Staff Attorney

Job Description

Job Description

Organization Description

Dependency Advocacy Center (DAC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, provides interdisciplinary family defense legal services to indigent parents and children involved with Santa Clara County’s child welfare system and the juvenile dependency court. Our adult clients face the risk of permanent separation from their children due to allegations of abuse and neglect. Substance use disorder, intimate partner violence, and mental health concerns are commonly presenting issues, often rooted in the layered effects of poverty, marginalization, and intergenerational trauma. DAC was founded on the belief that traditional legal advocacy is insufficient to adequately represent our parent and youth clients. Our approach to holistic family defense utilizes an interdisciplinary team of attorneys, social workers, and mentor parents to create client-centered legal strategies designed to support the family’s long-term success.

Mission Statement

Dependency Advocacy Center provides zealous legal representation to indigent clients in the juvenile dependency system to promote timely reunification and preservation of families in a safe, healthy environment. DAC believes that every parent and child entering the dependency system has a right to be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.

Job Description

This is a full-time attorney position for DAC’s innovative program, Corridor. Corridor is a collaborative endeavor with Santa Clara County’s Adult Probation designed to help parents with criminal justice system involvement break the cycle of criminal justice and child welfare system involvement. Corridor clients may have open dependency court cases or may be at risk of entry into the child welfare system. As part of an attorney-led interdisciplinary team, the Corridor Staff Attorney works closely with Corridor’s social workers and mentor parents to provide holistic support that meets each client’s unique circumstances.

For prevention clients, the Corridor Staff Attorney will provide the following core services: (1) brief consult and advice calls with eligible parents, (2) “know your rights” community presentations about the child welfare system, and (3) limited scope representation to assist with family preservation/stabilization and to address specific areas of vulnerability such as housing instability, substance use disorder, mental health and domestic violence issues, and alternative caretaker arrangements in the event of parental incarceration or unavailability. The attorney may provide legal assistance and limited scope representation in a variety of civil legal matters, with an emphasis on probate and family law matters if the child is at risk of DFCS involvement.

For open dependency case clients, the Corridor Staff Attorney will provide zealous, interdisciplinary representation to criminal justice-involved parents at all stages of a juvenile dependency case to promote family preservation and timely reunification. Representation includes client interviews, providing ongoing assessments of the merits of cases, conducting legal research, conferring with social workers, opposing counsel, and other service providers, appearing at all court hearings, preparing witnesses for trial, participating in mediations and

settlement conferences, and presenting clients’ cases to the court during uncontested hearings

and contested bench trials.

In addition, Corridor program responsibilities include case staffings with the interdisciplinary Corridor team, networking and outreach to local community-based organizations, and ongoing data collection for purposes of evaluating and sustaining the program.

An understanding of the unique barriers and challenges faced by parents with criminal justice system involvement is needed to support both open and prevention Corridor clients. The Corridor Staff Attorney will proactively communicate and collaborate with a client's criminal defense attorney and probation officer and advocate for clients in criminal court when necessary and appropriate.

Desired Qualifications

·       Member in good standing of the State Bar of California.

·       Family law, probate law and criminal defense experience desired; dependency law experience preferred.

·       High degree of professionalism and strong commitment to social justice

·       Experience working with and advocating for marginalized communities on issues such as housing, family law, mental health, domestic violence, public benefits, immigration, and child welfare system involvement.

·       Ability to work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team that includes social workers and parents with lived child welfare experience.

·       Ability to manage a diverse caseload of open court dependency cases and out of court prevention cases.

·       Ability to enter case notes and other data collection requirements in a timely manner.

·       Ability to work compassionately and respectfully with clients in crisis.

·       Ability to network and build partnerships with community-based organizations.

·       Trained in cultural competency, motivational interviewing, and trauma-informed service delivery.

·       Bilingual skills preferred.

DAC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Mission Statement

At the Dependency Advocacy Center, our mission is to create an inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment where respect, kindness, and empathy guide all interactions with our staff, stakeholders, and clients. We are dedicated to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion within our organization. We firmly believe that every parent and child entering the dependency system deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. These values are not only applicable to our clients but also extend to all staff members.

We are committed to continuous learning and self-reflection on matters concerning diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Through ongoing education, training, and critical analysis of our progress, we seek to deepen our understanding and awareness of these issues and the impact it has on our clients and staff members. By doing so, we can more effectively advocate for clients and promote all aspects of inclusion, including diverse representation in our leadership and staff.

At DAC, we are determined to increase representative diversity within our organization. We aspire to become an actively pro-diversity company and a strong ally to all the communities we serve. We recognize the importance of intentional efforts to support individuals of diverse ethnicities, abilities, genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, and all races and religious affiliations.

Incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion practices is at the core of our daily work at DAC. We strive to integrate these principles into every aspect of our organization to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.

Application Process

Please upload a cover letter and resume.

In order to best serve our clients and our community, DAC is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace in which differences are acknowledged and valued. If applicable, please address how your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, prepared you to contribute to social justice, race equity, and diversity among our staff.

Salary: $90,000 annually. Medical, dental, and vision coverage available. Generous PTO.