Staff Attorney
About the Project
The National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (NCCRC) was created in 2003 as a project of the Public Justice Center (PJC). The NCCRC’s mission is to encourage, support, and coordinate advocacy across the country to expand recognition of a right to counsel for low-income people in civil cases involving basic human needs, such as housing, safety, benefits, civil incarceration, health, and child custody. It currently has over 300 participants and 200 partners working in 40 states, and its work involves supporting state court litigation, legislative campaigns, social science research, and public awareness efforts. It has assisted successful state and local efforts to establish a right to counsel in cases involving adoption or guardianship of children, termination of parental rights, evictions, suspension of driver’s licenses, and civil incarceration, and has worked on efforts around the right to counsel in cases involving domestic violence, truancy, guardianship of adults, and civil forfeiture. Its website, http://www.civilrighttocounsel.org, serves as the national repository for the status of the right to counsel for all civil areas in all 50 states as well as all the current expansion efforts.
The PJC pursues systemic change to build a just society. Founded in Maryland in 1985, the PJC uses legal advocacy tools to pursue social justice, economic and racial equity, and fundamental human rights for Marylanders who are struggling to provide for their basic needs. The PJC is a civil legal aid office that provides advice and representation to low-income clients, advocates before legislatures and government agencies, and collaborates with community and advocacy organizations. Learn more at http://www.publicjustice.org.
About the Position
We are looking to hire an attorney to help build out the NCCRC’s capacity in light of explosive national growth on civil right to counsel over the past five years. The position is currently funded through June 2021, and there is the hope and possibility it will be extended. It is a full-time, exempt, professional position.
The new attorney will report to the NCCRC Coordinator, who works from Montgomery, Alabama. While we anticipate the new attorney will work in Montgomery, or in the PJC’s Baltimore office, there is also the possibility of telecommuting. Regardless, the new attorney will spend some time in Montgomery for training purposes, and the position will require occasional travel beyond the initial training period.
Core duties
· Analyzing new cases and bills to determine potential NCCRC interest/involvement, and providing summaries and recommendations to the NCCRC Coordinator;
· Identifying, reaching out to, and coordinating efforts among stakeholders for key legislation, and developing supportive testimony;
· Conducting 50-state research in a variety of subject areas, and/or supervising interns or volunteers conducting such research;
· Exploring and developing partnerships with key national organizations;
· Authoring law review articles that summarize NCCRC’s legal research;
· Authoring op-eds responding to legal trends or specific cases/bills;
· Helping to maintain the NCCRC’s social media presence;
· Developing public materials such as best practices guides, infographics, and FAQs;
· Incorporating new research into the NCCRC website’s interactive map database;
· Performing some administrative work, such as keeping the NCCRC participant list up to date, assisting with fundraising tasks, and performing website cleanup;
· Traveling to and presenting at conferences and meetings around the country, and developing PowerPoint presentations for targeted audiences.
Desired skills and experience
· Admission to practice law in at least one state required;
· 2 years of experience strongly preferred but not required;
· Established passion for social justice, and keen interest in access to justice;
· Strong organizational skills, as well as keen attention to detail;
· Ability to work both independently and collaboratively;
· Demonstrated research and writing skills;
· Experience in communications preferred;
· Prior experience with low-income and disadvantaged communities strongly preferred.
Compensation
The salary range is $60,000-$70,000 depending on experience. An excellent cafeteria benefit package is included offering health, dental, disability and life insurance, and retirement options.
Applications should be submitted by Friday, November 29, 2019 to be assured of consideration, but will be accepted and interviews conducted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. To apply, please submit, by email only, a cover letter explaining your interest, resume, two legal writing samples, and the names and telephone numbers of three references. Please send applications to John Pollock, jpollock@publicjustice.org with “NCCRC Attorney Position” in the subject line.
The Public Justice Center is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer that encourages all interested persons to apply regardless of race, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, age, religion, genetic information, physical or mental disability, marital status, or any other legally protected status.