Overview
ABOUT PUBLIC COUNSEL
Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.
Public Counsel operates seven legal projects: Child, Youth & Family Advocacy, Community Development, Consumer Rights & Economic Justice, Homelessness Prevention, Immigrants’ Rights, Gender Justice, and our impact litigation project, Opportunity Under Law.
Public Counsel has a full-time staff of approximately 160. We are committed to building a diverse staff and encourage applications from people of color, people with disabilities, and people of all gender identities, gender expressions, and sexualities. We recognize the essential role of staff in achieving our goals, and we have set a long-term intention to provide competitive compensation, benefits, training, mentorship, and overall workplace wellness, making Public Counsel a leader among nonprofit law firms.
ABOUT CHILD, YOUTH & FAMILY ADVOCACY PROJECT/GUARDIANSHIP TEAM
Public Counsel’s Child, Youth & Family Advocacy Project (CYFA) serves children, youth, and their families on a variety of legal issues, including access to education, probate legal guardianship, public benefits, and adoption, and issues affecting transition age youth and children and youth living with developmental disabilities. The Guardianship team is part of the larger CYFA Project. The Guardianship team operates a free self-help legal clinic at the Stanley Mosk courthouse three days each week, helping litigants to establish, object to, modify, and terminate probate legal guardianships. All litigants are assisted in pro per with a wide variety of pleadings related to guardianship matters.
JOB SUMMARY
Reporting to the Guardianship team’s Senior Supervising Attorney, Staff Attorney will:
- Assist litigants with guardianship and related petitions at the in-person clinic
- Recruit, supervise, and manage volunteers
- Conduct legal research related to guardianship issues
- Develop informational materials for caregivers seeking guardianships and parents seeking to end guardianships
- Engage in community education presentations
- Engage in local and statewide policy advocacy related to guardianship, as time allows
- Other duties as necessary
Requirements
ESSENTIAL JOB SKILLS AND ABILITIES
- Juris Doctor degree and a member in good standing of the California Bar preferred, though we will accept applications from individuals awaiting bar results
- 0-4 years of experience in legal advocacy
- Spanish language fluency (required)
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, including communicating in an empathetic and professional manner with clients or litigants
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within diverse coalitions
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with teams
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, effectively prioritize workloads, and accurately complete work in a timely fashion
- Ability and willingness to staff the in-person clinic located in the Stanley Mosk courthouse in downtown Los Angeles at least three days per week, with remote work on the remaining weekdays
- Commitment to gender/racial/social justice and the mission of Public Counsel