Overview
Childrens Rights is a national advocacy organization that has, for over 25 years, championed the legal rights of children impacted by government systems. Every day, children are harmed by Americas broken child welfare, juvenile justice, education, immigration, and healthcare systems.These systems disproportionately harm children of color, LGBTQ/TGNC, and other minority youth. Childrens Rights uses civil rights impact litigation, policy expertise, and public education to hold governments accountable for keeping all kids safe and healthy. We are seeking a Staff Attorney to be an integral part of our organization and our evolving legal program.Our work tackles a variety of historic and emerging social justice issues impacting children. Recent campaigns have targeted, for example, broken child welfare systems, unconstitutional conditions of confinement in juvenile detention facilities, the failure to provide adequate mental and physical health services to vulnerable children, the unjust treatment of unaccompanied immigrant minors, the pervasive practice of administering powerful and dangerous psychotropic drugs to children in foster care without adequate oversight, the systemic discrimination against LGBTQ youth in custodial settings, and the grave outcomes for older youth aging out of government systems. We are keenly aware of the intersectionality that renders specific youth populations even more vulnerable to systemic failures.Job Summary:Childrens Rights attorneys and policy staff, working with local advocates, investigate specific problems in failing systems, develop lawsuits or other advocacy campaigns where appropriate, conduct extensive discovery, work with substantive experts, and prepare cases for trial or negotiated settlement.Duties/Responsibilities: Staff Attorneys can expect to be deeply engaged in all aspects of on-the-ground investigations and active litigation.The Staff Attorney will, among other things, complete legal research and analysis, take depositions, take and analyze complex discovery, draft motions and other pleadings, and network with stakeholders.The Staff Attorney will become an active member of several Childrens Rights campaign teams, often working in conjunction with local co-counsel, local advocates, and experts.Post-judgment work involves regular assessment of performance and extensive negotiations with state agency officials, experts and court-appointed monitors.Staff Attorneys may be asked to perform other duties as required by organizational needs.Experience and Qualifications:We are seeking an attorney with 5-8 years of applicable litigation experience who is highly-motivated and passionate about the work we do, interested in further developing their litigation skills, including strategy formulation, under high-quality supervision, and in developing professionally to take on increasing leadership roles in complex impact litigation. The ideal experience may include judicial clerkships, law firm or public interest experience. Applicant must have an active license to practice law and/or membership in state Bar.Applicants must possess outstanding research, writing and analytical skills, fluency with litigation and discovery technological tools and Microsoft Office Suite, sound strategic judgment, strong communication/interpersonal skills and ability to develop relationships, a healthy sense of humor, and a passion for social justice and the broader aspects of systemic reform and its policy implications. The successful candidate will be expected to perform at the highest level of practice, and to take advantage of opportunities to further develop professionally.Knowledge of childrens issues, social services, social justice, civil rights, racial justice, LGBTQ issues, juvenile justice and/or other areas of our work is a plus.Applicants with prior personal involvement in the systems we fight to improve and/or with other diverse life experiences and perspectives are especially encouraged to apply.For more information, please visit our website: Responsibilities:Staff Attorneys may from time to time oversee and/or coordinate the work of one or more of the paralegal staff at Childrens Rights.Physical and Travel Requirements:Prolonged periods sitting and/or standing at a desk and working on a computer.Travel is required.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this position will initially be remote, and it is currently contemplated that Childrens Rights staff will return to our offices in lower Manhattan in September 2021.Childrens Rights is an equal employment opportunity employer, and women,people of color, LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people, people with disabilities, and people with unique lived experience or diverse professional or personal backgrounds and perspectives, are encouraged to apply.
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