Senior Attorney - Youth Practice Group

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

People with disabilities, people of color, people in all protected classes, and formerly incarcerated people are encouraged to apply. Make a difference! We fight for the rights of people who have disabilities.... JOIN US! 

Equitable and Inclusive Hiring at Disability Rights California (DRC)

At Disability Rights California (DRC), we are committed to creating an equitable, accessible, and inclusive experience for all applicants. Below, we’ve outlined important details to ensure you feel fully supported throughout the hiring process.

Examples of reasonable accommodations include:

• American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation
• Alternative formats for interview materials (e.g., large print, Braille, digital files)
• Interview questions are provided prior to the interview
• Extended interview time
• A quiet or distraction-free interview setting
• Adjustments to the interview format for accessibility (e.g., pinning participants,)
• Assistance with reading or note-taking during interviews

If you require an accommodation due to a disability to complete this application OR you are experiencing issues submitting your application and accompanying materials, please e-mail: View email address on ziprecruiter.com . Please note: resume, cover letter and writing sample are required. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

LOCATION:

Hybrid (within California) or Sacramento, Fresno, Oakland, Ontario, Los Angeles or San Diego 

EMPLOYMENT STATUS:

Exempt, Full time, Regular  

SALARY RANGE: 

$89,435 – $130,958 annually (band 12) 

As part of our commitment to internal equity, salary offers are determined through a structured analysis that considers each candidate’s relevant education and years of substantially similar experience for the position. We review the candidate’s resume to assess relevant experience in relation to current employees in comparable roles. This process ensures our compensation decisions are fair, consistent, and aligned with organizational equity standards.

EXCELLENT BENEFITS

• 8% Match – 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 
• We offer ample vacation, Sick / Self Care time and holidays (including the last week in December) 
• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) - eligible employer.  

INTERNAL CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY

• Regular employees 
• Meet the minimum requirements of the position for which they are applying  
• Employed for more than 6 months
• In good standing 

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

Open until filled. Applications should be received by August 31, 2026 to be considered for the first round of interviews. Resume, cover letter and writing sample are reviewed and required. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

WHO WE ARE

Disability Rights California (DRC) defends, advances, and strengthens the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities.

DRC works for a world where all disabled people have power and are treated with dignity and respect. In this world, people with disabilities are supported, valued, included in their communities, afforded the same opportunities as people without disabilities, and make their own decisions.

DRC values all forms of human diversity. We are committed to a culture of belonging where all people are welcome. In order to be effective advocates for all people with disabilities, we must address discrimination in all its forms, including the unique challenges faced by people who experience the intersection of multiple systems of discrimination.

YOUTH Practice Group (YPG)  

We are a statewide team of passionate attorneys who work collaboratively to enforce and expand the rights of students with disabilities. Our goal is to ensure that students with disabilities receive the benefits and supports guaranteed under federal and state laws.  We achieve this objective through various types of lawyering and advocacy strategies that includes individual student representation at due process hearings, systemic litigation, investigations and monitoring of school districts, policy advocacy and community empowerment.  

The YPG works collaboratively on lawsuits and advocacy projects on behalf of all youth with disabilities. Much of our current work includes advocating on behalf of students with disabilities facing exclusionary discipline, students with disabilities facing an inappropriate restrictive environment, youth with mental illness, foster youth, undocumented youth, Tribal youth, students of color and underserved communities. We also work to improve access to education supports and services, through our legislative and policy work with coalition partners.  

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

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 Senior Attorney works under the direct supervision of the Managing Attorney and in collaboration with other Disability Rights California attorneys and advocates in their legal, advocacy, and outreach efforts. 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential functions are the job responsibilities an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation include: ? 

• 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. 
• Participate in other duties as assigned. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

(Applicants MUST meet EACH of the minimum qualifications to be considered for an interview.)

• 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

(Applicants DO NOT have to meet any of the Desirable Qualifications to be considered for an interview.)

• 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. 

LICENSES / CERTIFICATES

Must be a member of the California State Bar, or eligible to practice under the Registered Legal Services Attorney Program.  

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Ability to travel occasionally for activities such as hearings, court appearances, meetings, internal and external trainings, outreach activities, and client meetings/representation up to 25% of the time.  

WORKING CONDITIONS

The following describes general working conditions and requirements of the job, which can be performed with or without disability-related reasonable accommodations: 

• Duties are performed between an office or home environment and the field in a wide range of settings, including courthouses, health care facilities or other institutional settings, community agencies, or in community-based outpatient settings.   
• Duties frequently require sitting and communicating with others. 
• Must be able to transport oneself to work-related meetings, hearings, facilities and settings where clients live.