviction defense, or single client defendant lawsuits.
• Experience working with persons with disabilities and/or experience working with persons from multi-ethnic communities.
• Experience in the disability rights or justice movement and/or extensive contacts in the disability community.
• A strong sense of professional responsibility and ethics.
• An ability to meet deadlines and perform multiple tasks while maintaining attention to detail.
• The ability to work independently with appropriate supervision.

Desired Qualifications

• Able to communicate fluently and write effectively in Spanish or an Asian language; or able to communicate using American Sign Language.
• Experience with and/or extensive contacts in ethnic or language distinct communities.
• Understanding of how to incorporate race equity and community lawyering principles into their work.
• Ability to maintain positive relationships with diverse groups of people.

Working conditions

• Duties are performed between an office or home environment and the field in a wide range of settings, including courthouses, facilities, or other institutional settings, or in community-based settings.
• Duties require regular communications over online platforms.
• Must be able to transport oneself to work-related meetings, training, and community events.