Senior Attorney

About the Legal Aid Justice Center:
 

The Legal Aid Justice Center is a nationally recognized, non-profit organization that partners with low-income clients and communities of color in Virginia to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. We understand that the harms our clients endure are inextricably linked to overarching systems of injustice. Together we are dismantling those systems through a combination of community organizing, litigation, policy advocacy, public relations, and individual legal services.  

Founded in 1967, LAJC has offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church and provides services under six key program areas: Civil Rights & Racial Justice (focuses on the criminal legal system), Housing & Consumer Justice, Youth Justice, Health Justice & Public Benefits, Immigrant Justice, and Worker Justice. As examples of LAJC’s recent work, our lawsuit and organizing against the state forced reform of Virginia’s unemployment insurance system, including advocacy that resulted in the distribution of over $1 billion in illegally withheld payments to over 160,000 Virginians. During the pandemic, we demanded and secured a statewide eviction moratorium and emergency pandemic protections that helped hundreds of families avoid eviction. We reduced incarceration across the state, including reducing the population of a local immigration detention center down to historically low levels through a coordinated effort of organizing paired with impact and individual litigation.  Our staff are on the front lines of some of the most important anti-poverty fights happening today.  

With a staff of over 90, the past few years have been a time of exciting growth and opportunity for the organization. In addition to the growth of programmatic efforts including increased organizing capacity, LAJC has expanded its operations and administrative capacity, created new opportunities for professional growth and leadership among staff, engaged in ongoing race equity work, and explored changes to organizational structure to deepen its efforts to create long-term, sustainable, community-driven change. 
    

About the Position:

 

You are a justice-seeking changemaker in the Charlottesville/Richmond office and statewide. Partnering with communities and clients, you are responsible for both routine advocacy (case handling, etc., particularly through the clinics) and for managing systems change campaigns that seek to achieve justice by dismantling systems that create and perpetuate poverty. In your work, you use a variety of tools, including litigation, policy advocacy, community organizing, research, and communications. As a senior litigation attorney on the CRRJ team, this attorney will also strategize with the CRRJ team on campaigns - both the ones they are staffed on as well as the others - and assist with the development of impact litigation to advance CRRJ's work. 

Job Duties:

 

• Serve as litigation specialist for the CRRJ program, litigating major cases, including serving as LAJC’s primary attorney on Scott v. Clarke, a class action on behalf of 1,200 women incarcerated at Fluvanna women’s prison.
• The attorney will work with the CRRJ team to identify, file and litigate other impact cases to challenge the reach of the criminal legal system in Virginia with a community driven advocacy approach. Specifically, the attorney will file and handle impact cases arising from CRRJ campaigns with the goal of bringing systemic changes and building the power and leadership of marginalized communities most impacted by the harm the lawsuit seeks to remedy. It is critical that the attorney work to integrate impact litigation as well as any individual representation into existing and newly developing campaigns and grassroots advocacy.
• The attorney will both handle cases independently and serve as co-counsel with experienced pro bono, civil rights attorneys around the state. In cases where we work with pro bono partners and external organizations, the attorney will assist with managing of the litigation team.
• As a part of the CRRJ team, this attorney will also strategize with the CRRJ team on campaigns – both the ones they are staffed on as well as the others – and assist with integrating litigation or courtroom advocacy with other tools in campaigns that will advance CRRJ’s work.
• This attorney will have an opportunity to teach a clinic at the University of Virginia School of Law.
• Racial Equity: Promote racial equity across all dimensions, including within LAJC, by doing the following:
  • Helping to recruit, retain, and support both staff and leadership that reflect the racial composition of our community.
  • Cultivating respect for the work of and expanding resources for non-attorney staff that are disproportionately people of color.
  • Creating spaces for staff to discuss issues of racial, gender, and all other issues of marginalization.
  • Pushing for institutional and cultural changes by management, the board, and staff to further promote racial equity.

Required Qualifications:

• At least four years of relevant experience.
• Strong commitment to social, economic, and racial justice.
• Membership in the Virginia State Bar, or eligibility and willingness to become a member of the VSB promptly – either by passing the bar exam in July 2023, or meeting requirements to “waive” into bar membership without taking the bar exam. (Note: this position may be eligible for the newly enacted Virginia Supreme Court rule allowing for any attorney working exclusively for a legal aid organization to practice without examination as long as they are in good standing in another state). 
• Professional or lived experience advocating in low-wealth communities
• Outstanding oral advocacy, research, writing, and leadership skills
• Ability to work effectively across multiple teams
• Ability to communicate effectively across lines of identity
• Willingness to travel statewide occasionally
• Interest in movement lawyering
• Desire to seek out feedback and learn from it
• Willingness to work to decrease the scope and power of the criminal legal system

Preferred Qualifications:

• Four years or more of federal litigation experience
• Familiarity with class action cases
• Familiarity with community lawyering approaches and/or organizing around criminal legal reform
• Experience with impact advocacy, especially systemic litigation
• Expertise in one or more of the CRRJ's core issue areas, including fines and fees, police oversight, expungement, and prisoner rights issues.

 

Location: This role is preferable to be based in our Charlottesville office, but we are also open to candidates for our Richmond office. Occasional travel between offices will be required. Although a regular presence in the office is required, LAJC offers a remote work policy to support employees in co-creating schedules and arrangements that allow us all to do our best work.

A Note to Potential Candidates: Studies have shown that women, trans, non-binary folks, and BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the qualifications described.

Application Deadline: We will begin reviewing applications on August 02, 2024, but will accept applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled. We encourage candidate to apply as soon as possible. 

Salary: The salary scale for this position is $75,000 - $99,478.21 based on the LAJC salary scale. To allow for salary growth within the position over time, the anticipated hiring range for this position is between $75,000 - $87,999.96. Placement on the range will be based on factors such as years of relevant experience, budget, and internal equity. 

Benefits: Our mission is compelling, and our team members are passionate about their work, and so we recognize the need to provide generous benefits and encourage rest and a healthy work environment. For example, we provide: 
 

• Generous paid time off every year, including 3 to 6 weeks of vacation, 12 days of health leave, 6 weeks parental leave, and 14 holidays (not including bonus holidays/rest days allocated as needed) 
• 100% employer paid health, dental, and vision insurance, plus excellent family insurance with annual max of $2,400 premium contribution to LAJC-sponsored health plan 
• 403(b) retirement plan with 4% employer contribution (no required match) 
• Strong commitment to professional development 
• Relocation package 

Application Instructions: Complete the online application. This position requires a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references. You can direct the cover letter to the hiring manager, Anna Kurien. Please note, we will not contact references without advance consent from candidates. 

Vaccination Requirement: The Legal Aid Justice Center requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved medical or religious exemption as a qualification of employment. Proof of vaccination or accommodation request must be provided within one day of employment.

The Legal Aid Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, and communities to apply. The Legal Aid Justice Center is committed to strengthening the voices of our low-income clients, working in collaboration with community partners, and rooting out the inequities that keep people in poverty. We strive to take on the issues that have broad impact on our client communities and to be responsive to client input. Recognizing the particular impact of racism on our clients and staff, we devote special attention to dismantling racial injustice. All applicants must be dedicated to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe. In reviewing applications, we look for evidence that applicants have experience and/or thoughtfulness in working with traditionally marginalized populations. 

Employment Type: Full Time
Years Experience: 3 - 5 years
Salary: $75,000 - $99,478 Annual
Bonus/Commission: No