Remote Senior Staff Attorney Work & Family Rights

THE ORGANIZATION Legal Aid at Work (LAAW) partners with people to help them understand and assert their workplace rights, and advocates for employment laws and systems that empower low-paid workers and marginalized communities.LAAW has seven core program areas: (1) Community Legal Services; (2) Disability & Health Justice; (3) Gender Equity & LGBTQ Rights; (4) National Origin and Immigrants’ Rights; (5) Racial Economic Justice; (6) Wage Protection; and (7) Work & Family. Through these programs, LAAW: Provides free, individualized legal advice and counsel throughout California to thousands of low-income workers; Pursues targeted enforcement and impact litigation to strengthen and clarify the law; Conducts community outreach and education for workers, their advocates, their families, and their health and social service providers; and Advocates for laws, regulations, and policies at the local, state, and national levels to strengthen civil and workplace rights. As a social justice organization, Legal Aid at Work’s mission is rooted in the firm belief that all people deserve respect, dignity, and self-determination at work, at school, and in their communities. Structural and systemic racism—with the oppression of Black and Indigenous people at its core—and other forms of injustice shape the society and the civic, political, and legal systems in which we work and live. Legal Aid at Work is committed to developing and nurturing an organizational culture that will dismantle systems of oppression, uplift people from underrepresented communities, and create a workplace that is truly equitable and inclusive. As such, we strongly encourage BIPOC candidates and those with lived experiences and low-income workers to apply. SUMMARY Legal Aid at Work seeks a Staff or Senior Staff Attorney for our Work & Family Program. The Program empowers workers who are parents, pregnant, family caregivers, or caring for their own health to fight discrimination and access time off from work, paid leave, and other workplace accommodations to care for themselves and their families without risking their jobs and income. Through SURVIVE Project, the team also protects the rights of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking to keep their jobs and obtain accommodations and protected leave. The team aims to focus its work on the rights of Black birthing people, LGBTQ families, and immigrant workers.The Program has a long history of success in providing robust direct services through the Project SURVIVE and Work and Family helplines, securing landmark legislative wins, and defending workers’ rights in low-wage jobs and industries. The team advocates for systems and policy change to advance the rights of working families by partnering with families, healthcare and social service providers, and government agencies. RESPONSIBILITIES The Staff Attorney will work within and across teams to further the goals of the Program. The Staff Attorney will assist with all of the team’s advocacy efforts, with a particular emphasis on systemic litigation. The Staff Attorney is responsible for: Working closely with the team to develop strategy for the Program going forward; Helping to build the Program’s case docket by investigating, developing, initiating and litigating enforcement and impact cases, including class actions, representative actions, individual actions, and amicus work, leading litigation at times; Assisting with the Program’s direct services work, including responding to calls and representing clients in limited and full legal representation with administrative agencies; Using legal and policy advocacy strategies to support worker centers and other community partners; Conducting community outreach and education in conjunction with community partners; and Participating in coalition meetings and other activities to advance coalition building. REQUIREMENTS The following list of core competencies and experiences is provided to share insight into the requirements of the role and the general level of experience we seek in candidates. We encourage all qualified candidates and those with relevant or transferable experience to apply, even if you do not bring experience in all of the areas noted below.Candidates must be active members of the California State Bar or be willing to take the next California Bar Examination if currently a member of another state bar. Candidates must be based in the state of California. Legal Aid at Work offers employees the flexibility to work primarily from home, contingent on business needs and professional responsibilities. Strong preference will be given to applicants with personal or professional experience working with impacted communities. Demonstrated commitment to social justice and civil rights work; a passion for Legal Aid at Work’s mission of seeking justice for low-wage workers. A minimum of 5 years of legal experience; Experience working with low-wage workers and/or family or reproductive rights, preferably in California; Experience with investigation, case development, and litigation including discovery, motion practice, hearings, trials and/or appeals in California and/or federal courts; The ability to work collaboratively on a small team of attorneys and paralegals; Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously, and prioritizing competing deadlines; Willingness to develop projects on their own initiative; Strong legal research, writing, and analytical skills; The ability to think creatively about the law as a dynamic tool of social change, and to identify opportunities for law reform; The ability to think strategically about the role of a legal nonprofit in supporting worker organizing efforts and improving the overall legal ecosystem for workers’ rights more broadly; A commitment to racial equity work and incorporating racial equity principles into legal advocacy; Ability to use tact and diplomacy when dealing with sensitive issues and to maintain confidentiality; Strong interpersonal skills, initiative, leadership, and organizational abilities; Willingness to coach and mentor law students, fellows, and junior attorneys; A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and the ability to hold and foster difficult and necessary conversations about sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and other protected categories; and The ability to travel as necessary within California and to other parts of the country for litigation, speaking events, meetings, and conferences. ADDITIONAL PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Knowledge of California employment law, administrative procedures, and/or paid leave programs or accommodations; Fluency in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or other languages commonly spoken by low-wage workers in California. COMPENSATION Legal Aid at Work offers salaries that are competitive in the public interest law community. Benefits include health plans, long-term disability and life insurance, 403(b) retirement plan, and generous paid vacation and holidays. As a unionized organization, Legal Aid at Work believes in the importance of employees organizing to improve their working conditions. This position is included in the bargaining unit represented by ESC Local 20. Salary placement at hire and salary advancement will be in accordance with the negotiated salary scale in the union contract for this position. The salary range for this position ranges from $97,344 to $187,063. TO APPLY Please email your resume, a cover letter detailing your interest in the position, a legal writing sample, and three references to:W&F Staff Attorney Email: View email address on click.appcast.io Legal Aid at Work is committed to a diverse, multicultural work environment. LAAW is an equal opportunity, fair chance, and affirmative action employer. Our complete EEO and DEI statements as well as further information concerning the organization and its programs can be found at . Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Legal Aid at Work will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment. #J-18808-Ljbffr Legal Aid at Work