Staff Attorney, Families Together

• Provide high-quality, culturally humble, trauma-informed direct legal representation.
• Zealously advocate for clients in all cases through reflective case planning, thorough investigation and high-quality litigation to achieve positive client outcomes.
• Attend all court dates and file all appropriate pleadings on time.
• Engage in creative strategies to avoid family separation and entry into foster care.

Case Handling: Policy and Protocol Adherence

• Adhere to program policies and protocols, including case planning notes, litigation protocol, case notes and timekeeping policy and client visitation and contact protocol to achieve positive outcomes for clients outlined in program logic models.
• Ensure timely and accurate input of case and intake information into case management system and adhere to applicable policies and protocols to support learning and positive outcomes for clients. Children’s Law Center policy requires a minimum of 30 hours to be entered weekly.
• Maintain accurate, timely data entry for non-case-related activities including but not limited to trainings and volunteer attorney mentoring.

Case Handling: Supervision

• Attend and actively participate in regular supervision with their supervisor to review and brainstorm case strategies, keep the supervisor informed and ensure quality of representation.
• Provide written materials to their supervisor for feedback on all written material, including trial preparation.
• Immediately report any impending or actual difficulty in fulfilling obligations to clients or Children’s Law Center to minimize adverse consequences for clients or the organization.
• Identify and elevate Targeted Appellate Strategy Issue List cases to supervisor and Appellate Team.

Community Partnership & Engagement

• Organize and conduct legal education trainings.
• Effectively and compassionately communicate with Community of Hope staff, community partners and service providers to ensure optimal outcomes for clients.

Volunteer Support

• Participate in hiring, onboarding and supervision of law clerk and intern staff as assigned.
• Develop and conduct volunteer attorney trainings as assigned.
• Develop or update volunteer attorney training materials as assigned.
• With experience, develop skills and capacity to mentor volunteer attorneys.

Learning and Systemic Advocacy

• Attend and participate in all Families Together team meetings, attorney and staff meetings and other internal committees and working groups as requested by the Families Together Director.
• Provide support to Children’s Law Center Policy Team in areas of expertise to address the systemic needs of its client community.
• Participate or attend external committees as needed and requested by the Families Together Director.

Required Skills and Experience

• JD degree.
• DC Bar membership or eligibility for DC Bar membership based the transfer of a Uniform Bar Examination score attained in another jurisdiction or membership in good standing in the Bar of another jurisdiction for at least 3 years immediately prior to the application for admission.
• Experience in legal services or other community lawyering. Experience that will be considered includes job experience, law school clinics, clerkships, and internships.
• Experience with housing conditions or special education matters.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion and humility when working with clients and colleagues at the intersection of multiple identities, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, immigration status, religion, physical and mental disability and/or limited English proficiency.

Preferred Qualifications

• A demonstrated commitment to social, economic and racial justice.
• Strong legal analysis, research, writing and oral advocacy skills.
  • Demonstrated by: law school clinic experience, judicial clerkships, research positions, and/or law school awards for moot court or oral advocacy.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication and relationship-building skills.
• Demonstrated capacity to work independently and collaboratively.
• Demonstrated capacity to proactively address obstacles and identify creative solutions.
• Strong independent judgment and decision-making skills.
• Experience working with children and families with limited financial resources preferred.
• Experience mentoring or teaching is a plus.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) communication skills are a plus.

Organizational Competencies

• Cultural Humility – an openness to self-reflection and to understanding and respecting other cultural experiences and points of view and viewing individuals as experts in their own culture and experiences.
• Giving and Receiving Feedback – the ability to be self-reflective, give and receive appreciative, coaching, constructive, interpersonal and evaluative feedback.
• Conflict Management – a process which is designed to guide individuals and groups from the moment of conflict to the implementation of an identified solution. This process incorporates skills and techniques, including recognizing points of conflict, identifying the facts and feelings involved to get to the root of the issue, investigating equitable solutions, implementing and evaluating solutions, and supporting and guiding others throughout the process.

Salary and Benefits

The salary for this position ranges from $66,000 to $76,512 annually based on relevant experience. Children’s Law Center offers a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and short- and long-term disability insurance; employer-provided retirement contributions; flexible spending plans; and vacation, sick, holiday, family and medical leave. You can find more details about Children’s Law Center’s comprehensive benefits package at https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/employee-benefits/.

In order to provide better service to our clients and community, Children’s Law Center encourages individuals who speak Spanish to apply for this position. Candidates who indicate proficiency in Spanish will be asked to complete Spanish oral proficiency testing. Individuals hired for this role who are proficient in Spanish are eligible to receive a sign-on bonus after the start of employment.

Children’s Law Center is a 501(c)(3) organization. Employees with federal student loan debt can apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. For more information, go to https://myfedloan.org/borrowers/special-programs/pslf. Additionally, the DC Bar Foundation’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program provides renewable one-year, interest-free, forgivable loans up to $12,000 per year for qualified Children’s Law Center attorneys. For more information, see https:/dcbarfoundation.org/lrap/.

Application Instructions

To apply, please submit a resume via CLC's careers page (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/).

Children’s Law Center is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. If you believe that you need accommodation to search for, or apply for, one of our positions please send an email to Jobs@ChildrensLawCenter.org. In your email, please include the accommodation you are requesting and the job title you are applying for. It may take up to three business days to receive a response to your request.

Hybrid Working Conditions

Children’s Law Center is currently operating on a hybrid work schedule. Employees are required to work in-person from Children’s Law Center’s office a minimum of two days per week. At least one of these days must be either Tuesday or Wednesday. The hybrid work schedule is subject to change based on organizational needs and/or best practices for health and safety. Hybrid work expectations may vary depending upon role responsibilities.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. Children’s Law Center is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Background Checks

Candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment will be subject to a background check.

EEO

Children’s Law Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and existing employees. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to ancestry, age, color, disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. We invite you to visit our website to learn more about our company and our career opportunities (https://childrenslawcenter.org/get-involved/careers/).

Our Commitment